Japanese Shinkansen train. Japanese railway miracle - the Shinkansen train (27 photos). Japan is a country of high technology and patriarchal traditions
An agreement has been signed in Russia on the creation of a high-speed train – Hyperloop. Its speed will be 1200 km/h - this is unimaginably higher than the existing speeds of ground transport.
Last month, at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, where many foreign companies and investors participate, the Moscow leadership and the Hyperloop company signed an agreement to operate a Hyperloop train in the capital.
The Hyperloop train is not an ordinary train, it moves inside a pipeline in which there will be almost a vacuum (0.001 atmospheric pressure), instead of cars it has special capsules. It is believed that since the train will move in a vacuum, the resistance will be insignificant, so the speed can reach up to 1200 km/h.
Acceleration and braking of the train will be carried out by an electromagnetic field. The train will have increased aerodynamic performance to overcome the sound barrier.
Hyperloop is a breakthrough
Of course, if such a train is actually created, it will change a lot. Travel and transportation will be significantly reduced.
In addition, such a train will be cheaper than magnetic levitation trains. Due to their enormous cost, the development of magnetic trains was stopped. Although the technology itself is also very interesting.
The Hyperloop differs from a magnetic levitation train in that it floats above the rail not due to a magnetic field, but due to air (i.e. it is pneumatic).
An additional advantage of Hyperloop is its autonomous operation. Neither bad weather nor natural disasters are a hindrance to him.
What do we have for today?
Hyperloop is being developed by 2 companies. To date, only initial acceleration tests of the motors have been carried out. The results are good: 160 km/h, while accelerating to 100 km/h in less than 1 second. There have been no tests on tunnels and air cushions yet. Engineers from one of the development companies are already beginning to doubt the use of an air cushion.
But according to its ambitions, the founding company stated that it was going to create a “New Silk Road” from China to Europe in 1 day. In the meantime, the contract instructs the Hyperloop company to make travel easier and reduce time for Muscovites. The start of the project is scheduled for December 2016.
The first magnetic levitation train carried a group of passengers as part of the 1979 IVA International Transport Exhibition in Germany. But few people know that in the same year another maglev, the Soviet model TP-01, drove its first meters along the test track. It is especially surprising that Soviet maglevs have survived to this day - they have been collecting dust on the outskirts of history for more than 30 years.
Experiments with transport operating on the principle of magnetic levitation began even before the war. Over the years and in different countries, working prototypes of levitating trains have appeared. In 1979, the Germans introduced a system that transported more than 50,000 passengers in three months of operation, and in 1984, the first ever permanent line for magnetic levitation trains appeared at Birmingham International Airport (UK). The initial length of the route was 600 m, and the levitation height did not exceed 15 mm. The system operated quite successfully for 11 years, but then technical failures became more frequent due to aging equipment. And since the system was unique, almost any spare part had to be made to order, and it was decided to close the line, which was bringing continuous losses.
1986, TP-05 at the training ground in Ramenskoye. The 800-meter section did not allow us to accelerate to cruising speeds, but the initial “races” did not require this. The car, built in an extremely short time, managed almost without any “childhood diseases”, and this was a good result.
In addition to the British, serial magnetic trains were quite successfully launched in Germany - the company Transrapid operated a similar system 31.5 km long in the Emsland region between the cities of Derpen and Laten. The story of the Emsland Maglev, however, ended tragically: in 2006, due to the fault of technicians, a serious accident occurred in which 23 people died, and the line was mothballed.
There are two magnetic levitation systems in use in Japan today. The first (for urban transport) uses an electromagnetic suspension system for speeds up to 100 km/h. The second, better known, SCMaglev, is designed for speeds over 400 km/h and is based on superconducting magnets. As part of this program, several lines were built and a world speed record for a railway vehicle was set, 581 km/h. Just two years ago, a new generation of Japanese maglev trains was introduced - the L0 Series Shinkansen. In addition, a system similar to the German “Transrapid” operates in China, in Shanghai; it also uses superconducting magnets.
The TP-05 salon had two rows of seats and a central aisle. The car is wide and at the same time surprisingly low - the 184 cm tall editor practically touched the ceiling with his head. It was impossible to stand in the driver's cab.
And in 1975, the development of the first Soviet maglev began. Today it has been practically forgotten, but it is a very important page in the technical history of our country.
