How it began
By the late 1950s the Tokaido rail corridor between Tokyo and Osaka was close to capacity. Shinji Sogo, president of Japanese National Railways, lobbied political leaders for a dedicated high-speed line, and construction began on April 20, 1959, under Sogo and chief engineer Hideo Shima. The line opened on October 1, 1964, timed to coincide with the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, with the train Hikari 1 leaving Tokyo for Osaka and Hikari 2 running the other way.
Before it existed
The journey between Tokyo and Osaka had taken more than six hours by express train. An earlier plan for a fast line, intended as the first stage of a wider East Asian rail network, dated from before the Second World War and was halted during it. The postwar project was presented as a remedy for overcrowding.
How it works
The Tokaido Shinkansen is a dedicated, largely double-track line of over 500 kilometers. It was designed with advanced electrical and mechanical train technologies for speeds up to 210 kilometers per hour, a world record when service began. The original Series 0 trains had a rounded nose. At opening, operators limited regular running to 160 kilometers per hour, and the express Hikari took four hours.
What changed first
In November 1965 timetables were revised so that Hikari trains covered the route in 3 hours 10 minutes, with 210 kilometers per hour allowed in normal operation. The IEEE milestone record states that the line made a major contribution to Japan's rapid postwar economic growth as the country's principal transportation artery.
Where it stands today
The IEEE citation records that the line has carried over 100 million passengers per year for many years with an excellent safety record. It remains one of the busiest high-speed lines, with up to 17 trains per hour. It is both an IEEE Milestone and an ASME Landmark, and the plaque is displayed at the SCMAGLEV and Railway Park in Nagoya.
