Japan highlights evolution of the bullet train

teleSUR English

The iconic Shinkansen bullet trains are 60 years old, playing a vital role in the daily life of Japanese citizens and evolutionarily transcending in the nation's progress and driving technological development. teleSUR

Transcript

00:00JAPAN'S ICONIC SHINKANSEN BULLET TRAINS TURNED 60 YEARS OLD ON OCTOBER 1ST.

00:15TO DATE, THIS SERVICE REMAINS ESSENTIAL TO THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMY AND WAY OF LIFE.

00:19SO, KEEPING IT DUSTINLY CLEAN, PUNCTUAL AND ACCIDENT-FREE IS A SERIOUS JOB.

00:23MORE DETAILS IN THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL.

00:26THE SHINKANSEN HIGH-SPEED TRAIN CELEBRATES ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR

00:30SINCE IT BEGAN OPERATING ON THE TOKYO-OSAKA ROUTE IN 1964.

00:35IN ITS HISTORY, THIS SERVICE HAS EVOLVED GREATLY,

00:38FROM A MAXIMUM SPEED OF 210 KILOMETERS PER HOUR

00:41AT THE BEGINNING TO 320 KILOMETERS PER HOUR

00:43AND CARRYING ONE MILLION PASSENGERS TODAY,

00:46ALL THANKS TO THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED IN JAPAN.

00:49TODAY, THE SERVICE REMAINS ESSENTIAL TO THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMY AND WAY OF LIFE.

00:53SO MAINTAINING HIGH QUALITY STANDARDS IS A SERIOUS JOB.

00:58If you look at the way the economy developed during the 60s

01:03right the way through to the 80s,

01:05look at the growth of cities along the lines,

01:08you can see the impact of the Shinkansen.

01:13HIGH-SPEED SHINKANSEN TRAINS BEGAN RUNNING BETWEEN TOKYO AND OSAKA IN 1964,

01:18HERALDING A NEW ERA FOR RAIL TRANSPORT

01:20AS JAPAN BECAME AN ECONOMIC SUPERPOWER

01:22FOLLOWING ITS DEFEAT IN WORLD WAR II.

01:25TODAY, THE HIGH-SPEED SHINKANSEN TRAINS ARE THE FASTEST WAY TO SEE JAPAN

01:29AS THE JAPAN RAIL NETWORK COVERS VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.

01:33MOREOVER, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN ACCIDENT

01:36RESULTING IN DEATH OR INJURY ON THE BULLET TRAIN,

01:38EVEN IN A COUNTRY WHERE EARTHQUAKES, TYPHOONS AND HEAVY SNOWFALL ARE COMMON.

01:45We take great care in making sure that safety always comes first.

01:51No matter what our past achievements have been,

01:55about maybe no fatalities,

01:58once one accident occurs and one incident occurs,

02:03then our reputation as a company

02:07and our trust that we have gained from the customers

02:11may all disappear just in one moment.

02:15In addition, thanks to a meticulous maintenance program,

02:18staff in their impeccable uniform of white gloves and vest

02:21ensure that the trains are running smoothly and look shiny inside and out.

02:26These staff are intensively educated at a modern 10-story staff training center

02:30located southwest of Tokyo,

02:32where future conductors, engineers and other staff members

02:35prepare for their jobs at Japan Rail Central.

02:42Our human resources, our employees,

02:44we take our education and training of our employees very seriously

02:49and making sure that they all share the same values

02:55that safety always comes first.

02:59Shikansen trains have established themselves in their 60-year history

03:02as an efficient and reliable method of transportation

03:05and it is easy for Japanese people to take the forgotten Shinkansen,

03:08which is good, but when they travel abroad,

03:11they realize that what they have is something special.

03:17For most passengers, I think the priority is,

03:19one, it's safe, and two, it's reliable.

03:22And the Shinkansen is both of those.

03:26I mean, the average delay on the Tokaido Shinkansen

03:30is around about 0.3 minutes.

03:33So, I mean, that's just a handful of seconds.

03:37It just remains to be seen what challenges these trains

03:40will take on in the next decade

03:42with the company researching a new digital inspection system

03:44capable of analyzing train images

03:46for detecting hazards to further establish its safety.

03:50In addition to other amazing projects

03:52that will significantly contribute to the quality

03:54and excellence of its services.

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