Train of the future
It stands before us - large, futuristic in design, looking more like a spaceship from a science fiction movie than a vehicle. Streamlined aluminum body, sliding door, stylized inscription “TP-05” on the side. An experimental maglev car has been standing at a testing ground near Ramenskoye for 25 years, the cellophane is covered with a thick layer of dust, underneath is an amazing machine that miraculously was not cut into metal according to the good Russian tradition. But no, it was preserved, and TP-04, its predecessor, intended for testing individual components, was preserved.
The experimental car in the workshop is already in a new livery. It was repainted several times, and for the filming of a fantastic short film, a large Fire-ball inscription was made on the side.
The development of maglev goes back to 1975, when the Soyuztransprogress production association appeared under the USSR Ministry of Oil and Gas Construction. A few years later, the state program “High-speed environmentally friendly transport” was launched, within the framework of which work began on a magnetic levitation train. The financing was very good; a special workshop and training ground of the VNIIPItransprogress Institute with a 120-meter section of road in Ramenskoye near Moscow was built for the project. And in 1979, the first magnetic levitation car TP-01 successfully passed the test distance under its own power - however, still on a temporary 36-meter section of the Gazstroymashina plant, elements of which were later “moved” to Ramenskoye. Please note - at the same time as the Germans and before many other developers! In principle, the USSR had a chance to become one of the first countries to develop magnetic transport - the work was carried out by real enthusiasts of their craft, led by Academician Yuri Sokolov.
Magnetic modules (gray) on a rail (orange). The rectangular bars in the center of the photo are gap sensors that monitor surface unevenness. The electronics were removed from TP-05, but the magnetic equipment remained, and, in principle, the car can be started again.
The Popular Mechanics expedition was led by none other than Andrey Aleksandrovich Galenko, General Director of the OJSC Engineering and Scientific Center TEMP. “TEMP” is the same organization, ex-VNIIPItransprogress, a branch of the Soyuztransprogress that has sunk into oblivion, and Andrei Aleksandrovich worked on the system from the very beginning, and hardly anyone could talk about it better than him. TP-05 stands under cellophane, and the first thing the photographer says is: no, no, we can’t photograph this, nothing is visible right away. But then we pull off the cellophane - and for the first time in many years, the Soviet maglev appears before us, not engineers or test site employees, in all its glory.
Why do you need Maglev?
The development of transport systems operating on the principle of magnetic levitation can be divided into three directions. The first is cars with a design speed of up to 100 km/h; in this case, the most optimal scheme is with levitation electromagnets. The second is suburban transport with speeds of 100-400 km/h; here it is most advisable to use a full-fledged electromagnetic suspension with lateral stabilization systems. And finally, the most “fashionable” trend, so to speak, is long-distance trains capable of accelerating to 500 km/h and above. In this case, the suspension should be electrodynamic, using superconducting magnets.
TP-01 belonged to the first direction and was tested at the test site until mid-1980. Its weight was 12 tons, length - 9 m, and it could accommodate 20 people; The suspension gap was minimal - only 10 mm. TP-01 was followed by new gradations of testing machines - TP-02 and TP-03, the track was extended to 850 m, then the laboratory car TP-04 appeared, designed to study the operation of a linear traction electric drive. The future of Soviet maglevs seemed cloudless, especially since in the world, besides Ramensky, there were only two such training grounds - in Germany and Japan.
Previously, the TP-05 was symmetrical and could move both forward and backward; control panels and windshields were on both sides. Today, the control panel is preserved only on the workshop side - the second one was dismantled as unnecessary.
The operating principle of a levitating train is relatively simple. The composition does not touch the rail, being in a state of hovering - the mutual attraction or repulsion of magnets works. Simply put, the cars hang above the track plane thanks to the vertically directed forces of magnetic levitation, and are kept from lateral rolls by similar forces directed horizontally. In the absence of friction on the rail, the only “obstacle” to movement is aerodynamic resistance - theoretically, even a child can move a multi-ton carriage. The train is driven by a linear asynchronous motor, similar to the one that works, for example, on the Moscow monorail (by the way, this motor was developed by JSC Scientific Center "TEMP"). Such an engine has two parts: the primary (inductor) is installed under the car, the secondary (reactive tire) is installed on the tracks. The electromagnetic field created by the inductor interacts with the tire, moving the train forward.
