Chuo Shinkansen: Japan's Incredible Rail System

Note: The Trans-Siberian video actually came out before this one, so you can enjoy that already... or maybe you already have :).
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[@jt92]

9:57 I feel like you could have given credit to the wonderful Mustard channel for that bit of B-roll. He makes amazing animations for his videos and a lot of the audience of this channel would enjoy his videos.

[@ParadigmSh1ft_]

Yeah I instantly went to the description to see if credit was given. Disappointed to see it wasn't.

[@leonkernan]

I’d know those amazing renders anywhere. Instantly picked up on that.

[@mumenraider]

Exactly. There is no credit for Mustard

[@LeoMkII]

yup, Mustard is easily one of the best youtube channels

[@Assassinus2]

NewLogic That’s not only disappointing, it verges on IP theft unless Mustard’s made his material open-source (or if he got that render from somewhere else open-source.) Proper crediting wouldn’t take that much effort, really.

[@timheyer5660]

1930s: Japanese talking about doing high speed rail 2020: Australian government still talking about doing high speed rail

[@donbrashsux]

NZ still thinking about trains for its largest city..still

[@Ometecuhtli]

Australian government: we're gonna plan for... Annual wildfires: hello, I see you won't be needing that money

[@railtrolley]

And there is the Victorian country network, which has to reduce track speed on very hot summer days from 115 km/h to 80 km/h - track buckling risk.

[@rjfaber1991]

@Sasha Da Masta Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney is an almost perfect route for a high-speed railway line. Two major metropoleis with the nation's capital in the middle, with little reason to have many other stations in between that would increase travel time between the two termini. Sydney-Port Macquarie-Gold Coast-Brisbane is less perfect but still perfectly feasible, and with both those lines, you've linked the three most populous urban centres in the country.

[@koolerking440]

Timothy Heyer Still arguing if they should make a high speed Syd-Melb line

[@Voyagerch75]

Fun fact: The Gotthard Base Tunnel was opened one year earlier than planned and cost less than originally anticipated. Not all megaprojects are planned inaccurately ;-)

[@henk-3098]

Well if it was opened earlier than expected and under budget then it was still planned inaccurately ;-)

[@TheMightyZwom]

Well, usually before a project starts, offers by different companies are collected and the lowest bidder often wins the contract. It is absolutely no surprise that this leads to megaprojects completely overdoing their original budget. So yeah, pretty awesome that the Gotthard Tunnel didn’t overstretch its budget :D

[@mihaidiaconescu7452]

Love it when everyone complaints on how late trains are in their country while I'm here in Romania waiting for 3 hours no big deal. 🇷🇴 🇷🇴 🇷🇴

[@tigersharkzh]

@@henk-3098 In the buget there was a lot of head room for unforseen difficulties. The companies constructing it also streamlined their process that also saved money, most of which was not pocketed by them but reduced the cost the state paid for the project.

[@ImpmanPDX]

I agree with your sentiment, but that was in Switzerland. I would almost expect them to come in early and under budget.

[@KAAKKK]

I work at the NRM in York. We have the only 0 Series Shinkansen leading car outside of Japan. Also, the extension from Nagoya to Osaka is scheduled to open in 2037 as extra funding was secured. It was originally planned for 2045 as you stated. For anyone interested, the UK actually had the first commercial maglev train. It never really took off in the UK so we got rid of it. And now look where we are.

[@DeputatKaktus]

Germany: gets praised for efficiency Germans: well, you guys clearly haven’t travelled with Deutsche Bahn yet. We‘re glad if trains aren’t delayed for more than 15 minutes half the time! Japan: Hold my beer...

[@Azu512]

*Sake

[@MagetoLp]

shinkansen is just a copy of the maglev system

[@albsi7630]

That is in part to the mixed traffic on German Rails. Mixing slow freight trains, fast express trains and dense commuter trains on the same lines has its problems, especially on some choke points.

[@drscopeify]

The thing is that Japan is very unique. The country has limited land to work with and the terrain is very mountainous or has many changes in elevation. While there is a large highway network it isn't ideal and cannot be made much bigger than it is. Also the highway system has many bridges that at least when I was there they all look very expensive to build so they can't just add more lanes. Allot of the highways in Japan are basically elevated above ground for big sections. I guess in this circumstance trains are just cheaper, even very expensive high speed trains come out cheaper then building highways.

[@lzh4950]

@@albsi7630 I guess on the flip side about half of the _shinkansen_ stations are in the more outlying areas of the cities they serve e.g. Osaka, Hakodate, Yokohama

[@LegionOfEclaires]

America: Train is 15 minutes late, just another day at the office for the train driver. Japan: 30 seconds late, driver starts to panic.

[@chenjamin1]

more like driver has to make a televised apology to the nation

[@ericvacca551]

@@chenjamin1 yup that's an actual thing

[@nicklasodh]

.. and when leaving 15 seconds too early, the whole management almost does harakiri in public.

[@lovelessissimo]

Imagine the frustration at the Swiss-Italian border. Efficient swiss clashing with the casual Italians. Fun to think about.

[@avrajitsarkar8563]

I WENT TO JAPAN 5 YEARS AGO AND Shinkansen was late by 30 minutes but still reached destination only 5 minutes late

[@EazyGunnaGaming]

Guess I'm a time traveler, cause that Trans siberian railway video was definitely watched a couple days ago 😂

[@DRUKENHOBO]

you beat me to it by 4 min, good on ya.

[@AcidEric01]

@@DRUKENHOBO naaa he just traveled back to before your comment :P :D

[@Akislav1990]

Apparently the TV show Dark is now actually a documentary.

[@GenialHarryGrout]

Japan (1960) - let's build a high speed rail system UK (1960) - Let's put Dr Beeching in charge of modernising the rail system

[@ressljs]

I been on the train systems of both countries (I should point out I'm from America). Yes, the Japanese rail system is amazing and the British system is... Well, something less than that. But to be fair, Great Britain isn't that big; especially if you aren't building the rail line to service northern Scotland because it's got such a low population density. I'm not sure building an expensive high speed train is worth it. Japan, while not huge as far as total land area, is quite long. And there are big cities along most of its span.

