Did Japan invent the bullet train?

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the lead-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Japan was abuzz with anticipation. But it wasn't just the upcoming games that was generating excitement. People across Japan, and the globe, were also eagerly waiting for the launch of Tokaido Shinkansen — the world's very first bullet train.



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Shinkansen, (Japanese: “New Trunk Line”) byname bullet train, pioneer high-speed passenger rail system of Japan, with lines on the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Hokkaido.

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In addition, the tracks, signals, rail cars and software made in the U.S. are costlier than imports, largely because the government has not funded rail the way European and Asian countries have, experts say.

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As well as boasting the longest network of high-speed lines in the world, China now has the fastest scheduled trains on the planet. The CR400 “Fuxing” trains run at a commercial maximum of 350 kph (217 mph) but have successfully reached 420 kph (260 mph) on test.

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CLIMATEWIRE | The first U.S.-made high-speed bullet trains will start running as early as 2024 between Boston, New York and Washington, with the promise of cutting transportation emissions by attracting new rail passengers who now drive or fly.

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It ran from Tokyo to Osaka, shortening the travel time between the two biggest cities in Japan from seven hours to three. This made it possible to move more people faster, helping to relieve a transportation bottleneck that had been building on the main industrial transportation route.

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The first proper ghost train ride was designed right here in the UK by British architect Joseph Emberton in 1930, and it was very similar to ghost trains that you find in fairgrounds and amusement parks today.

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U.S. rail tracks are typically too old to handle the speed of new train technology. The limits of the rails can reduce the effectiveness of the train speeds, sometimes by more than 100 mph. The issues with the rail run from overly sharp curves to old bridges.

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CLIMATEWIRE | The first U.S.-made high-speed bullet trains will start running as early as 2024 between Boston, New York and Washington, with the promise of cutting transportation emissions by attracting new rail passengers who now drive or fly.

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High-Speed Rail Is Too Expensive Building the 48,000-mile Interstate Highway System cost about $500 billion (in today's dollars). Paid for entirely out of user fees, it carries about 25 percent of all passenger travel and 15 percent of all freight in the United States.

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American railways were also built on a wider gauge (the distance between the rails), which allows for larger and heavier trains. As a result, American freight railways are much more efficient than their European counterparts, carrying almost three times as much cargo per mile of track.

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The cost of constructing the Shinkansen was at first estimated at nearly 200 billion yen, which was raised in the form of a government loan, railway bonds and a low-interest loan of US$80 million from the World Bank.

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