The advantages of maglev primarily include the absence of resistance other than aerodynamic. In addition, equipment wear is minimal due to the small number of moving elements of the system compared to classic trains. The disadvantages are the complexity and high cost of the routes. For example, one of the problems is safety: the maglev needs to be “lifted” onto an overpass, and if there is an overpass, then it is necessary to consider the possibility of evacuating passengers in case of an emergency. However, the TP-05 car was planned for operation at speeds of up to 100 km/h and had a relatively inexpensive and technologically advanced track structure.
1980s An engineer from VNIIPI-transprogress works on a computer. The equipment of the workshop at that time was the most modern - the financing of the “High-Speed Environmentally Friendly Transport” program was carried out without serious failures even during perestroika times.
Everything from scratch
When developing the TP series, the engineers essentially did everything from scratch. We selected the parameters for the interaction between the magnets of the car and the track, then took up the electromagnetic suspension - we worked on optimizing magnetic fluxes, motion dynamics, etc. The main achievement of the developers can be called the so-called magnetic skis they created, capable of compensating for track unevenness and ensuring comfortable dynamics of the car with passengers. Adaptation to unevenness was realized using small-sized electromagnets connected by hinges into something similar to chains. The circuit was complex, but much more reliable and efficient than with rigidly fixed magnets. The system was monitored thanks to gap sensors, which monitored track irregularities and gave commands to the power converter, which reduced or increased the current in a particular electromagnet, and therefore the lifting force.
TP-01, the first Soviet maglev, 1979. Here the car is not yet standing in Ramenskoye, but on a short, 36-meter section of track, built at the training ground of the Gazstroymashina plant. In the same year, the Germans demonstrated the first such carriage - Soviet engineers kept pace with the times.
It was this scheme that was tested on TP-05, the only “second direction” car built within the program, with an electromagnetic suspension. Work on the car was carried out very quickly - its aluminum body, for example, was completed in literally three months. The first tests of TP-05 took place in 1986. It weighed 18 tons, accommodated 18 people, the rest of the car was occupied by testing equipment. It was assumed that the first road using such cars in practice would be built in Armenia (from Yerevan to Abovyan, 16 km). The speed was to be increased to 180 km/h, the capacity to 64 people per carriage. But the second half of the 1980s made its own adjustments to the rosy future of the Soviet maglev. By that time, the first permanent magnetic levitation system had already been launched in Britain; we could have caught up with the British if not for the political vicissitudes. Another reason for the project's curtailment was the earthquake in Armenia, which led to a sharp reduction in funding.
Project B250 - high-speed maglev "Moscow - Sheremetyevo". Aerodynamics were developed at the Yakovlev Design Bureau, and full-size mock-ups of the segment with seats and cockpit were made. The design speed - 250 km/h - was reflected in the project index. Unfortunately, in 1993, the ambitious idea crashed due to lack of funding.
Ancestor of Aeroexpress
All work on the TP series was discontinued in the late 1980s, and since 1990, the TP-05, which by that time had managed to star in the science fiction short film “Robots are No Mess,” was put in permanent storage under cellophane in the same workshop where it was built. We became the first journalists in a quarter of a century to see this car “live.” Almost everything inside has been preserved - from the control panel to the upholstery of the seats. The restoration of TP-05 is not as difficult as it could be - it was under a roof, in good conditions and deserves a place in the transport museum.
In the early 1990s, the TEMP Research Center continued the topic of maglev, now commissioned by the Moscow government. This was the idea of Aeroexpress, a high-speed magnetic levitation train to deliver residents of the capital directly to Sheremetyevo Airport. The project was named B250. An experimental segment of the train was shown at an exhibition in Milan, after which foreign investors and engineers appeared in the project; Soviet specialists traveled to Germany to study foreign developments. But in 1993, due to the financial crisis, the project was curtailed. 64-seater carriages for Sheremetyevo remained only on paper. However, some elements of the system were created in full-scale samples - suspension units and chassis, devices of the on-board power supply system, even testing of individual units began.
The most interesting thing is that there are developments for maglevs in Russia. JSC Research Center "TEMP" is working, implementing various projects for the peaceful and defense industries, there is a test site, and there is experience working with similar systems. Several years ago, thanks to the initiative of JSC Russian Railways, conversations about maglev again moved to the design development stage - however, the continuation of work has already been entrusted to other organizations. Time will tell what this will lead to.
