Shinkansen Shinkansen The , meaning "new trunkline," but colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, in order to aid economic growth and development. Beyond long-distance travel, some sections around the largest metropolitan areas are used as a commuter rail network. It is operated by five Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen () in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-Shinkansen lines with a maximum
E3 Series Shinkansen arranged 2+2 abreast, cars 12 to 14 feature Japanese-style "tatami" seating, car 15 is a lounge car with a bar counter, and car 16 has "ashiyu" foot baths. The name of the train is a portmanteau of the English word "train" and the French word "soleil" (sun). The train is normally used on special "Toreiyu Tsubasa" services running at weekends. The "Toreiyu" set is based at Yamagata Depot and formed as shown below, with car 11 at the Fukushima end. This is a six-car set rebuilt from former Akita Shinkansen trainset R19 at Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Kobe as an