[@yeeted9466]

America 1960’s - let’s not be racist

[@ashcoates25]

Genial Harry Grout 😥

[@GenialHarryGrout]

@@ressljs During the 1960's the UK closed around 1/3rd of it's network leaving a network that serviced mainly large towns and cities. Jump forward to 2020 and bit by bit lines are now being reopened around the UK at huge cost and many of these reopened lines aren't electrified. There is still parts of the UK that don't have rail or haven't had rail in over 50+ years.

[@DinsdalePiranha67]

America 1960's: We're losing our asses on passenger service. Let's hand it off to the government.

[@ilkoallexandroff]

I’m living in Japan for 12 years, and Shinkansen is amazing! Unfortunately the Linear Shinkansen will be postponed, because of environmental issues, that JR and Shizuoka Prefecture can’t reach agreement for more than 5 years already! It is a recent news from this week! One more thing, they managed to get the schedule for Nagoya-Osaka 8 years earlier, and it is expected to launch in 2037, not 2045! Also it is pronounced “Chu-oo-Shinkansen” Cheers from Japan!

[@mayankrajsinghchauha]

what is linear shinkansen??

[@TheNewGreenIsBlue]

@@mayankrajsinghchauha This refers to the propulsion method. In the Japanese language, rather than call the trains "Mag-levs", they call the trains "Linear Motor Cars". (This is why the prototype was called the L0 series). The trains are propelled by "Linear Induction Motors". Note that LIMs are not limited to magnetically levitated trains. Vancouver's SkyTrain, New York's AirTrain, one of Osaka's metro lines, and of course... certain roller coasters are all propelled by linear induction motors. These trains don't rely on the limits of wheel friction to propel themselves or slow down so they're usually quite low maintenance.

[@keiming2277]

I think it's kind of annoying you have to spend 4 hours from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Sapporo after 4 hours on Shinkansen

[@TheNewGreenIsBlue]

@@keiming2277 Well, about ~3h 15m but even with Shinkansen all the way to Sapporo, it would add 45m. In reality, few (other than tourists) would regularly make the Sapporo to Tokyo trip by train. Where the train WOULD be useful is between Sapporo and Hakodate or Sapporo and Sendai along the way. Sapporo to Tokyo is a 90 minute flight. Same thing with Hiroshima to Tokyo... not commonly taken... but Hiroshima to Osaka all the time. Helps that Hiroshima's airport is so inconveniently located.

[@keiming2277]

@@TheNewGreenIsBlue I brought the JR pass so I can travel various locations in Hokkaido for a fairly good price. And, I wanted to experience the bullet trains.

[@jimfeldman4035]

Another interesting part of their high speed rail is the amazing maintenance that goes on every day. Every inch (centimeter) of the line is computer inspected by special trains every evening.

[@Dell-ol6hb]

That sort of detail is why they have had zero fatalities and they are very rarely late

[@kvogel9245]

That's one reason why only one route is profitable.

[@tigersharkzh]

Not every evening, on average every 10 days. It's a special yellow Shinkansen that the Japanese love.

[@rsrs8632]

Ah yes, dr. Yellow. A train that has his own following!

[@wyw201]

K Vogel That one route produces enough cash flow to cover every other line and be net positive. On top of that, 1/3 of JR revenue comes from non-transportation related sources.

[@spikes1529]

I felt like i time traveled when you said the video about Trans-Siberian railway.

[@TheTruth-nd4uc]

Same

[@uncluckable6535]

Okay. So it's not just me...

[@kennethallen3843]

Maybe it's the other trans Siberian railway

[@holdadoor722]

I also time traveled. Glad I have someone to share the experince with. Neil Degras Tyson would be amazed at all of us.

[@C2K777]

I mean is there even a debate as to whether the Gotthard Tunnel being a Mega Projects video.

[@lightfire06]

Maybe the Brenner Base Tunnel with 64km would also be a great Mega Projects Video. In like ten years when it is opening.

[@marcbeebee6969]

I wanna see o used that tunnel 50 times at least and in not 30 yet

[@plastixat]

@@lightfire06 The Semmering tunnel to replace the world cultural heritage von ghega railway from vienna to styria where i live is also considered a megaproject at least here

[@coweatsman]

@@lightfire06 There is also a proposed Bohai Sea tunnel between Dalian in Liaoning Province, China and Yantai in Shandong Province, China which would be 200 km in length, if it is built. One slight problem is the 2 seismic fault lines passing under the sea.

[@jennadeegee8407]

For real, though. I need to see this!

[@TheAlphaDingo]

As someone who commutes by train to work, after riding the shinkansen and learning about delays that are literally measured in seconds across an entire year - going back to my normal train here in Australia made me feel like such a peasant. Japan are light years ahead of everyone for reliable, safe, fast and efficient transport. Even the cleaners who have only a few minutes to clear out the carriages are incredibly talented at what they do. The whole system works in perfect harmony.

[@Darth_Revan25]

Experienced the Shinkansen trains twice now. Once when I was 11 and last year at 23. Super impressive technology and transport designs. Blown away is an understatement. Hoping to return in 2022 sometime with two pals to visit my family! Love the country.

[@rayne5221]

I remember in high school and visiting Japan and when I took the train there and they were apologizing for being 2 minutes ahead of schedule. And would be at the station for the extra 2 minutes to get back on schedule

[@ryantruax4635]

The Japanese: Apologizing for being too efficient. Lovely people they are

[@romannasuti25]

@@ryantruax4635 It does fuck up scheduling if a train departs early, it's quite rare in Japan but I once missed a train by like 5 seconds because it left about 15 seconds before the minute it said it'd depart (I had to do a running transfer, and in a big, convoluted mess of a station like Shibuya or Shinjuku transferring between lines can be complicated). Also, being in a train that was crazy early can be bad in really awful weather: If it's very cold, that can be uncomfortable as they typically have to leave the doors open.

[@AkaixJK]

Was at Japan for 10 days for a short holiday. Really saved a hell lot of time and money because of the Japanese shinkansen. I arrived and departed from Osaka Kansai but thanks to their extremely efficient Shinkansen, I was able to go to places like Hiroshima, Kyoto and even as far as Tokyo even when my hotel is based in Osaka. One way from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo station was about close to 3 hours. I saved a few hundred dollars because of the Japan Rail Pass which allowed me to travel on almost all JR lines regardless of JR's normal trunk line or the shinkansen (excluding for Nozomi and Mizuho shinkansen). The cost of the shinkansen train ticket for a two way trip between Osaka and Tokyo is already more than the cost of my Japan Rail Pass and I travel both ways for 3 straight days even though I spent like 6 hours on a shinkansen on each of the 3 days. Trust me, if you plan to travel to at least 2 cities in Japan, you will need a Japan Rail Pass (they have regional and country wide passes) and it is way cheaper to buy it at your own country before your flight to Japan.