For assistance in preparing the material, the editors express gratitude to the General Director of the Research and Development Center “Electromagnetic Passenger Transport” A.A. Galenko.
More than two hundred years have passed since the moment when humanity invented the first steam locomotives. However, rail land transport, transporting passengers using electricity and diesel fuel, is still very common.
It is worth saying that all these years, engineers and inventors have been actively working on creating alternative methods of movement. The result of their work was magnetic levitation trains.
History of appearance
The very idea of creating magnetic levitation trains was actively developed at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, it was not possible to implement this project at that time for a number of reasons. The production of such a train began only in 1969. It was then that a magnetic route began to be laid on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, along which a new vehicle was supposed to pass, which was later called the Maglev train. It was launched in 1971. The first maglev train, called Transrapid-02, passed along the magnetic route.
An interesting fact is that German engineers manufactured an alternative vehicle based on the notes left by the scientist Hermann Kemper, who in 1934 received a patent confirming the invention of the magnetic plane.
Transrapid-02 can hardly be called very fast. It could move at a maximum speed of 90 kilometers per hour. Its capacity was also low - only four people.
In 1979, a more advanced model of maglev was created. bearing the name "Transrapid-05", could already carry sixty-eight passengers. It moved along a line located in the city of Hamburg, the length of which was 908 meters. which this train developed was equal to seventy-five kilometers per hour.
Also in 1979, another maglev model was released in Japan. It was called "ML-500". on a magnetic levitation it reached speeds of up to five hundred and seventeen kilometers per hour.
Competitiveness
The speed that magnetic levitation trains can reach can be compared to In this regard, this type of transport can become a serious competitor to those airlines that operate at a distance of up to a thousand kilometers. The widespread use of maglevs is hampered by the fact that they cannot move on traditional railway surfaces. Magnetic levitation trains require the construction of special highways. And this requires large investments of capital. It is also believed that what is being created for maglev vehicles can negatively affect the human body, which will negatively affect the health of the driver and residents of regions located near such a route.
Principle of operation
Magnetic levitation trains are a special type of transport. While moving, the maglev seems to float above the railway track without touching it. This happens because the vehicle is driven by the force of an artificially created magnetic field. There is no friction when the maglev moves. The braking force in this case is aerodynamic drag.
How does it work? Each of us knows about the basic properties of magnets from sixth grade physics lessons. If two magnets are brought close to each other with their north poles, they will repel each other. A so-called magnetic cushion is created. When different poles are connected, the magnets will attract each other. This rather simple principle underlies the movement of a maglev train, which literally glides through the air at a short distance from the rails.
Currently, two technologies have already been developed with the help of which a magnetic cushion or suspension is activated. The third is experimental and exists only on paper.
Electromagnetic suspension
This technology is called EMS. It is based on the strength of the electromagnetic field, which changes over time. It causes levitation (rise in the air) of the maglev. To move the train in this case, T-shaped rails are required, which are made of conductor (usually metal). In this way, the operation of the system is similar to a conventional railway. However, the train has support and guide magnets instead of wheel pairs. They are placed parallel to the ferromagnetic stators located along the edge of the T-shaped sheet.
The main disadvantage of EMS technology is the need to control the distance between the stator and the magnets. And this despite the fact that it depends on many factors, including the fickle nature. In order to avoid a sudden stop of the train, special batteries are installed on it. They are able to recharge the support magnets built into them, and thereby maintain the levitation process for a long time.
The braking of trains based on EMS technology is carried out by a low-acceleration synchronous linear motor. It is represented by support magnets, as well as a road surface over which the maglev floats. The speed and thrust of the train can be adjusted by changing the frequency and strength of the generated alternating current. To slow down, it is enough to change the direction of the magnetic waves.
Electrodynamic suspension
There is a technology in which the movement of a maglev occurs through the interaction of two fields. One of them is created on the highway, and the second on board the train. This technology is called EDS. The Japanese magnetic levitation train JR-Maglev was built on its basis.
This system has some differences from EMS, where conventional magnets are used, to which electric current is supplied from coils only when power is applied.
EDS technology implies a constant supply of electricity. This happens even if the power supply is turned off. The coils of such a system are equipped with cryogenic cooling, which allows saving significant amounts of electricity.
