50 Years of High-Speed Railways 50 Years of Tokaido Shinkansen History Yoshiki Suyama Introduction regular service in the base timetable and arranging extra trains when necessary. The Tokaido Shinkansen commenced operation on October When the Tokaido Shinkansen commenced operation, 1, 1964 and is about to reach its 50th anniversary. The there were 60 departures per day in a “1-1” hourly timetable Tokaido Shinkansen, which takes on the role of Japan’s with one Hikari, stopping only at major stations, and one main transportation artery, has served 5.6 billion passengers Kodama, stopping at each station. The travel time of Hikari since its start and propped up Japan’s economy. Ever since between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka was 4 hours. the operation commenced, the Tokaido Shinkansen has Subsequently, the number of train departures was maintained a flawless record of no train accidents resulting increased time and again with the “2-2” and “3-3” hourly in fatalities or injuries of passengers onboard, and has timetables. Revisions were made almost annually to demonstrated stable and precise operation with an annual accommodate the rapid surge in transportation volume average delay of 0.9 minutes per operating train (FY2013). during Japan’s high-growth period. Transport capacity was The maximum speed in service has risen significantly boosted until the number of daily trains reached 240 in the from 210 km/h, when the line initially went into operation, year after the extension to Hakata was completed in 1975. to 270 km/h at present. Next spring, the maximum speed When Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatized in is scheduled to be increased to 285 km/h. Furthermore, 1987, the timetable was the “6-4” hourly schedule. the Tokaido Shinkansen has improved its energy efficiency After Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) was so that it places an unusually low load on the global founded in 1987, transport volume rose rapidly on account environment, which, along with other enhancements, has of Japan’s broad-based prosperity and positive business helped the Tokaido Shinkansen evolve into a high-volume, expansion sustained over the ensuing 5 years. Accordingly, high-speed transportation system unsurpassed anywhere in JR Central improved facilities and equipment, massively the world. introduced the Series 100 rolling stock, and implemented the The primary mission of any railway operator is to ensure “7-4” hourly timetable in 1989. At the March 1991 timetable safe and reliable operation. The Tokaido Shinkansen has revision, the number of daily departures was up to 278. This expended all possible means to achieve this objective by was also the time when we started to review and plan for an implementing a variety of measures, both tangible and increase in speed and a fundamental expansion of transport intangible. More specifically, in accordance with the principle capacity in order to maintain the transport foundations for of “Crash Avoidance,” a high level of safety, as well as high- the future. volume, high-frequency transport is achieved by using a The introduction of the Series 300 rolling stock in 1992 dedicated track for high-speed passenger rail that eliminates enabled us to achieve a maximum operational speed of 270 the risk of collisions at level crossings, and by adopting km/h, and to begin operation of the Nozomi, connecting the Automatic Train Control (ATC) system, which stops Tokyo and Shin-Osaka in 2 hours and 30 minutes. The trains running at high speed safely. Currently, the Tokaido Nozomi, which initially started with four trains a day, was later Shinkansen, the world’s cutting-edge high-speed rail, has operated with one and then two trains per hour. attained the highest standards in terms of safety, reliability, The commitment to making all of our fleet consist comfort, convenience, high-speeds and other benchmarks. of trainsets with a maximum speed of 270 km/h, while coinciding with the opening of Shinagawa Station in October Competitive Transportation Service 2003, provided the impetus for a drastic improvement in the quality of transport along Japan’s main transportation The most significant feature of the Tokaido Shinkansen artery by making a dramatic rise in the level of service with service is that it provides transport capacity responding the Nozomi based timetable. In that sense, this strategy may to demand by maintaining a certain number of trains as a also be called the “Rebirth of the Tokaido Shinkansen”, and Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 64 • Oct 2014 18 50 Years of High-Speed Railways Figure 1 Number of Scheduled Trains by Timetable Changes and Type of Operation Nozomi Hikari Kodama (No. of trains) 350 323 323 323 323 323 323 309 301 305 295 288 291 283 283 285 285 285 285 