[@NathansWargames]

this guy has more channels than my Girlfriends Mixer desk ( she's a musician)

[@alexanderlanglois5897]

this guy has more channels than my girlfriend has personalities.

[@cmdrtianyilin8107]

This guy has more channels than I have girlfriends.

[@bernardfender5147]

How many channels does her mixing desk have?

[@dr.python]

This guy has more channels than coronavirus for entering a human host #koronauirusu

[@ATReade]

And there all awesome!

[@christianhegelbach3082]

Yes, please! Make a video of the 'NEAT' Switzerland's 21st century rail lines trough the Alps comprising of 3 main tunnels (Lötschberg, Gotthard & Ceneri Base Tunnel) scheduled to be fully operational by December 2020

[@jonnunn4196]

Even with Covid-19 related delays?

[@idkimlikereallybored9533]

@@jonnunn4196 ceneri is probably delayed because of covid 19

[@EonityLuna]

Having delved quite deep into the world of Japanese railfan videos on KZbin, I dare say Japan has some of the world's most interesting and varied railway systems. From old-school tram, rural railway, and commuter rail train cars, all the way to modern, futuristic metro, intercity, and high-speed railway cars, Japan has them all. And then you also have a plethora of rubber-tyred metros and people mover systems, both straddle-beam and suspended monorail systems and lines, and maglev-based systems, such as the Linimo maglev metro system in Aichi, and the high-speed (and upcoming) Chuo Shinkansen mentioned here. It's all very fascinating, and if you are a huge railfan like me the variety of it all will suck you in pretty quick. . I have seen a video somewhere, where a so-called "mini-Shinkansen" train runs right alongside a steam locomotive, along a regular railway line that has been upgraded to allow specially-designed Shinkansen trains to run through-service onto them (but at slower regular-railway train speeds though). It's quite a sight to behold, and even that only just begins to describe the kind of railway variety you can see in Japan.

[@lovelessissimo]

If liking trains is sad, I'm the backup singer of a failed emo band.

[@kreature6618]

I can't get why he needs to virtual signal to the young dumb folk out there - just say you like trains and be happy about it, no need to apologize.

[@monsieurduquack5440]

He's probably referring to the original "I like trains" guy who sadly passed away

[@DinerLingo]

That Tokyo-Osaka trip is cheaper than Philly to NYC on the Acela.

[@RambosBodyguard]

Business class is $49 one way Philly to NYC, or $98 round trip. Boston to Washington D.C. is only $69 in Business class, round trip is only $138. The Tokyo to Osaka round trip would be $243, or $135 one way.

[@DinerLingo]

@@RambosBodyguard I commute btw Philly & NYC all the time for work. Perhaps you're looking at current prices, but that's not normal Acela pricing. Normal Acela pricing is around $150 each way & up.

[@GintaPPE1000]

​@@DinerLingo No, on the contrary, those are the kinds of fares you pay if you aren't a procrastinator or poor planner. The pricing skyrockets as the departure date draws near because most Acela trains are almost-completely sold out by then. If you book at least two weeks in advance, you won't get into triple digit Business class fares on the Acela unless you continue beyond New Haven at least. First class is another story, but that is subject to even worse price scalping.

[@RambosBodyguard]

@@DinerLingo I just went on the Amtrak website and put those locations in and got those fare prices. I did make the travel date a couple weeks away, so I guess it does vary a lot in price. I went and checked again and it is more expensive if you book travel for the next day or so, but tickets about two weeks away are a bit cheaper. At least I now know to plan my trips a few weeks in advance to save a bunch of money.

[@jossdeiboss]

@@RambosBodyguard You have to consider the ticket price as standard (buying at the train station right before boarding). All the others are special internet discounts that usually lead to poor or no flexibility, whilst you have to consider a fully flexible ticket like on a commuter train, which is the same in Japan.

[@jaredmulconry]

Having travelled on Japan's current design for the Shinkansen, I can confirm that the ride is very smooth. It's also very roomy. Besides the entrance/exit, there's plenty of head room and leg room in the seats is better than I would have expected for someone like myself at 6'5". The seats are also very comfortable and there's very little noise inside, partly because the passenger area is well isolated from the outside and partly because loud conversation on a train will get you disapproving looks.

[@Lowmanification]

If only we could impose the no loud conversation rule on public transit here in the US. It is incredibly annoying when a person decides that the bus is the correct location for them to call up a friend and then decides to put them on speaker phone. I can understand short conversations in the case of emergencies, but I shouldn't be able to hear both ends of a 30 minute long conversation about which neighbor is having an affair (to be fair, this one was at least mildly amusing to listen into).

[@sayujraphael]

Average delay 24seconds😂 In India we measure delays in Hours and Days😂

[@billster1091]

Ouch!!

[@Ometecuhtli]

At least it isn't as bad as this airport: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXbcd3tjlpKLpbM

[@sebastianschmidt566]

In Germany we only call it a delay if the "Deutsche Bahn" arrives more then half an hour to late. 😂

[@goosebump801]

Ometecuhtli O.M.GGGGG! I can’t remember last time I laughed so hard! 😂

[@AndrewMitchell123]

bro here in Czech Republic it's the same :D national lines run by national companies suck, guess we have to all use trains run by private companies to have such short delays

[@silvestras88]

Been on Tokaido shinkansen twice. It really is a bliss. And the sushi box, and the 3 min departure time when the train stops at exact scheduled time. And the comfortable reclining chairs and the amazing scenery passing through your plane-like window.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:35 - Chapter 1 - New trunk line 2:55 - Chapter 2 - History 4:55 - Chapter 3 - The early days 6:10 - Chapter 4 - Expansion 8:20 - Chapter 5 - Technology 10:15 - Chapter 5.1 - 0 series 10:50 - Chapter 5.2 - N700 Series Shinkansen 11:25 - Chapter 6 - Today on the shinkansen 14:00 - Chapter 7 - The future is Maglev 16:30 - Chapter 8 - An example set

[@MJer09128]

I've taken the Shinkansen many times on various routes in Japan. It's truly a wonderful experience in all ways.