Advantages and disadvantages of EDS technology
The positive side of a system operating on an electrodynamic suspension is its stability. Even a slight reduction or increase in the distance between the magnets and the canvas is regulated by the forces of repulsion and attraction. This allows the system to remain in an unchanged state. With this technology, there is no need to install electronics for control. There is no need for devices to adjust the distance between the blade and the magnets.
EDS technology has some disadvantages. Thus, a force sufficient to levitate the train can only arise at high speed. That is why maglevs are equipped with wheels. They ensure their movement at speeds of up to one hundred kilometers per hour. Another disadvantage of this technology is the frictional force that occurs at the back and front of the repelling magnets at low speeds.
Due to the strong magnetic field, special protection must be installed in the passenger section. Otherwise, a person with an electronic pacemaker is prohibited from traveling. Protection is also needed for magnetic storage media (credit cards and HDDs).
Technology under development
The third system, which currently exists only on paper, is the use of permanent magnets in the EDS version, which do not require energy to be activated. Just recently it was thought that this was impossible. Researchers believed that permanent magnets did not have the strength to cause a train to levitate. However, this problem was avoided. To solve this problem, magnets were placed in a “Halbach array.” This arrangement leads to the creation of a magnetic field not under the array, but above it. This helps maintain levitation of the train even at a speed of about five kilometers per hour.
This project has not yet received practical implementation. This is explained by the high cost of arrays made of permanent magnets.
Advantages of maglevs
The most attractive aspect of magnetic levitation trains is the prospect of them achieving high speeds, which will allow maglevs to compete even with jet aircraft in the future. This type of transport is quite economical in terms of electricity consumption. The costs of its operation are also low. This becomes possible due to the absence of friction. The low noise of maglevs is also pleasing, which will have a positive effect on the environmental situation.
Flaws
The downside of maglevs is that the amount required to create them is too large. Track maintenance costs are also high. In addition, the type of transport considered requires a complex system of tracks and ultra-precise instruments that control the distance between the road surface and the magnets.
in Berlin
In the capital of Germany in 1980, the first maglev-type system called M-Bahn was opened. The length of the road was 1.6 km. The magnetic levitation train ran between three metro stations on weekends. Travel for passengers was free. Afterwards, the city's population almost doubled. It was necessary to create transport networks capable of ensuring high passenger traffic. That is why in 1991 the magnetic strip was dismantled, and the construction of the metro began in its place.
Birmingham
In this German city, low-speed Maglev connected from 1984 to 1995. airport and railway station. The length of the magnetic path was only 600 m.
The road operated for ten years and was closed due to numerous complaints from passengers about the existing inconvenience. Subsequently, monorail transport replaced maglev on this section.
Shanghai
The first magnetic railway in Berlin was built by the German company Transrapid. The failure of the project did not deter the developers. They continued their research and received an order from the Chinese government, which decided to build a maglev track in the country. Shanghai and Pudong Airport are connected by this high-speed (up to 450 km/h) route.
The 30 km long road was opened in 2002. Future plans include its extension to 175 km.
Japan
This country hosted the Expo-2005 exhibition in 2005. For its opening, a 9 km long magnetic track was put into operation. There are nine stations on the line. Maglev serves the area adjacent to the exhibition venue.
Maglevs are considered the transport of the future. Already in 2025, it is planned to open a new superhighway in a country like Japan. The magnetic levitation train will transport passengers from Tokyo to one of the areas in the central part of the island. Its speed will be 500 km/h. The project will require about forty-five billion dollars.
Russia
Russian Railways is also planning to create a high-speed train. By 2030, Maglev in Russia will connect Moscow and Vladivostok. Passengers will cover the 9,300 km journey in 20 hours. The speed of a magnetic levitation train will reach up to five hundred kilometers per hour.
Broad gauge supporters managed to bring their projects to life on the railway laid by the Japanese in the early 30s. in colonized Southern Manchuria. In 1934, the legendary Asia Express was launched between the cities of Dalian and Changchun (700 km), an indicative symbol of the Japanese imperialist power of that time. Capable of reaching speeds of over 130 km/h, it was far superior to China's railway system at the time, and was even much faster than the fastest express train in Japan itself. And on a global scale, Asia-Express had impressive characteristics. For example, the world's first air-conditioned carriages were equipped there. The dining car was equipped with refrigerators, and there was also a special carriage - an observation deck with windows along the entire perimeter, furnished with leather chairs and bookshelves.
