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If there were no Shinkansen

High-speed rail experience from its birth to today in Japan

Author: Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Publisher: Springer Nature Singapore

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik"

Table of Contents

About this book

This book is the first book written in English about the secret story of the birth of the Shinkansen in Japan and its subsequent developments. The author, Mr. Shuichiro Yamanouchi, a former chairman of East Japan Railway (JR East), addresses what the essence of Shinkansen technology is and how it could be achieved in such a short time. And the book, written based on his long experience in railway engineering and management, gives readers a bird's-eye view of the Japanese railway as a whole, and the technical philosophy of his great career behind it.

In this book, its whole picture is clarified, that is, the world's first 200 km/h running, dealing with troubles after the opening, and development of the 300 km/h commercial operation after that, including the failure stories encountered in the process. These gave a big stimulation to the development of other high-speed railways, and this book helps readers to learn about the accumulated experiences of Japanese high-speed railways that have not been revealed so far, such as railway safety, noise against the environment, railway privatization, harmonization of management and engineering, and so forth."

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. The Great Railway Nation of Japan

Abstract

As Japan is known as a ‘railway country,’ railways are well developed in Japan and have considerably more passengers than in other countries. However, most of them were concentrated in metropolitan areas, mainly Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, where the tracks were meter gauge. Why was a standard gauge Shinkansen born in such a Japan? At the time, a number of steam locomotives were still in service in Japan. At the same time, electrification work was completed on the conventional line between Tokyo and Osaka, and the high-speed EMU train Kodama began to run; this was when the momentum for high-speed transit between major cities was beginning to build up.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Chapter 2. Trying for 200 km/h

Abstract

Railways crossed the 200 km/h barrier surprisingly early, with a German “Siemens train” reaching a speed of 203 km/h in 1903. In 1955, the French National Railways achieved a speed of 331 km/h with an electric locomotive-hauled train. It is undeniable that Japan's railway technology at that time was at a very low level compared to the world's most advanced. In this chapter, the author introduces the situation at that time when Japan was working hard to acquire AC electrification technology, one of the key technologies that made the Shinkansen possible, including his own experience of driving a steam locomotive.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Chapter 3. The Curtain Rises on the Era of Express Trains

Abstract

Japan’s high-speed trains are all EMUs. This is quite exceptional on a global scale. Locomotives usually haul long-distance trains in many countries in Europe and Asia, and high-speed trains such as TGV and ICE, the Japanese equivalent of the Shinkansen, were no exception. One of the reasons for the development of EMUs in Japan was partly that the number of arrival and departure tracks at major terminal stations in Japan was small, making it more advantageous for EMUs that did not require turnaround tracks. In this chapter, the author will introduce these circumstances: the majority of JNR`s main trains are the power-distributed EMU and DMU. The story around it is introduced with various episodes. In this period, the author, as a young officer, was the head of the operations depot where a large number of DMU limited express trainsets were put into service for the first time, and while confronting the labor union, he describes the modernization of JNR at that time through his contact with staff at the worksites.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Chapter 4. The Struggle of the Technicians

Abstract

The author was in charge of the tests for switching to adhesion operation on the 66.7‰ apt section at the JNR headquarters. It was a very challenging project where a coupler broke during the course of the test. At the time, JNR was aiming to increase the speed of express trains, but there was strong opposition from the infrastructure side, which argued that this would cause significant track destruction. The author sought a compromise by talking with members of the infrastructure side to learn of their concerns. When trains run at high speeds, the phenomenon of hunting, in which the cars sway from side to side, occurs. After the defeat in the war, engineers relocated from the military, brought a new wave of technology to this problem. In this chapter, the efforts of engineers in various fields of railways on the eve of the Shinkansen's debut are introduced along with episodes from that time.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Chapter 5. Computers Appear on the Scene

