Tōkaidō Shinkansen

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Tōkaidō Shinkansen
JR west N700series N1 maibara.jpg
A JR West N700 series train passing Maibara Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen in January 2011
Overview
Native name 東海道新幹線
Type Shinkansen
Locale Japan
Termini Tokyo
Shin-Osaka
Stations 17
Operation
Opened 1 October 1964
Owner JR Central
Operator(s) JR Central
Depot(s) Tokyo, Mishima, Nagoya, Osaka
Rolling stock 700 series
N700 series
Technical
Line length 515.4 km (320.3 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification 25 kV AC, 60 Hz, overhead catenary
Operating speed 285 km/h (175 mph)
Route map
Tokaido Shinkansen map.png
Tōkaidō Shinkansen route map
Aomori( Tōhoku Shinkansen )
0.0 km Tokyo
6.8 km Shinagawa
Tama River
25.5 km Shin-Yokohama
Sagami River
76.7 km Odawara
95.4 km Atami
111.3 km Mishima
135.0 km Shin-Fuji
Fuji River
167.4 km Shizuoka
Abe River
Ooi River
211.3 km Kakegawa
Tenryu River
238.9 km Hamamatsu
Lake Hamana
274.2 km Toyohashi
312.8 km Mikawa-Anjō
342.0 km Nagoya
367.1 km Gifu-Hashima
408.2 km Maibara
476.3 km Kyoto
515.4 km Shin-Ōsaka
Hakata( Sanyō Shinkansen )

The Tōkaidō Shinkansen (東海道新幹線?) is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen line, opened in 1964 between Tokyo and Shin-Ōsaka. Since 1987 it has been operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), prior to that by Japanese National Railways (JNR). It is the most heavily travelled high-speed rail route in the world by far; its cumulative ridership of 5.3 billion passengers dwarfs all other systems and lines worldwide.[1][2]

The line was named a joint Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark and IEEE Milestone by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2000.[3][4]

Train services

Mt. Ibuki and the Tokaido Shinkansen
  •      Nozomi: limited-stop services, since March 1992
  •      Hikari: semi-fast services
  •      Kodama: all-stations shuttle services

There are three types of trains on the line: from fastest to slowest, they are the Nozomi, Hikari, and Kodama. Many Nozomi and Hikari trains continue onward to the Sanyō Shinkansen, going as far as Fukuoka's Hakata Station.

700 series and N700 series train sets operate on the line in any of the three service patterns. The Hikari run from Tokyo to Osaka took four hours in 1964; this was shortened to 3 hours 10 minutes in 1965. With the introduction of high-speed Nozomi service in 1992, the travel time was shortened to 2 hours 30 minutes. The introduction of N700 series trains in 2007 further reduced the Nozomi travel time to 2 hours 25 minutes. As of 14 March 2015, after a speed increase to 285 km/h, the fastest Nozomi service now takes 2 hours 22 minutes from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka.

As of August 2008, Hikari services travel from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka in approximately 3 hours, with all-stopping Kodama services making the same run in about 4 hours.

Nozomi trains cannot be used by tourists using the Japan Rail Pass.[5]

Stations

Kodama trains stop at all stations. Nozomi and Hikari trains have varying stopping patterns (some Hikari trains stop at stations marked "▲"). All trains stop at Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Shin-Osaka.