This example probably became the final argument in favor of broad gauge and gave rise to the first high-speed rail projects in Japan. In 1940, the Japanese government approved a project of incredible scale. Even then, the project envisaged the creation of a train capable of reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h, but the Japanese government did not intend to limit itself to laying lines only on Japanese territory. It was planned to build an underwater tunnel to the Korean Peninsula and extend the tracks all the way to Beijing. Construction had already partially begun, but the outbreak of the war and the subsequent deterioration of Japan's military and political positions put an end to imperial ambitions. In 1943, the project was curtailed; the same year was the last for Asia-Express. However, some sections of the Shinkansen lines in operation today were built in the pre-war years.
They started talking about the construction of the Shinkansen again 10 years after the war. Rapid economic growth has created great demand for freight and passenger transportation throughout the country. However, the idea to revive the project turned out to be completely unpopular and was sharply criticized. At that time, there was a strong opinion that road and air transport would soon supplant railway transport, as happened, for example, in the USA and some European countries. The project was again in jeopardy.
In 1958, between Tokyo and Osaka, on a still narrow gauge, the direct ancestor of the Shinkansen, the Kodama business express, was launched. With a maximum speed of 110 km/h, it covered the distance between cities in 6.5 hours, making one-day business trips possible. In Japan, where business culture is based on face-to-face meetings, this was a very convenient solution. However, he did not serve very long. The incredible popularity of the Kodama left no one in any doubt about the need for high-speed lines, and less than a year later the government finally approved the Shinkansen construction project.
Asia and Europe are complete opposites. It is very difficult for a European to understand how an Asian builds his life, what he thinks about, what rules he obeys. But still, eastern countries attract tourists with their beauty and originality; in addition, many Asian countries can boast of a high standard of living and new technologies introduced into the life of ordinary residents. Japan is especially interesting in this regard. Those who have had the pleasure of traveling around the Land of the Rising Sun will never be able to forget Japanese trains, covering many kilometers in literally a matter of minutes.
Japan is a country of high technology and patriarchal traditions
Japan is located in East Asia and occupies almost seven thousand islands. This geographical feature affects the entire way of life of the locals. The country's population of 127 million lives in large cities. Only less than five percent of all Japanese can afford to live outside the metropolis, and this division is very arbitrary. After all, in Japan it is difficult to find an area that would not be used for the benefit of the state. The Japanese are trying to build up every millimeter of land with various buildings; as a result, only coastal strips remain free, subject to periodic flooding.
But the Japanese have learned to deal with this problem; for many years now they have been moving deeper into the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, creating artificial islands. The severe shortage of free land forced Japan to develop a high-tech program for the settlement of water areas, which has shown itself very well over the past decades.
The peculiarities of Japanese life force the population to constantly move around the country. Every day, several thousand people travel from the suburbs to work at their offices located in Tokyo or Osaka. The Japanese high-speed train helps you avoid rush hour traffic and save time.
Shinkansen - high speed rail
For Russians, traveling by rail can hardly be called comfortable and fast. The average resident of our country, when going on vacation, tries to choose air transport. But in the Land of the Rising Sun, Japanese trains break all records for popularity and demand. This is a very special type of transport that can cover a distance of 600 kilometers in just a couple of hours.
High-speed trains and railways in Japan are called Shinkansen. Literally this name can be translated as “new main line”. Indeed, during the construction of this highway, the Japanese used a lot of new technologies and for the first time moved away from the traditional type of railway adopted in those days.
Now the Shinkansen connects almost all the cities of Japan; the length of the line is more than 27 thousand kilometers. Moreover, 75 percent of the railway track belongs to the largest company in Japan - Japan Railwais Group.
Japanese bullet train: first launch
The need for new railway lines arose in Japan before the eighteenth Summer Olympics. The fact is that until that time the railway track was a narrow-gauge railway. This fact did not meet international standards and significantly slowed down the development of the industry. Therefore, in 1964, the first Shinkansen line was launched, connecting Tokyo and Osaka. The length of the railway was just over 500 kilometers.
It is unknown what the future of Japanese high-speed trains will be like, but one thing is certain now - they will be the fastest and most comfortable in the world. Otherwise, in Japan they simply don’t know how.