The Bullet train (Shinkansen) is a Japanese high-speed rail operated by JR Group companies. Until 1987 (1986) was operated by the National State Railway (National Railways).
Overview
Beginning with the Tokaido Shinkansen which opened in Tokyo Station – Shin Osaka Station on October 1, 1964, each Shinkansen of Sanyo, Tohoku and Joetsu opened in the national iron age. Even after JR, the two lines of Yamagata and Akita opened as mini Shinkansen which carries out direct driving with JR line (conventional line) and Shinkansen, and even the original Shinkansen standard (full standard) which can operate at high speed is also available in Hokkaido · Hokuriku · Kyushu (Kagoshima route) three lines have been opened, expansion of the Shinkansen network has been continued for half a century. Each shinkansen of Hokkaido, Hokuriku, Central and Kyushu (Nagasaki Route) is still under construction in 2018 (Heisei 30).
At the time of 2016 (Heisei 28) 7 full routes (2,765 km in total) and 2 mini bullet trains (total of 276 km) are in operation and the number of users per year in FY 2015 (FY2005) is 300 million It reaches 60 million people.
In order to operate at high speed exceeding 200 kilometers per hour which was not present in the conventional railway, we will construct a new high-speed line dedicated to new linearity (less sharp curve and steep slope). The gauge (rail spacing) is a standard gauge (1,435 mm) which is wider than the narrow gauge (1,067 mm) of the conventional line, and the voltage of the overhead wire also becomes 25,000 volts AC higher than 20,000 volts of the conventional line There. A special one is also used for the vehicle, and it is driven by a bullet train with a streamlined shape and a large body. In order to realize both high speed and low noise, the leading shape continues to evolve each time a new model vehicle emerges, and aerodynamic ingenious measures are applied everywhere, including pantographs, in addition to the beginning.
On the Shinkansen which has many viaducts and tunnels and no railroad crossings, even on the regular railway than regular railway, even on the Tokaido Shinkansen which trains as many as 120,000 trains are operated annually, the average delay time remains at 36 seconds (FY2011). Also, in the history of the Shinkansen over 50 years, passenger death accidents have never occurred due to abnormalities in facilities and equipment of vehicles and railroads, malfunctions on the traveling side and the like. This fact is told as “Safety myth of the Shinkansen”.
Definition
The National Shinkansen Railway Improvement Law defines the Shinkansen railway as “a trunk line railway” that allows trains to travel at a high speed of at least 200 kilometers per hour (hereinafter referred to as km / h) in its main section “(Article 2). Since it is “its main section”, it is a Shinkansen railway even if there is a section that can travel only locally at a speed less than 200 km / h. The reason why the Shinkansen is defined by law is that driving rules and structural rules different from conventional lines (both ordinances are required).
Regarding the act of hindering the operation of the train, there are provisions in the railway business railway business law, the criminal law etc. in addition to the general railway, but in addition to that, the special law on the punishment of the act that hinders the safety of the train service on the Shinkansen railroad (Shinkansen special law ), Etc., stricter legal measures have been set.
The Yamagata Shinkansen / Akita Shinkansen which is called Mini Shinkansen is also commonly referred to as the Shinkansen, and it is also described in the timetable as such. However, these are not formal routes names, and are all conventional lines (see articles for so-called, train name, treatment of routes names). Shinkansen vehicles are directly connected to these routes, but they have reformed conventional lines and added some facilities corresponding to high-speed driving, and according to the “structure of the Shinkansen Railway Structure Rule” (the route and orbit See Facilities), but I do not have them. For example, it remains unchanged from conventional lines such as train protection by combination of traffic lights requiring visual safety checks and ATS, and the existence of a railroad crossing road. It is naturally beyond the scope of the Shinkansen special law, and even on the National Shinkansen Railway Development Law, it is not treated as a Shinkansen railway.
construction
The Tokaido Shinkansen, which opened on October 1, 1964 during the national railway (national railway) era, is the first route. In addition to the Tokaido Shinkansen, Sanyo Shinkansen and the Tohoku Shinkansen were the main constituents of the JNR, but the Nippon Railway Construction Public Corporation was responsible for the construction of the Joetsu Shinkansen. In the Tohoku-Joetsu Shinkansen extension of Tokyo after the privatization of the National Railway Company, the Shinkansen Railway Holding Organization, which once owned the ground facilities of the Shinkansen at that time, was the construction agency. For the so-called maintenance bullet train such as the Hokuriku Shinkansen and the Kyushu Shinkansen constructed further thereafter, the railway construction and transport facility maintenance support organization which succeeded the rights of the Nippon Railway Construction Public Corporation and Shinkansen Railway Holding Organization is the construction subject. Meanwhile, Tokyu Railway (JR Tokai) was appointed as the construction entity for the central Shinkansen that does not correspond to the maintenance bullet train.