285 285 285 285 287 287 287 300 278 282 282 4 263 251 34 34 34 34 240 45 45 45 235 235 239 51 51 51 53 53 250 231 75 75 75 224 228 215 215 219 173 173 173 173 173 173 213 161 202 137 149 156 160 190 200 178 182 188 116 124 170 78 96 100 158 92 92 146 162 163 164 164 143 78 130 140 144 155 155 155 147 147 147 145 145 150 76 125 125 125 121 72 110 65 66 66 66 66 65 65 64 65 64 64 66 86 100 56 60 52 135 40 124 124 114 123 123 123 119 116 50 106 28 98 91 91 93 93 93 96 96 89 79 86 85 85 85 85 85 85 87 87 87 87 87 87 87 87 81 81 81 82 84 84 84 84 85 85 58 65 46 32 0 Oct 1964Oct 1965Nov 1965Oct 1966Oct 1967Oct 1968Apr 1969Oct 1969Oct 1970Mar 1972Oct 1972Mar 1973Oct 1973Mar 1975Jul 1976Oct 1980Mar 1985Nov 1986Mar 1988Mar 1989Mar 1990Mar 1991Mar 1992Mar 1993Dec 1994Mar 1996Mar 1997Nov 1997Mar 1998Oct 1998Mar 1999Oct 1999Mar 2000Oct 2000Apr 2001Oct 2001Oct 2002Jun 2003Oct 2003Mar 2005Mar 2006Jul 2007Mar 2008Mar 2009Mar 2010Mar 2011Mar 2012Mar 2013Mar 2014 (Timetable Revisions) Nov 1965: Mar 1972: Mar 1992: Opening of service Launch of Nozomi (270 km/h) Speed increase Nov 1986: to Okayama Oct 2003: Speed increase (220 km/h) Opening of Shinagawa Shinkansen Station Oct 1969: Mar 1975: Responding to Opening of service to Hakata Osaka Expo was an epoch-making event for JR Central. The completion Subsequently, although the number of daily departures of this strategy made it possible for up to seven Nozomi excluding extra service has remained at 323 since the trains to leave every hour, achieving a total of 291 departures March 2009 timetable revision, the number of departures, per day. As a result, the number of stations where the Hikari including extra service, has increased markedly such that stopped was increased, and connections with other trains one-day average departures numbered 342 in FY2013, and including conventional line trains were improved so that the a record 426 trains were operated on August 8, 2014. speed-up of our fleet would benefit even more passengers. Thereafter, we have continually worked to enhance Continually Evolving Operation rolling stock, augment power supply systems and reinforce ground facilities to improve transportation quality and When the Tokaido Shinkansen first started operation, the capacity significantly. With the July 2007 timetable revision, Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) system was introduced to the travel time of the fastest Nozomi between Tokyo and control the operation of the 60 daily trains with the control Shin-Osaka was reduced to 2 hours and 25 minutes. The staff monitoring an array of data on CTC operation display March 2014 timetable revision allows the operation of up to panels. However, with the increase of departures, the 10 Nozomi per hour, which has come to be known as the Shinkansen operation control system COMTRAC (COMputer “10-Nozomi Timetable”. aided TRAffic Control) was placed in use conjointly with the By taking advantage of timetables mainly comprised start of service to Okayama in 1972 (COMTRAC is currently of Nozomi since 2003, we have sought to maintain seat in its ninth generation). Later, with the commencement of reservations so that passengers may book whenever they the Hakata service in 1975, the General Control Center like, as well as maximizing transport capacity during peak would manage the 1069.1 km between Tokyo and Hakata in periods. We are continuously making an effort to ensure addition to 28 stations and 7 rolling stock depots. our train schedule can respond more flexibly to demand After the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, JR Central than ever. decided to construct a second control center together with 19 Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 64 • Oct 2014 Figure 2 Successive Shinkansen Generations (Series 0 to N700A) Series 0 (©Central Japan Railway Company) Series 100 (©Central Japan Railway Company) Series 300 (©Central Japan Railway Company) Series 700 (©Central Japan Railway Company) West Japan Railway Company (JR West) to strengthen the improvements in passenger information and communication emergency response system in times of natural disasters. systems with the utilization of information tools. This facility started operation in 1999. Thereafter, the Second General Control Center has exercised actual control over Improvements in Rolling Stock Technology the system once annually and is used for quarterly training of control staff. It provides redundancy so that if the General The Series 0 was the first rolling stock that appeared when Control Center in Tokyo were to suffer damage during a the Tokaido Shinkansen commenced. It was the world’s disaster, operational control can be switched to the Second first rolling stock designed for high-speed rail, and was General Control Center. developed using the most advanced technology of the time.