[@matsv201]

"320km/h, this is the shinkansen" Shows the chou shinkansen with a top speed of 505km/h To be clear, chou is the specific name of the maglev line specifically.

[@gratefuldean69]

@Jorn Navarre umm actually...it was 606km/h

[@93matarl]

when i started to watch it i was expecing the maglev, not the old version of the shikansen. but you are not wrong.

[@8NCLI8]

*chuo

[@Ometecuhtli]

*Chuo shinkansen, 505 km/h is its operational top speed, of course trains can go faster, especially in testing you want to know where it limits are and how it behaves.

[@matsv201]

Like someone else already wrote.. operating speed.

[@kvthe2nd903]

Weird megaproject video idea: The SI unit system It's often taken for granted but it took a lot of work and money to determine how to define sizes and so on. (Like two Frenchman who needed to measure the distance between Calais and Barcelona while the Napoleonic wars were happening)

[@goosebump801]

Megaproject? Or Today I Found Out? Or one of Simon’s many other channels? Regardless, it would be interesting

[@DRUKENHOBO]

Hi simon im not sure if you have done a video on it but, a video on the construction of the swiss defensive line during the cold war would be cool. (all the bunkers + setting their bridges to blow) For the commenters, if you like the idea please like or comment on this so simon might see. if you hate the idea dislike so simon knows not to do it.

[@mediabox8280]

Oh that does sound like a good one!

[@cjeam9199]

I’d be fascinated by that because I’m extremely sceptical about it. I’ve heard all sorts of variations of that claim from the explosives already being in the bridges to holes for charges being predrilled in every bridge constructed. I’m not convinced at all. I don’t think any modern bridge in Switzerland is designed in such a way that it’s easy to blow it up, I think that the most likely situation is just that the military have maybe looked at every bridge and planned where they’d need to put explosives to blow it up.

[@Valeryu_Minka]

This would be rad! I'd love an in-depth look at the whole thing.

[@mulgerbill]

Hell yeah, have a booster comment

[@goosebump801]

Very interesting!

[@Benjamin_Danklin]

I like trains!

[@craigyami]

I like trains as well and im trying to get him to do the concept of the transcontinental railroad/ Bering sea bridge

[@aterfelis4708]

I like lamp!

[@supahfly_uk]

I like turtles

[@StructureFiresOfFriendship]

I like turtles

[@StructureFiresOfFriendship]

@@supahfly_uk dammit.... You beat me to it!!! 🤣

[@theodosios2615]

I took the shinkansen a few times, it is incredible. Fast, comfortable, efficient. And how insane is it that in over 50 years of service, with over 3000 high-speed trains in service, they have never had a single fatality?

[@999knives]

I'm only 2:50 in and their are already a bunch of weird in accuracies like the term bullet train being from the 1930's not 1960's and the Chuo Shinkasen being the first maglev line even though it's under construction and China has had a commercial maglev line since 2004. I like these shows but they seem really rushed. Like the ISS episode implies that Mir was the first space station but the USSR's Salyut programme was decades older and included a military space station that had an anti-aircraft gun to test whether you can shoot satellites in orbit (turns out the answer is yes).

[@ronin7997]

Took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Mount Fuji to hike up the mountain. Amazing experience; only downside was the ride being so short (lasted a little over 30 minutes).

[@nashthebaker9338]

Should do the French counterpart to these trains, the TGV. The TGV has the fastest speed record for a conventional wheeled train at 578 km/h.

[@sayujraphael]

Sam from Wendover : Planes Simon : Trains

[@CosRacecar]

Roadkill: automobiles

[@henk-3098]

can't we love both?

[@sayujraphael]

@@henk-3098 of course we do

[@taekwontheo]

Sam: Concord Simon: Shinkansen

[@DougCaldwell]

Riding on this train was a highlight experience for me when I was working in Japan for a few months in 2008. Its a really smooth ride. I would encourage everyone visiting the country to plan on taking a ride somewhere on a bullet train. A few riding tips. Nobody spoke on their mobile phone in the car. If one needed to make a call you left your seat and went to a separate compartment for phone calls and smoking. Buy a bento box lunch at your departure station and eat along the way. Call home and leave a message while traveling at 200mph for the fun of it. Last note: I feel your pain from the internet trolls who don't like your Japanese or other foreign language pronunciation. I get the same snarky comments as one from Texas.

[@mattdumbrill8324]

9:58 I guess u asked mustard about this footage. I feel like there would be a connection there.

[@zinussan50]

One of Shinkansen features is they apologise for being early than scheduled.

[@comettamer]

Aye, and if theyre like, 30 seconds off in either direction it is a very huge deal. Fortunately, they're plenty capable of setting things right.

[@thebigitchy]

Well yea, because if they leave early, people transferring from other lines end up missing their train.

[@ruangoto]

Keith's Cafe they never depart earlier than schedule

[@kc3302]

Zin, are you able to provide some proof for this claim? I've never seen this happen myself nor have I heard/read about it. They just don't depart early. You may be getting mixed up with a non-Shinkansen train a couple of years ago which departed 15 seconds early and it was national news with an apology issued by the train company.

[@kc3302]

CometTamer I was surprised a couple of years ago when my Shinkansen departed 3 minutes late, but after a few stations it was back on schedule. The Shinkansen timetables have a capacity to make up a small amount of late running by operating at a slightly higher speed between stations.

[@seankenno7]

I travelled from Tokyo to Kyoto and back on a bullet train in 2018... it’s the smoothest thing I’ve ever travelled in...I slept like a baby

[@theofficialken1755]

Lived in Japan 6 years. Only rode the Shinkansen a few times but can confirm it's fast, smooth and comfortable. Made it from Yokohama to Fukui in no time

[@muskyoxes]

the US could take one year's military budget and build a dozen things this big and useful.

[@rjfaber1991]

Unfortunately the US has a terrible record of building impressive infrastructure and then completely neglecting to perform regular maintenance on it, and I don't know if I want to go at 600km/h over a viaduct that may or may not collapse while I'm crossing it. I suppose it would be a quick death, which is nice, but as a general rule I prefer to stay alive while using public transport.