In Article 4 of the National Shinkansen Railway Improvement Law, it is stipulated that the Construction Project of the Shinkansen will be decided by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, namely by the country.
Also, the Shinkansen constructed so far has been constructed from the Tokaido Shinkansen which opened in 1964 (Showa 39 years) except for the Mini Shinkansen at the maximum designed speed of 260 km / h, but it has been built 260 km / h Driving was started from the Hokuriku Shinkansen (the so-called common name is the Nagano Shinkansen) which opened on October 1, 1997 (Heisei 9).
Key technology
Since the Shinkansen railway operates at a speed exceeding 200 km / h in most sections, various techniques different from the conventional railroad are used. Not only in terms of speed, very high standards are ensured both in terms of ride and safety and globally.
Route and track facilities
For the route, use a newly constructed line facility with a separate route from the conventional line. Regarding the structure of the facility, it is prescribed in the “Ordinance on Shinkansen Railway Structures” of ministerial ordinance. It is also called “full standard” in order to distinguish it from the mini Shinkansen which improved the conventional line.
Standard gauge (1,435 mm) is used for the gauge. However, the standard gauge is not a legal condition of the “Shinkansen”, but a line that made it possible to run at high speed using a narrow gauge (1,067 mm) on the track is also a Shinkansen, and the Shinkansen railway standard new line Super Express “). However, there is no super express train line at this stage.
Increase the radius of curvature in the curve and ensure a straight line as possible. The minimum radius of curvature in the main line section is 2,500 m for the Tokaido Shinkansen and 4,000 m for each line built after the Sanyo Shinkansen. However, in the section where it is inevitable to become a sharp curve from the relation of land and terrain, the curvature radius up to 400 m is permitted by the speed of the train in that section. Furthermore, it is possible to obtain a radius of curvature of 200 m or more by setting the estimated derailment coefficient ratio to a certain level or more, or by installing a derailment prevention guard. The section of the Tokyo metropolitan area such as Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo – Shin – Yokohama and Tokyo – Omiya between the Tohoku Shinkansen include a sharp curve with a radius of curvature of about 400 m to 2,000 m.
Since the gradient interferes with high speed running, the steepest gradient is set to 15 ‰, but within 20 km / 2.0 km only within an extension of 2.5 km shall be set to 20 ‰. In the section requiring a gradient beyond regulation from the relation of land and terrain, it is installed in the form of special approval, 25 ‰ between Tohoku Shinkansen and Omiya, 30 ‰ at Hokuriku Shinkansen and 35 ‰ at Kyushu Shinkansen Kagoshima route Gradients are included.
To prevent accidents, make the following designs.
In order to prevent a car accident collision, do not set any railroad crossing.
Prevent ordinary people from entering the track. As a countermeasure including the preceding paragraph, it is assumed to be a full line crossing. In addition, for laws and ordinances against train service disruption etc, we have set stricter penalties than conventional lines by “Shinkansen special law”.
In order to prevent accidents such as contact with a passing train, a safety fence with a movable gate is provided on the platform (eg Shin-Yokohama station, Shin Kobe station, etc.) or separates the passing line and escape line (eg Shizuoka station, Fukushima station etc.) . However, only the safety fence is installed in the station where the passing speed of the passing train is low. In addition, at the station where all trains stop, such as the Tokyo and Nagoya stations of the Tokaido Shinkansen / Sanyo Shinkansen, Kyoto station, Shin Osaka station, Okayama station, Hiroshima station, Ogura station, Hakata station, Although it was not, only the safety fence was set afterwards. Also, on the Tokaido Shinkansen, there are stations where safety fences are installed while passing lines and escape lines are separated, such as Shizuoka station and Hamamatsu station. In recent years there are moves to set up safety fences with gates even at all train stops such as Tokyo station and Nagoya station for the purpose of preventing fall from the home. On the Kyushu Shinkansen Kagoshima route, safety gates with movable gates are installed in all the stations of all stations, including the Kumamoto station where the whole train stops, Kagoshima Central Station and the secondary line that the passing train does not use, from the beginning of operation There. Even at Shin Aomori station of the Tohoku Shinkansen, safety fences with movable gates are installed at all homes.