Abstract

This chapter first introduces the hardware that makes up the Shinkansen, such as rolling stock, civil structures, and electricity supply, as well as the information systems and software that are indispensable for the safe, high-speed operation of many trains, such as ATC, MARS, and patterned scheduling. Next, the author will introduce how initial troubles were dealt with in order to enhance safety. No matter how many tests a new system undergoes, some issues cannot be identified until it is actually used. The accumulation of efforts to find various troubles that occurred after the opening of the Shinkansen was important in creating a safe Shinkansen. For this reason, the author dares to introduce problems that are not usually disclosed and talks about how the new system, made possible through the accumulation of individual technological innovations, is being polished to the last detail.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Chapter 6. Safety and Comfort

Abstract

Under the author's leadership, safety has dramatically improved since the company can now afford to invest more in safety after becoming JR. This was based on his experience working for Japan National Railways (JNR) during the period when the Shinkansen was in operation, when he was forced to deal with the daily train accidents that occurred amid labor-management confrontations, and his experience working at UIC in France, where he came into contact with people with completely different ideas and railway systems. Furthermore, with regard to ride comfort, which is an important output of railways, the author experienced how the creation of a comfortable train can be done only when knowing how customers feel about it, rather than simply making judgments based on data. By sharing some of the terrible experiences that the department did not want the outside to know about, this chapter provides material for readers to realize that high quality railways, which now have 30 seconds of delay time per train, are not made overnight, and that the world's railways can become higher quality ones.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Chapter 7. Race for Speed in Europe

Abstract

In this chapter, the author introduces how the high-speed railways of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Russia, and other countries in Europe confronted the challenge of high-speed travel. The author also explains the rivalry, local sentiments, and different stances toward technological challenges in each country, based on the author's actual experience working at UIC in Paris at the time, as well as on the opportunities he has taken to travel to Europe and exchange opinions with the people concerned. The author's unique critique from a different perspective from those involved in Europe is a must-read.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Chapter 8. Developing the World’s Finest Railway

Abstract

After the Tokaido Shinkansen began service, new Shinkansen lines were built in various directions in Japan. The author, involved in these projects, was faced with various challenges, especially in the case of the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen lines into Tokyo, due to construction delays, and he prepared to submit a letter of resignation. After the privatization of Japan National Railways (JNR), each railway company, reflecting its own circumstances, strove to create the world's best railway in its own way, including increase in speed and transportation capacity. Meanwhile, France and other European countries also worked to increase speed in accordance with their national conditions. All of them were aiming to become the world's best railway. The author looks back on the evidence of how Japan and those countries' high-speed railways mutually stimulated each other and brought about technological progress, and explains the differences in their respective policies, not from the viewpoint of a mere engineer, but from that of an executive manager who served as chairman of East Japan Railway Company.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Chapter 9. Privatization as a Cultural Revolution

Abstract

The Shinkansen was a revolution where Japanese railways impacted the world of railways. Another revolution where Japanese railways impacted them was the privatization of the railway industry. Privatization has been a greater success than anticipated. This chapter introduces various challenges that JR has undertaken since privatization, such as technical innovation of rolling stock, provision of unconventional station services, and challenges to technological improvement. The author established the Charter of Railway Business and promoted these challenges, and we hope readers will enjoy his honest and frank explanations. He will also share his own experiences of management reforms implemented by European countries under the influence of Japanese privatization.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Chapter 10. Next-Generation Railways

Abstract

In this chapter, various Shinkansen developments, which have different dimensions from the technological progress which resulted in the increase in maximum speed, will be presented. The author's perspective is a balance between high performance and cost, the bold challenge of new technologies and timid vigilance toward safety, and the provision of new services that will delight passengers. As examples of how this has been realized, he introduces the mini Shinkansen project, which realized the needs of residents along lines at a small construction cost and the birth of new demands such as Shinkansen commuting and the establishment of stations adjacent to airports. As the accident at Eschede Station in Germany shows, it is difficult to maintain the safety of railways, but as an expert in this field since his youth, he shares his knowledge in a way that is difficult to hear elsewhere.

Shuichiro Yamanouchi

Backmatter

Title: If there were no Shinkansen
Author: Shuichiro Yamanouchi
Publisher: Springer Nature Singapore
Electronic ISBN: 978-981-9988-90-7
Print ISBN: 978-981-9988-89-1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8890-7