Today, Japan is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its iconic high-speed train, the “shinkansen”, with several ceremonies in different cities across the country in tribute to a train that has become a global benchmark after being the first high-speed train in the world. world when it started operating.
On the occasion of this anniversary, the Tokaido Shinkansen, the first high-speed line created and the most used currently because it crosses the three largest urban areas of the country, completed a memorial ceremony on platform 19 of Tokyo stationdeparture point of the first train, at 6:00 a.m. local time (11:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time Monday).
Under the gaze of workers from the Japan Railway, operator of the Japanese high-speed train, and railway enthusiasts, the organizers cut a ribbon to begin the movement of the vehicle with the punctuality characteristic of this transport line, one of their greatest currencies. .
When the train began to accelerate after the station master’s signal, several commuters attempted to take photos from the opposite platform to capture the end of the historic ceremony while staff waved goodbye to the vehicle.
“I find it amazing that this has worked safely so far. “My parents’ family used it many times in the Kansai region and I hope this Shinkansen technology will spread overseas,” a 31-year-old local resident told the public broadcaster. NHK as collected Efe.
The gesture commemorates the departure of “Hikari No. 1”, the first regular train of the Tokaido Line of the “shinkansen”, “new main line” in Japanese, which left platform 19 of Tokyo Station at 5:59 a.m. on October 1 1964.
“I think there will be many changes in the purpose of travel and the way users work. We will continue to refine our services to meet new needs,” JR Central President Shunsuke Niwa said after the ceremony.
The number of passengers carried by the line has reached approximately 7 billion over the past 60 years.according to data from NHKwith around 432,000 people per day and around 158 million people in total last year.
Other acts
In addition to this departure ceremony, the railway company will organize several events over the next three months under the theme “The History of High-Speed Railway” in Tokyo, Shizuoka, Nagoya and Shin-Osaka, cities where this train passes. iconic line. .
These exhibitions will feature panels and exhibits that show the evolution of Japanese high-speed rail, accompanied by explanations by industry professionals and can be visited by a total of 360 people every day.
From this Tuesday until October 21, Japan Railway will also offer a wide range of railway collaboration products with six retail stores where you can find food or souvenirs on this theme.
The “shinkansen” has a total of seven different lines that cross the three main Japanese islands of Honshu, Hokkaido and Kyushu, the last two located in the north and south of the country respectively, with trains that reach speeds of up to 320 km /h. h and where the Tokaido line stands out for its history and great popularity.
This line was a revolution for global transportand in addition to being considered the symbol par excellence of modernity in Japan, it represented at its time the post-war economic “boom”.
This first line followed the “Eastern Sea Route” (Tokaido), Japan’s main trade route which for centuries linked Edo, ancient Tokyo, to the cities of Kyoto and Osaka, in the west of the country. .
During these inaugural journeys, the trains reached speeds of up to 210 kilometers per hour, managing to cover the distance between Tokyo and Osaka, approximately 550 kilometers, in just four hours, while at the time the line conventional took almost seven hours.
The “shinkansen” continues to progress and the incorporation of a commercial line with a “maglev” train is expected.magnetic levitation rail system, which connects the cities of Tokyo and Nagoya in just 40 minutes and at speeds close to 600 km/h.
In the future, the railway company is also considering implementing a semi-automated system due to possible labor shortages.
