The iconic Shinkansen bullet trains are 60 years old, playing a vital role in the daily life of Japanese citizens and evolutionarily transcending in the nation's progress and driving technological development. teleSUR
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00:00JAPAN'S ICONIC SHINKANSEN BULLET TRAINS TURNED 60 YEARS OLD ON OCTOBER 1ST.
00:15TO DATE, THIS SERVICE REMAINS ESSENTIAL TO THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMY AND WAY OF LIFE.
00:19SO, KEEPING IT DUSTINLY CLEAN, PUNCTUAL AND ACCIDENT-FREE IS A SERIOUS JOB.
00:23MORE DETAILS IN THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL.
00:26THE SHINKANSEN HIGH-SPEED TRAIN CELEBRATES ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR
00:30SINCE IT BEGAN OPERATING ON THE TOKYO-OSAKA ROUTE IN 1964.
00:35IN ITS HISTORY, THIS SERVICE HAS EVOLVED GREATLY,
00:38FROM A MAXIMUM SPEED OF 210 KILOMETERS PER HOUR
00:41AT THE BEGINNING TO 320 KILOMETERS PER HOUR
00:43AND CARRYING ONE MILLION PASSENGERS TODAY,
00:46ALL THANKS TO THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED IN JAPAN.
00:49TODAY, THE SERVICE REMAINS ESSENTIAL TO THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMY AND WAY OF LIFE.
00:53SO MAINTAINING HIGH QUALITY STANDARDS IS A SERIOUS JOB.
00:58If you look at the way the economy developed during the 60s
01:03right the way through to the 80s,
01:05look at the growth of cities along the lines,
01:08you can see the impact of the Shinkansen.
01:13HIGH-SPEED SHINKANSEN TRAINS BEGAN RUNNING BETWEEN TOKYO AND OSAKA IN 1964,
01:18HERALDING A NEW ERA FOR RAIL TRANSPORT
01:20AS JAPAN BECAME AN ECONOMIC SUPERPOWER
01:22FOLLOWING ITS DEFEAT IN WORLD WAR II.
01:25TODAY, THE HIGH-SPEED SHINKANSEN TRAINS ARE THE FASTEST WAY TO SEE JAPAN
01:29AS THE JAPAN RAIL NETWORK COVERS VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
01:33MOREOVER, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN ACCIDENT
01:36RESULTING IN DEATH OR INJURY ON THE BULLET TRAIN,
01:38EVEN IN A COUNTRY WHERE EARTHQUAKES, TYPHOONS AND HEAVY SNOWFALL ARE COMMON.
01:45We take great care in making sure that safety always comes first.
01:51No matter what our past achievements have been,
01:55about maybe no fatalities,
01:58once one accident occurs and one incident occurs,
02:03then our reputation as a company
02:07and our trust that we have gained from the customers
02:11may all disappear just in one moment.
02:15In addition, thanks to a meticulous maintenance program,
02:18staff in their impeccable uniform of white gloves and vest
02:21ensure that the trains are running smoothly and look shiny inside and out.
02:26These staff are intensively educated at a modern 10-story staff training center
02:30located southwest of Tokyo,
02:32where future conductors, engineers and other staff members
02:35prepare for their jobs at Japan Rail Central.
02:42Our human resources, our employees,
02:44we take our education and training of our employees very seriously
02:49and making sure that they all share the same values
02:55that safety always comes first.
02:59Shikansen trains have established themselves in their 60-year history
03:02as an efficient and reliable method of transportation
03:05and it is easy for Japanese people to take the forgotten Shinkansen,
03:08which is good, but when they travel abroad,
03:11they realize that what they have is something special.
03:17For most passengers, I think the priority is,
03:19one, it's safe, and two, it's reliable.
03:22And the Shinkansen is both of those.
03:26I mean, the average delay on the Tokaido Shinkansen
03:30is around about 0.3 minutes.
03:33So, I mean, that's just a handful of seconds.
03:37It just remains to be seen what challenges these trains
03:40will take on in the next decade
03:42with the company researching a new digital inspection system
03:44capable of analyzing train images
03:46for detecting hazards to further establish its safety.
03:50In addition to other amazing projects
03:52that will significantly contribute to the quality
03:54and excellence of its services.