[@themajortom69]

@@rjfaber1991 I will grant you that upkeep isn't done correctly but everything else you said is verifiable wrong as a matter of fact I must ask have you ever been to the states?

[@mabhodlelajj1195]

@@rjfaber1991 america,a country that have been leading in mega infrastructures for most of the century,and even now have one of the most impressive infrastructures in the world,you claim it has a bad record in imressive infrastructure?You are not joking,you are joking your self.

[@noth606]

Or you know, pay the Japanese to do it properly and maintain it properly :) I'm European and I've been on our "high speed trains" and I've also been on the Shinkansen. I'd take the Shinkansen over anything the US or any European government comes up with any day, all day. It feels like you are sitting still, the only way you know you are moving is looking out the windows. It's one of the most odd experiences I've ever had because even slow trains in Europe are bumpy and vibrate and you have to secure your drink to not spill it. The Shinkansen is really amazing, if you go to Japan you should definitely try it, of all impressive Japanese things in technical terms, that impressed me by far the most, so much in fact that when I go back next time I am going to use it again :-). It's far better than any other form of travel when you can use it.

[@mabhodlelajj1195]

@@emmaisalone american infrastructure is not bad,trains are bad because they are for most part not prefared use of transpotation,americans use cars for most part and their roads are on point.Schools,hospitals,cities and other public area gatherings are in good conditions,now tell me what really makes america infrustructure bad like you claim?Come now..USA has been leading in infustructure and even today in many parts it still does.

[@tynandugdell1258]

One Video I would like to see is the Tokyo Flood protection system

[@rgenericson5361]

Took the Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo, absolutely amazing, like flying in a plane! Absolutely whisper quiet, no squeaking or squealing. Even more amazing when watching a train going the other direction at 170 mph.

[@mulattoraver]

I still remember the first time I rode the Shinkansen. It was 1997, and I was travelling from Tokyo to Gunma to see my girlfriend at the time. I was fascinated by how fast I was cruising through the scenery. It actually scared me. Fast-forward to 2020 and the Shinkansen is just another piece of infrastructure (THAT IS STILL FUN TO RIDE!!!!) 🚅

[@warbledurbler7905]

1950's: "The Japanese were just a little bit ahead of the game", Rest of the world obtain revenue through speeding fines... 2020: "The Japanese were still very much ahead of the game"

[@carholic-sz3qv]

@Central Intelligence Agency nope

[@collinssilver7075]

@Central Intelligence Agency what China does is to keep stealing people technology

[@professorsogol5824]

One of the advantages/benefits of the Shinkansen (or almost any train) system is that departure and arrival are at city centers or sub-centers. (For some routes , there are three stations In Tokyo from which a shinkansen can be boarded.) If one were to travel by air, one would first have to get out of the city center and to the airport. Then one would have to check in for one's flight probably at least half an hour before flight time. Then there is security. Then boarding, backing out from the gate, etc etc before one even gets into the air. On arrival, one has to wait for luggage (or travel very light) and then get into the city center. Automobiles have the problems of traffic jams and parking not to mention actually having to drive the car (sometimes it is amusing but often it is a tedious task that demands total concentration).

[@magical_catgirl]

The Shinkansen pricing is a bit more complex then what was mentioned.Train fares in Japan are distance based (even the local public transport), not flat fare or zone based as in many other places around the world. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen has 17 stations and 3 types of train service. The Nozomi only stops at the 6 major stations (Tokyo, Shinagawa, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka), the Hikari stops at between 6 and 14 stations, depending on the given service, and the Kodama stops at all 17. The Nozomi is more expensive then the Kodama. There is a surcharge for the Shinkansen compared to the regular train (there is also a "slow" train Tōkaidō main line which has 166 stations) and there is a surcharge to reserve a seat. You can book an unreserved seat, and get a slight discount (which could be your only option to get a given train if the reserved seats are booked out), but you could end up standing in the aisle of an unreserved car.You can also book a "green car" (first class) seat. The base Tokyo-Osaka shinkansen fare is 8910JPY. Once you account for the surcharges, the Nozomi is 19590JPY (first class), 14720JPY (reserved), 13870JPY (unreserved) and the Hikari and Kodama are 19270JPY (first class), 14400JPY (reserved), 13870JPY (unreserved)

[@CocoaBeachLiving]

Fascinating show Simon. I knew about Japan pioneering high-speed trains, yet I didn't know most of these facts. Well presented 👍😁

[@Outland9000]

It really is quite a shocker how different the trains in the UK and Japan are! It's the only way to travel between cities in Japan and for a tourist is not really that expensive.

[@Razgriz012386]

I love taking the Shinkansen to Osaka from Shinagawa it's longer than a flight but so smooth and comfortable with much more room.

[@louis1617]

The pricing of the Shinkansen varies as there are 3 different types on the Tokkaido Shinkansen called Hikari (stops at all stations), Kodoma (stops at fewer stations), and the Nozomi (the express train that only stops at Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka).

[@Cmplexrincc]

"i like trains" - Simon Whistler. 2020.

[@tonytutone2003]

What currently amazes me on the train subject is the Chinese rail infrastructure. Maybe a future subject for this channel?

[@Calvbread]

Yes!

[@ShneekeyTheLost]

Fun fact: There's a rail being built (or rather, about to be built, it got the final permits back in May, but the current situation has delayed actually breaking ground) in Texas from Houston to Dallas based on the Shinkensen design, and with the aid and consultation of the Central Japan Rail Company. When completed, it will get you from one end to the other in 90 minutes (it's normally a 3-4 hour drive depending on traffic).

[@elaineteut6508]

While visiting our daughter in Japan we rode this train from Tokyo to Kyoto. Beautiful train and ride.

[@14rs2]

ALLEGEDLY!!! Oh wait wrong Simon Whistler channel 😂😂

[@gratefuldean69]

Allegedly.

[@crispoman]

Ba-da-boom-tissshhhh!

[@mulgerbill]

SMASHING that like button!

[@BenedictRaikes]

Hi Simon, you should consider doing a video on the Chinese high speed rail network. It’s cheap, fast (340km/h), extensive and is being expanded at an eye watering rate!

