Bullet+Trains

=Bullet Trains= By: Conrad Goffinet and Ben Trouvais

Origins
Japan was the first country to build high speed rail lines dedicated for high speed travel. Japan had a very old, narrow, and outdated train system that took indirect routes to cities because of mountainous terrain. Hideo Shima and Shinji Sogo, both executives in Japan National Railways, persuaded politicians to back up their idea of the bullet train. The English name "Bullet Train" is a direct Japanese translation to the early project name in the 1930's. The name stuck because of the train's resemblance to a bullet and its extremely high speed. The Japanese were ambitious, and during the height of WWII, they proposed a plan to build the railway into parts of China, Korea, and Singapore. But, the plan was abandoned in 1943 when the Americans steadily gained a foothold in the Pacific.

Revisiting and Construction
In the mid 1950's, the concept of a high speed train was re-introduced. The regular and conventional rail line was operating at full capacity and was in dire need of a replacement. Many Japanese citizens thought that railways would soon be outdated and replaced by aircraft, like in America and Europe. The president of Japan Nation Railways insisted that Bullet trains were the trains of the future and that the Bullet project would soon become a reality. The government approved the project in December of 1958. Building began on the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Osaka. Japan used 200 million yen and an American loan of $80 million. The first successful test track was constructed, and eventually became part of the main line, in Odawara in 1962.

First Trains and Expansion
The Tokaido Shinkansen, the first bullet train, began service on October 1, 1964, conveniently in time for the Olympics in Tokyo. The conventional train made the trip from Tokyo to Osaka in six hours and 40 minutes. The new bullet train shortened that time to four hours. In 1965, the original time was more than halved to three hours and ten minutes. The first trains reached top speed of 210km/h, or about 130 mph. The line immediately took off. Its speed now allowed day trips from Tokyo to Osaka. This also changed the business dynamic in both cities. People could now commute between cities. The Tokaido Shikansen's success spurred the creation of other lines to Hiroshima and Fukuoka in 1975. But, many other plans were scrapped due to the fact that Japan National Railways was sliding into debt. It was privatized in1987.

Today's Trains
The N700 series is the most widely used trains in Japan today. It was introduced in 2007 on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines. The model has maximum operating speed of 186mph which greatly exceeds the original model's speed of 137mph. Other commonly used models include the 700 series, introduced in 1999, and the 500 series introduced in 1997. More modern and new models are on the Kyushu Shinkansen line. Introduced in March of 2011, the N700-7000 and N700-8000 both boast a speed of 300kph or 186mph. Todays trains are so acurate that times are coordinated down to the second.

Interior
There are 3 parts to a N700 series train. There are the green cars, which are the "first class" of the bullet train. This part of the train features wide seats, and the seats are 2 by 2. Then threr are the reserved seats, which feature a wide seat, but not as wide as the green car. These seats are also 2 by 2. The non-reserved seating portion of the train has small seats, but these are of course the cheapest tickets, and the seats are 3 by 3.