Station Japanese Distance (km) Nozomi Hikari Transfers Location
Tokyo 東京 0.0 ● ● Tōhoku Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen, Yamanote Line, Chūō Main Line, Sōbu Main Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Tōkaidō Main Line, Keiyō Line, Yokosuka Line
Subway TokyoMarunouchi.png Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line (M-17)		 Chiyoda, Tokyo
Shinagawa 品川 6.8 ● ● Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Tōkaidō Main Line, Yokosuka Line
Keikyū Main Line		 Minato, Tokyo
Shin-Yokohama 新横浜 25.5 ● ● Yokohama Line
Yokohama Municipal Subway ■Blue Line (No. 3 Line)		 Kōhoku-ku, Yokohama
Odawara 小田原 76.7 ｜ ▲ Tōkaidō Main Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line
Odakyu Odawara Line, Izu-Hakone Railway Daiyuzan Line, Hakone Tozan Line		 Odawara, Kanagawa
Atami 熱海 95.4 ｜ ▲ Tōkaidō Main Line, Ito Line Atami, Shizuoka
Mishima 三島 111.3 ｜ ▲ Tōkaidō Main Line
Izuhakone Railway Sunzu Line		 Mishima, Shizuoka
Shin-Fuji 新富士 135.0 ｜ ｜   Fuji, Shizuoka
Shizuoka 静岡 167.4 ｜ ▲ Tōkaidō Main Line
Shizuoka Railway Shizuoka-Shimizu Line (Shin-Shizuoka Station)		 Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
Kakegawa 掛川 211.3 ｜ ｜ Tōkaidō Main Line
Tenryū Hamanako Line		 Kakegawa, Shizuoka
Hamamatsu 浜松 238.9 ｜ ▲ Tōkaidō Main Line
Enshu Railway Line (Shin-Hamamatsu Station)		 Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
Toyohashi 豊橋 274.2 ｜ ▲ Tōkaidō Main Line, Iida Line
Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line, Toyohashi Atsumi Line (Shin-Toyohashi Station), Toyohashi Tramway (Ekimae Station)		 Toyohashi, Aichi
Mikawa-Anjō 三河安城 312.8 ｜ ｜ Tōkaidō Main Line Anjō, Aichi
Nagoya 名古屋 342.0 ● ● Tōkaidō Main Line, Chūō Main Line, Kansai Main Line, Takayama Main Line
Nagoya Subway: ■Higashiyama Line (H08), ■Sakura-dori Line (S02), Nagoya Main Line (Meitetsu Nagoya Station), Kintetsu Nagoya Line (Kintetsu Nagoya Station), ■ Aonami Line (AN01)		 Nakamura-ku, Nagoya
Gifu-Hashima 岐阜羽島 367.1 ｜ ｜ Meitetsu Hashima Line (Shin-Hashima Station) Hashima, Gifu
Maibara 米原 408.2 ｜ ▲ Tōkaidō Main Line, Biwako Line (part of Tōkaidō Main Line, for Kyoto), Hokuriku Main Line
Ohmi Railway Main Line		 Maibara, Shiga
Kyoto 京都 476.3 ● ● Biwako Line (for Maibara), JR Kyoto Line (part of Tōkaidō Main Line, for Osaka) Sagano Line (part of Sanin Main Line), Nara Line
Kintetsu Kyoto Line, Kyoto Municipal Subway: Subway KyotoKarasuma.png Karasuma Line (K11)		 Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
Shin-Ōsaka 新大阪 515.4 ● ● Sanyō Shinkansen (through service), JR Kyoto Line
Osaka Municipal Subway: Midosuji logo.png Midōsuji Line (M13)		 Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
Through service to Hakata on the Sanyō Shinkansen

Rolling stock

  • 700 series 16-car sets, since March 1999 (owned by JR Central and JR West)
  • N700A series 16-car sets, since 1 July 2007 (owned by JR Central and JR West, modified from original N700 series sets)
  • N700A series 16-car sets, since 8 February 2013 (owned by JR Central and JR West)

All Tokaido Shinkansen services are scheduled to be operated by N700A series or N700A series trainsets by the end of fiscal 2019.[6]

  • JRC 700 series C37.jpg

    JR Central 700 series

  • JR Central N700 series

Past rolling stock

  • 0 series 12/16-car sets, 1 October 1964 to 18 September 1999 (owned by JR Central and JR West)
  • 100 series 16-car sets, 1 October 1985 to September 2003 (owned by JR Central and JR West)
  • 300 series 16-car sets, March 1992 to March 2012 (owned by JR Central and JR West)
  • 500 series 16-car sets, November 1997 to February 2010 (owned by JR West)

  • 0 series, May 1967

  • JR Central 100 series, May 2003

  • JR Central 300 series, February 2011

  • 500 series, May 2008

Timeline

0 series
100 series
300 series
500 series
700 series
N700/N700A series
N700A series
│
1960
│
1965
│
1970
│
1975
│
1980
│
1985
│
1990
│
1995
│
2000
│
2005
│
2010
│
2015
│
2020

Rolling stock transitions

History

The back cover of the first English-language timetable with the Tokaido Line Shinkansen service which launched on 1 October 1964.