[@lungha9827]

As with everything else in China…I wouldn’t trust their HSR as fast as I can take a dump over a underwater volcano…I want an original, not a copy…

[@julianbarazzutti7960]

your translation among meassurment systems and units is quite useful, other youtubers need to learn to put into that effort, thank you for that.

[@angelaboyle9940]

Having travelled on these trains I found it amusing when they apologised for leaving a few seconds early. So used to trains turning up late in the uk and being overcrowded

[@henkh8740]

GODHARD TUNNEL please!!

[@CosRacecar]

@Richard Ball that's one good looking tunnel right there...

[@ybing]

Still remember my experience on the Chinese High Speed Rail, delaysssss, it was raining and it did 80 km/h for the entire hour...

[@wyw201]

Which line was this?

[@slomo4672]

When was that?

[@ybing]

@@slomo4672 2011 when they still run at top speed 350 km/h, I took it from Wuhan back to Shenzhen; not long after departed Wuhan, it rain quite heavily so the entire section was running at 80 km/h...

[@BaronSamedi1959]

Three years ago I travelled on the Kyoto to Tokyo Shinkansen and it had a delay of ONE minute! The chief train attendant personally came to each car and in Japanese and English offered his most profound apologies for such unheard-of incident. They also updated all connecting train schedules to make sure that all on board could make their connection. If in Belgium a train arrives within one minute of its scheduled arrival, people will kiss the train attendant and fall on their knees in utter amazement and thankfulness.

[@fatmaninthesun1]

There is one of the original Bullet Trains in the British National Railway Museum, York. It is enormous compared to the neighbouring steam train, and when it retired was still faster than anything we have today. I visited Japan 2years ago took to trips on the current fastest train that you showed. Passengers cannot take luggage as it would slow boarding, which is 45 seconds. That’s to get passengers both off and on. Incredible

[@carlengeler3478]

Please do the Swiss tunnel!!

[@t.d.186]

Quite problematic that you do not mention this major change at all: for the *new* shinkansen track, Japan changed from ancient 3.5ft gauge to standard gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in), which allows for higer speeds throughout). 200km/h in 1965 was a great achievement. So really, in 1959 Japan started to desdign & build their railways from scratch.

[@thebigitchy]

Since Japan is so mountainous, I assume they went with a narrow gauge track because the minimum turn radius can be much tighter than standard gauge. So far as I know, all local trains in Japan still run on narrow gauge tracks. The Shinkansen runs on standard gauge tracks because they give better stability at high speeds, and also to make it physically impossible for a local train to find its way onto a Shinkansen line.

[@searlecom1]

Top tip for travelling on the Shinkansen, get to the station early! The 24-second average late-running train figure includes delays for bad weather (snow etc) and other faults. If the train is late more than five minutes you will be offered a card to say the train was late, for when the boss asks why you are late. The train drivers announce to themself, out loud, how many seconds they are late or early when passing through stations they are not stopping at.

[@nathaniel1207]

I heard a story about shinkansen. A tourist was using the train and had heard of its reputation for a tight schedule. The train was set to enter the station in less than a minute, and he was watching his watch. 15 seconds, 10 seconds, 5 seconds. On the mark the train pulled in and stopped. Perfectly on time.

[@the_kombinator]

Good thing the Koreans took the TGV and souped it up. I've been on both (Paris - Nice - 1995, Seoul - Daegu - 2012) and I was already impressed. When they snowpierce that, I'll take a seat.

[@joshduthie3401]

Wasn't built overnight. China: hold my beer.

[@scottiethegreat74]

I'm currently living here in China, and the development of the high speed rail system here, as well as subway systems in many cities, is absolutely astounding!!

[@keaixiaomeinv]

​@@scottiethegreat74 Sure, but playing around with massive infrastructure projects is easy when you have total control over the population, unlimited cash supply, no environmental protection, and an endless pool of migrant workers who make little to no money at all. Chances are we are going to see a lot of what China is building to start crumbling in a decade or two. Oh, and I live in China, too.

[@usernameONBEKEND]

And than the building tumbles or dams cracks. Currently one of China's biggest secrets is that the Three Gorges Dam is probably starting to do the same. Investigation has started after Sardoba reservoir in the region of Sirdaryo in Uzbekistan had failed (contracted by China). It failed after 3 years and after heavy rain. There has been a lot of rain in the past month. Currently it is secretly discharging flood water. The Three Gorges dam had a lot of corruption inflating cost and lowering build quality. I hope this is not the case because of the human lives involved. We will never hear anything bad from China itself (there is no freedom of speech or press freedom - CCP tries to control every news outlet).

[@zam023]

There was already a fatal high speed rail accident in China, and they haven't even been operating that long. When you rush things, it is a recipe for accidents.

[@suzukigixxer1627]

@@keaixiaomeinv oh you wish,it would crumble don't you?Minimum to no wage?Stop spreading misinformation in the comment section.

[@cynthiasimpson931]

My family rode trains when we lived in Japan in the early 1960s, earlier than the Chuo Shinkansen. I don't remember a lot of what happened, as I was quite young, but I remember my mother bellowing "DOES ANYONE SPEAK ENGLISH?" in the terminal, because we'd gotten on the wrong train and ended up in the wrong town.

[@redoctober6521]

Anyone who is planning to spend time in Japan should consider purchasing a Japan Rail Pass that will allow you to travel on the Shinkansen for 7, 14, or 21 days for 1 cost. (currently about $275 US for a 7 day pass, close to the cost of 1 round trip ticket to Osaka from Tokyo). For me, it’s better than flying (roughly the same time when you consider the time to and from the airport and the security checkpoints, and any flight delays) and you can sit in a comfortable seat, enjoy a freshly made bento 🍱 with a can of beer, Highball, or Strong Zero, and relax and enjoy the scenic views of Japan speed past your window...

[@rj7855]

another idea for a subject on megaprojects: Chinese High-speed train network

[@hagdore]

Another idea for a subject on Mega Projects: How China engineered a virus to destroy the world. Now there's a mega project for you.

[@kiraasuka9943]

@@hagdore or how Spanish flu destroyed the world by killing 30 million people.

[@bonehand87]

You mean the high-speed train system they copied from japan to name it their own, network.

[@jimjim9303]

@@bonehand87 Copied, but do better lol.

[@jimjim9303]

@@kiraasuka9943 Spanish flu is actually "American flu".

