The Shinkansen High-Speed Rail Network of Japan; Proceedings of an IIASA Conference, June 27-30, 1977

Straszak, A. & Tuch, R. (1980). The Shinkansen High-Speed Rail Network of Japan; Proceedings of an IIASA Conference, June 27-30, 1977. Oxford: Pergamon Press. ISBN 9781483189161

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Abstract

The Shinkansen is the peak of railway technology. It travels the 550 km between Tokyo and Osaka 275 times every day at a speed of 210 km/hr. Such a revolution in transportation technology requires very special organization and is bound to have unexpected socioeconomic effects. The Shinkansen has had a large effect on migration patterns in Japan because it has drastically reduced the time it takes to travel from city to city. It has also affected the lives of people who may never use it. Stores in small communities can now offer produce that was too hard for them to obtain before the Shinkansen was built. But travel at high speed creates a great deal of noise, and special care must be taken to keep the tracks clear; at 210 km/hr, a train needs 3 km to stop in an emergency.

The IIASA study of the Shinkansen began with this conference. Officials from the Japanese National Railways were invited to describe the development of the Shinkansen, scientists who had studied its effects presented their findings, and members of the IIASA research team outlined the approach that they would use in their study of the Shinkansen. Their papers are collected in this book.

After an introductory section describing the history and outlining the plans for the Shinkansen, Sections 2 and 3 deal with the socioeconomic and environmental effects. Section 4 describes the influence the Shinkansen has had on national development. The last two sections deal with the organization of the Shinkansen itself. Section 5 describes the planning and administration of the Shinkansen by the Japanese National Railways, and Section 6 covers the physical requirements of high-speed train operation: the maintenance network and maintenance schedule, vehicle design, accident prevention, the seat reservation system, and other aspects of running a high-speed railroad from day to day.

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