The Tokaido Shinkansen line was originally conceived in 1940 as a 150 km/h (93 mph) dedicated railway between Tokyo and Shimonoseki, which would have been 50% faster than the fastest express train of the time. The beginning of World War II stalled the project in its early planning stages, although a few tunnels were dug that were later used in the Shinkansen route.

Construction of the line began on 20 April 1959 under JNR president Shinji Sogō and chief engineer Hideo Shima. It was completed in 1964, with the first train travelling from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka on 1 October 1964 at 210 km/h (130 mph). The opening was timed to coincide with the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which had already brought international attention to the country. Originally, the line was called the New Tokaido Line in English. It is named after the Tokaido route of Japan, used for centuries. Speeds have been increased to 285 km/h (177 mph), except for lower limits applying between Tokyo and Shin-Yokohama and in densely populated urban areas around Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka stations.[7]

A new Shinkansen stop at Shinagawa Station opened in October 2003, accompanied by a major timetable change which increased the number of daily Nozomi services.

All Tōkaidō Shinkansen trains to and from Tokyo make station stops at Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama. (Before March 2008, alternating Nozomi and Hikari services stopped at either or both of these stations.)

A new station, Minami-Biwako, was planned to open in 2012 between Maibara and Kyoto to allow a transfer to the Kusatsu Line. Construction started in May 2006, but in September 2006, the Ōtsu district court ruled that the ¥4.35 billion bond that Rittō city had issued to fund construction was illegal under the local finance law and had to be cancelled. The project was officially cancelled in October 2007.[8]

Ridership

From 1964 to 2012, the Tokaido Shinkansen line alone has carried some 5.3 billion passengers,[2] making it by far the most heavily used HSR line in the world. Ridership has increased from 61,000 per day in 1964 [9] to 391,000 per day in 2012.[2]

Tokaido Line Cumulative Ridership figures (millions of passengers)
Year 1967 1976 2004 Mar 2007 Nov 2010 2012
Ridership (Cumulative) 100 1,000 4,160[10] 4,500[11] 4,900[1] 5,300[2]
Tokaido Line Ridership figures (per year, millions of passengers)
Year 1967 April 1987 April 2007 April 2008 April 2009 April 2010 April 2011 April 2012
Ridership 22 [9] 102 [9] 151 [9] 149 [9] 138 [9] 141 [9] 149 [9] 143 [2]

Future developments

An ultra-fast (500 km/h (311 mph) plus) maglev system, the Chūō Shinkansen, has been committed to construction, with a target date of 2020 for the line to start partial operation, and 2027 to connect Tokyo with Nagoya.[12]

It was announced in June 2010 that a new shinkansen station in Samukawa, Kanagawa Prefecture was under consideration by JR Central. If constructed, the station would open after the new maglev service begins operations.[13]

In December 2013, JR Central president Yoshiomi Yamada announced the operating company's intentions to raise the maximum line speed beyond 270 km/h, with a revised timetable to be introduced in spring 2015.[14] In February 2014, JR Central announced that, from spring 2015, the maximum speed would be increased to 285 km/h (175 mph) for services using N700A or modified N700 series trains.[15] Initially, just one service per hour will run at 285 km/h, with more services gradually added later.[15]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Bullet Train & Maglev System to Cross the Pacific", Saturday, 4 September 2010 09:55, by Yoshiyuki Kasai, Chairman of JR-C
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Central Japan Railway Company Annual Report 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2013].
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en004.html http://japanrailpass.net JAPAN RAIL PASS validity
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Central Japan Railway Company Annual Report 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  10. ↑ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2004/10/02/business/tokaido-shinkansen-line-fetes-40-years/#.Ua0NG0DVDzw Japan Times Tokaido Shinkansen Line fetes 40 years Saturday, 2 October 2004
  11. ↑ Central Japan Railway Company Annual Report 2007. Retrieved on 28 April 2009.
  12. ↑ http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130514p2a00m0na003000c.html The Mainichi: JR Tokai reveals 'small and efficient' future bullet train stations
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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