[@ageha1127]

The most important thing for Japanese people is safety and punctuality.

[@feartheturnip]

Im from the UK & I traveled from Tokyo to Hiroshima in 2019 (with a change of trains in Kyoto) & the very comfortable travel time was 4hr 10mins I think, including the change & this wasn't the fasted shinkansen! these trains are gorgeous & a treat to use.The Japanese are so polite, the conductors bow to the travelers at ingress/egress of each carriage. anyone visiting Japan, you can get a JR rail pass which includes most shinkansens free & a lot of other trains in the country. It's amazing they can go from 180mph to 0 & stop EXACTLY at the gate on the platform for that shinkansen (within an inch) & do all this exactly on time. the shinkansen platforms have barriers with a gate , colour coded to match the shinkansen that will stop there (they all have different names & colours, to make it easy to find the one you booked). I highly recommend it. I might have some videos of the trip on my channel.

[@bofty]

Great video, needed a section on how they detect and react to earthquakes so the trains don't derail as that is super interesting

[@Eurobazz]

You’re not sad Simon. You’re in good company with us ferroequinoligists.

[@scenicdepictionsofchicagolife]

That's a very fancy name for a foamer! I'm going to start using this to describe myself

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

Iron horse scientists?

[@Eurobazz]

Eric Christian Never heard of “foamer” Eric.

[@stevejessemey8428]

I love Japan. Also I lived there for 15 years. Best and most efficient country in the world.

[@pompaompa3380]

Another fun fact about the shinkansen is that the trains are so successful that Japanese are going to export the e5 series Shinkansen (top speed 320 km/h) to India for the Mumbai- Ahmedabad high speed corridor ( u can see the e5 series at 4:41 )

[@TheBaldr]

You can fly round trip from Haenda to Kansai International on something like Peach Airways for $200. That is $40 cheaper to fly. Any longer trips it becomes exponential cheaper to fly or take a bus in Japan. (It is 2 hours to Hokkaido from Osaka by plane, 8-10 hours by train) $40 more and you save a bit of time, but if I was going someplace over 250Km I usually took a bus or flew, the Shikansen is just to expensive. The discounts Simon mentioned are there, but incredibly hard to get, you get one day a year to purchase discounted tickets as a Japanese Resident. (Foreign Tourist do get discounts) Booking months ahead will not change the price, that is lie. Don't get me wrong, I love riding the Shikansen, it is just not worth the expense.

[@watcherit1311]

Planes and especially buses are also less comfortable and slower (plane trip is not limited to a flight time). Time and comfort are kinda common things to be charged extra for.

[@NozomuYume]

Have to figure in an extra hour at the airport before you even get on the plane, and this is assuming you are starting off anywhere near Haneda. You're way more likely to be starting off close to a Shinkansen station. Moreover, wherever you're coming from, the Shinkansen stations tend to be WAY better connected, whereas the odds are low that you're starting off next to the (slow) Tokyo Monorail or the Keikyu Airport Line. And even if you DO start off next to Keikyu Airport Line, it can get you to Shinagawa just as fast. The wash in terms of time spent seems to be Osaka (going south) and Morioka (going north). Anything shorter and Shinkansen is a win, anything further and Shinkansen is slower but still wins in comfort and convenience. Airplanes are fast, but cramped, so they definitely won't win on quality unless you splurge for business/first class. The thing that really kills airplanes though is *airports*. Train stations are fast plentiful and easy, airports are slow, cumbersome, and are frequently a pain to get to.

[@craigyami]

Please do the transcontinental railroad/ Bering sea bridge

[@markanthony4655]

As the UK Government is basically about to renationalise our railways. Could they get a Japanese management team to sort them out, as no one British seems to have a clue judging by the last 50 years. We British invented both the railway and Maglev, yet our railways are crap and overpriced and we don't use Maglev at all

[@5t4n5]

The government doesn't need to sort the broken train set out, they're just going to spend 100billion building a nice new train set for rich people to use instead (poor people won't be able to afford HST), the peasants can keep the broken train set and it's delays and problems because in the land of boris peasants don't matter.

[@themadhammer3305]

Given they can charge an absolute fortune to use the current abysmal system and the terrible public opinion towards new rail projects like HS2. I'm not holding my breath that renationalisation will do anything but make the already terrible service stay as awful as always while no government wants to even try and fix it

[@dansrandomvideos2515]

This has deeply sadenned me since I first learnt about japan. If i had the choice to do anything I would start a railway company that built all it's trains here and would set a standard for franchise or just genrally private train operators. No Ironing board seats allowed.

[@TheMightyZwom]

Imho privatization of critical infrastructure is a cancer that many countries have been plagued with over the last decades... Hopefully most of them will be able to eradicate this disease.

[@LiamNI]

@@TheMightyZwom look what happened when the UK rail network was privatized..... Most expensive and close to the worst rail service in the world. You're right that sometimes the market doesn't work.

[@DerJuvens]

That face he made after realising how the "I quite like trains" comment sounded. :D Priceless!

[@JezaLoki]

It really is a joy taking the Shinkansen. I just hope they build a line from Hakodate to Sapporo.

[@DERP_Squad]

Last time I was this early, I was sacked for not keeping to the timetable.

[@gamingcanadian7267]

imagine missing your train and only having to wait 3 minutes for another one

[@andrewjones-productions]

This is true if in Tokyo. Just 90 minutes by car in Futtsu-shi, Chiba Prefecture from Tokyo, the train comes an average of only two times an hour. Despite what the townies of Japan (aka Tokyoites) would like you to believe, if you really want to get around Japan then you will need a car. No two ways about it.

[@nolan6183]

Simon, I trust your call on any mega project you want to cover - not that my approval is benevolent. All your videos are great, I'd love to learn about the Swiss train line!

[@lorencurtis291]

I did three consulting trips from LA to Nagoya in 2011, our flights included changing planes in Tokyo. The train station was below the hotel we were booked in. On the third trip, looking out my rooms window, I watched the Shinkansen arrive. Changed my return trip, much better l!

