JR East and West decide to scrap flooded shinkansen for ¥15 billion loss
Ten Hokuriku bullet trains with 12 cars each will be scrapped because of severe damage from flooding during Typhoon Hagibis last month. Of the 10 trains, eight were owned by East Japan Railway Co. and the other two by West Japan Railway Co. At a news ...
JR East efforts that prevented shinkansen crash deaths in 2004 are lesson to others, expert says
An expert has praised East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) for preventing a shinkansen train from crashing during a powerful earthquake 15 years ago even though the train derailed. After the first derailment accident involving a shinkansen train in commercial operations, some voiced criticism, saying ...
Hokuriku Shinkansen resumes full Tokyo-Kanazawa route after damage from Typhoon Hagibis
The Hokuriku Shinkansen, which connects Tokyo Station with Kanazawa Station in Ishikawa Prefecture, resumed services on its entire route Friday after a suspension caused by Typhoon Hagibis. It was the first time in 13 days that a direct service connected the two terminal stations. The daily ...
Sendai-Tokyo bullet train ran with open door at 280 kph; no injuries reported
A bullet train running at a speed of 280 kilometers per hour had a door open during part of its journey from Sendai to Tokyo on Wednesday morning, but no passengers were injured, East Japan Railway Co. said. The incident lasted 40 seconds and at ...
Typhoon Krosa disrupts transportation ahead of expected Thursday landfall in Kyushu
Airlines and railway operators announced reduced services in regions near the path of Typhoon Krosa on Wednesday, despite a post-holiday transport rush, as the weather agency warned the powerful storm was set to make landfall in western Japan the following day. The Meteorological Agency said ...
Stations, airports, expressways congested as travelers leave for summer vacations
With thousands of people heading off for their summer vacations on Saturday, many places, such as railway stations, expressways and airports, were crowded with travelers. The annual Bon holiday season began the same day. Many shinkansen bullet trains reached over 100 percent occupancy in unreserved carriages, ...
Shizuoka throws wrench in the works of Tokyo-Nagoya maglev shinkansen route
The current plan for the Tokyo-Nagoya maglev route, currently under construction, calls for Central Japan Railway Co. to begin operations by around 2027. The route will slash a trip between Nagoya and Shinagawa, which takes about 90 minutes on the fastest bullet trains today, ...
Central Japan Railway unveils first battery-powered shinkansen
Central Japan Railway Co. conducted a test run for the press Wednesday of its new battery-powered shinkansen, a world for high-speed rail. JR Central said it hopes the technology will be useful in emergencies that might otherwise leave trains stranded in tunnels or on bridges ...
A year after stabbing, Japan's shinkansen wrestle with balance between safety and convenience
A year after a knife attack on a bullet train left one passenger dead and two wounded, authorities and railways are trying to take steps — especially visible ones — to prevent similar crimes. Experts are calling to start baggage inspections at train stations, though ...
Train to nowhere? California's high-speed rail plan looking more like a pipe dream
Keith Erwin was about to buy the land that his auto repair shop sits on when he was turned down because California's much awaited high-speed rail line was going to pass through the spot. Five years later, he sees no train coming anytime soon and ...
JR East shinkansen ALFA-X prototype hits 320 kph in test run in northeastern Japan
A prototype of Japan's new shinkansen conducted a trial early Thursday, reaching 320 kilometers per hour, the maximum speed for existing shinkansen models. The prototype, dubbed ALFA-X, is designed to travel at 360 kph when it is put into service by the spring of 2031, ...
