Tokaido Shinkansen

Opened in 1964 as the world's first high-speed railway, the artery linking Tokyo and Shin-Osaka. Its fare distance is 552.6 kilometres (the actual track is about 515), it now runs at up to 285 km/h, and the fastest Nozomi covers Tokyo to Shin-Osaka in 2 hours 21 minutes. It is the origin point of high-speed rail in Japan.

1964: The World’s First High-Speed Railway

The Tokaido Shinkansen opened on 1 October 1964, just before the start of the Tokyo Olympics. It was the world’s first high-speed railway, and its Series 0 trains — which achieved scheduled running above 200 km/h — fixed the image of the Shinkansen along with their bulbous “dango-nose” form. Linking the two great cities of Tokyo and Osaka at high speed, the line became a symbol of postwar Japan’s technology and recovery, and the origin point for high-speed rail the world over.

The line begins at Tokyo Station and runs through Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama, past Nagoya and Kyoto, to Shin-Osaka. The fare distance used for ticketing is 552.6 kilometres, while the actual track measures about 515. Carrying the nation’s main artery, the line keeps sending passengers westward from Tokyo’s gateway stations of Tokyo and Shinagawa.

High Speed Across the Generations

The rolling stock that began with the Series 0 has passed through the 100, 300, 700, and N700 generations, sharpening speed, comfort, and energy efficiency with each. The current top speed is 285 km/h, run by the latest N700S and its kin. The fastest Nozomi links Tokyo and Shin-Osaka in 2 hours 21 minutes, bringing the two cities within a day trip of each other.

Operated frequently and precisely, the Tokaido Shinkansen is more than a mode of transport — it is infrastructure that underpins Japan’s economy itself. The operating skill that handles trains departing minutes apart without major delay is highly regarded worldwide. The white cars lined up at the Shinkansen platforms of Tokyo Station are an iconic scene of this country’s high-speed travel.

Summary

The Tokaido Shinkansen opened in 1964 as the world’s first high-speed railway and has run for more than half a century as the artery linking Tokyo and Shin-Osaka. With a fare distance of 552.6 kilometres and a top speed of 285 km/h, the fastest Nozomi joins the two cities in 2 hours 21 minutes. Watch the white cars slide in and race away every few minutes from a Tokyo Station platform, and you feel the weight of the fact that this country’s high-speed rail began right here.

Related: Tokyo Station (Marunouchi Building) / Shinagawa Intercity

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