[@philipeanthonybattung3860]

Train week!!! YAY

[@craigyami]

Im trying to get him do the concept of the transcontinental railroad/ Bering Sea bridge its is a pretty cool concept

[@MangezDesPommes]

"Nowhere in the world will you find a rail system that can even compare to the shinkansen" Well I beg to differ I’ll even go as far to say that the shinkansen is far from being the technological marvel people like to think it is. Having a futuristic design does not make you the train of the future or even the most impressive high-speed train there is. Since I might be a bit partial, I will stick with the numbers from now on. The shinkansen has 2 764.6 km of high-speed tracks meanwhile, the French TGV has 2 700 km of track still in expansion. The TGV can even use the traditional tracks albeit at a reduced speed of 200km/h (which still is a lot) while the shinkansen cannot. You addressed the fact that not a single fatality occurred on the shinkansen well neither on the TGV service, they even share the same number of derailments. The only deadly incident occurred during the test run of a prototype, sadly 11 persons lost their lives. The deadliness of this incident was in part due to where the train derailed. Both railway systems carrying hundreds of millions of yearly passengers and having carried billions makes them at least similarly safe. In term of pure speed the TGV wins although they share a similar cruising speed of 320km/h, it was initially made possible in 2001 with the TGV-Duplex introduced in 1995 that’s 10 years before japan rolled out its locomotives cruising at such a speed on the Tōhoku Shinkansen in March 2011. Furthermore, the TGV still holds the record for the fastest wheeled train 515.3 km/h in 1990 only beaten by its little brother at 574.8km/h in 2007 undefeated. Not to mention the high profitability compared to the Shinkansen with tickets costing on average 50% less. I have paid as low as 15€ for a Paris-Marseille, 780km in close to 3 hours. SNCF manages higher operational benefits than what the exploitation of the Shinkansen brings. We can try to look at which of these technologies spread the most across the world in a vain attempt to infer which one was the most influential project. On this front the TGV wins again being the most widespread high-speed train technology with the Spanish AVE, the Korean Train express, Italian AVG, the Canadian Acela Express and most American attempts at high speed trains are derived from TGV technology. To conclude, the train is not the amazing thing about the Japanese Shinkansen but the organisation and the stupid average delays they manage to pull off are. The way the Japanese people organise their travels is the true marvel of the shinkansen. The TGV is not better than the Shinkansen and the Shinkansen is not better than the TGV. But they are equally a part of the amazingly good high-speed train club. Two giants on an equal footing a globe away from each other. But puting the Shinkansen above any competion would be at best an uneducated guess and simply doesn't hold any ground. We will see what the future holds for the distant maglev in Japan and for the French efforts on fully driverless trains with the first one planned to roll out in 2023. Although no announcements were made for magnetically levitated trains yet. Which sucks… I have not discussed the Chinese version of the high-speed train and their high-speed infrastructures being the largest in the world. But it’s kind of is a mish mash of every other high-speed train technology. Alstom(France), Kawasaki(Japan), Siemens(Germany) were all awarded an equal part of the joint Chinese high-speed train venture. Which massively sped up the development of the Chinese competing high speed trains. I apologize for the long rambling comment.... On another note, you gave the conversions in dollars and pounds but not in euro, really? How tone deaf can you be…

[@radders261]

Brilliant video as always, thank you! Would love to see a video about the construction of the east west rail link in England. Things a ramping up near me and I would love to get a broader view of what is happening. Thanks again!

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

Oh cool, I've road this when I was deployed to Japan in the Air Force. You're right it's a smooth ride; it's hard to tell how fast you're going.

[@uchihasniper2003]

Hey simon maybe cover the explosion of high speed train in china?

[@DirtyRobot]

Why? It's just German and Japanese tech bought and stolen by the CCP.

[@AllGuitarSucks]

I remember that they bury their train accident

[@gwo-shyanhan1188]

@@DirtyRobot you mean the Japanese invented trains??? 😂😂

[@tillyrhodes-mayo6448]

Simon you're nearly as bad as an English train with you're timetabling, you released the Siberian railway video first.

[@NZobservatory]

A lot of people, especially those opposed to railroads, never talk about the fact high speed rail travel leaves domestic air travel for dead. The flight time may be shorter than the time aboard a train covering the same route, but there is none of the chaotically inefficient airport circus at either end. Just buy a train ticket and get on board, then get off again a little while later at your destination, feeling fresh and relaxed and with none of the absurdities, anxieties and inconveniences of security gates and baggage claim and the joys of airport parking systems.

[@laranaarana]

Every time I travel to Japan with my family to visit relatives we always use the Shinkansen. In order to safe time on the turn around time (that is when the train needs to head on the oposite direction) the seats turn around. My daugthers love it every time we use it (even though is quite pricey).

[@rubiconnn]

9:57 is that shot from Mustard's channel?

[@nickvangeel]

You know it is

[@joheyjonsson2825]

Simon: "They're beautiful, they're fast, they're safe, and they're reliable" Me: *cries in Swedish'

[@andrewjones-productions]

Actually, there was a fatality, Not the fault of JR or the Shinkansen but some crazy lunatic decided to cut the throat of someone's neck on the Tokaido line back in 2019. Furthermore, a derailment also happened at the time of the Tohoku earthquake on March 11th, 2011. Although, I don't think anyone is going to criticise a derailment due to a major earthquake that was so strong that it shifted the earth's axis and moved Japan 2 metres closer towards the North American continent.

[@Korschtal]

I've travelled a fair bit on the Tokaido line and it really is everything it looks like. They even know to within a few centimetres where each train will stop as well: you have a marked space on the platform to line up in and the door for your carriage stops exactly between the lines. It used to be possible to travel on them as a foreign tourist using a Japan Rail pass, but I don't know if that's still the case.

[@freedan48blackstar35]

Mega project idea if not alrdy in the works: The Apollo Space Program. That would be up the alley especial seeing how you made mention of it in the Manhattan Project video.

[@graylinshowell7051]

America should just build a train system called the super duper missile so we'll actually fund it.

[@TallifTallonbrook]

wont matter either way. The distances are what kills it. If you wanted the high speed rail of Kentucky it would be up to Kentucky to build it. Japan is 145,883 square miles, about the same size as Montana at 147k. Its population however is 126,479,781 to equal that you have to put the populations of California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Ohio. The actual use of such a train could not pay for the distance it has to cover. Currently to build a rail capable of freight is is 2 million a mile. You can easily triple that for a high speed rail. Not taking into account acquiring the land it was going across.