In the suburbs of Morioka Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line, there is a gap between the conventional line standard vehicle used in the Mini Shinkansen and the full standard compliant home, so the step that juts out to the home side when the station is stopped is installed in the vehicle Measures have been taken to set a safety fence to prevent falling outside the vicinity of the door near the home.
Various ingenuity has been applied to rails and branching devices (points), from the viewpoint of ride comfort and safety improvement, noise control and the like.
The rail uses a long rail that reduced the number of seams. Tohoku Shinkansen’s Iwate Namiyauchi Station – Hachinohe Station “Super Long Rail” which is the longest extension in Japan, about 60.4 km is used.
The branching unit (point) uses an elastic branching unit with little vibration when passing and a nose movable crossing that fills the broken portion of the rail intersection. In addition, the branch between the Joetsu Shinkansen and the Hokuriku Shinkansen in the northern part of Takasaki Station has the highest level and longest branching unit that can pass through the branch side at 160 km / h.
In principle, the distance between the stations of the Shinkansen is taken longer than the conventional line (about 30 – 40 km) because it is mainly from medium distance and long distance transportation.
In order to transmit information faster and more accurately because of the long distance between stations at high speed, train radio has been adopted since the beginning of operation.
Signal system
It has an automatic train control system (ATC) consisting of a ground device and an onboard device and a centralized train control device (CTC). The ATC has a signal equipment room at an interval of 20 to 30 km along the ground equipment from which a signal current flows to the track circuit via a signal cable and received by the onboard equipment by the receiver, The operation instruction (permissible speed) is displayed on the display, and if the speed is exceeded, the brake will operate automatically. The automatic brake operates when it is trying to exceed the speed limit such as the maximum speed of business and curves, when approaching the preceding train, decelerating to stop at the station, and so on. When the station stops at low speeds of 15-75 km / h or less, you manually manipulate the brake valve to stop the train at the stop target, but will you create a pattern that will stop slightly beyond the stop position (TASC ), Or the section where the emergency brake is forcibly applied at the 50 m ahead of the stop position, preventing overturning. This is because it is necessary to visually check the traffic signal on the ground from the car and drive fast enough to make it difficult (depending on weather conditions). Also, in order to minimize the trouble, we have three systems with the same function, so even if one of them fails, we can operate normally with the remaining two systems remaining on the principle of the three majority vote It has become.
The CTC collectively manages and controls the display of train positions and train numbers and the branch offices of each station at the operation command office, thereby collectively managing the operation status of all trains. Currently, the train operation management system (PTC) has been introduced, and everything from ordinary point operation and signal control, vehicle automatic maintenance to automatic maintenance of the station, creation of restoration schedule at the time of transport failure, Has been systematized.
Power system
Supply electric power with single phase AC 25,000 V. Regarding the feeder system, it was BT system at the beginning of the Tokaido Shinkansen opening, but now it was unified with the AT system along with other Shinkansen. The power frequency is as follows.
On the Tokaido Shinkansen line, the power supply is unified to 60 Hz. The power frequency classifications of 50 Hz (east side) and 60 Hz (west side) differ from the Fuji River in Shizuoka prefecture, but since it was conceived to extend to the Sanyo area from the beginning, it is unified with all lines and the special high-voltage equipment of the vehicle side It is trying to simplify. In the area with the power frequency classification of 50 Hz, a frequency conversion station is established and converted to 60 Hz for the Shinkansen power supply.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen has a switching section of 50/60 Hz in total of three places, Karuizawa Station – Sakuhira Station, Joetsu Myoko Station – Itoigawa Station and Itoigawa Station – Kurobe Unazuki Onsen Station, and the vehicle side also has a switching section of 50/60 Hz .
Each bullet train except the above is the same power frequency as the railroad area, 60 Hz for Sanyo and Kyushu, 50 Hz for Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokkaido.
In any of the electric systems, it is necessary to solve the difference between the phases (frequencies in the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train) between the substations, but since continuous power running is performed to maintain high speed, it is necessary to solve the problem of the power supply section of the substation The boundary adopts the ground switching method instead of the dead section (passing by coast to prevent arcing) like a conventional line. The switching section is divided by the air section and can be fed from both the substations before and after the switch section. At first, the substation is fed from the substation of the approaching side, and when it is detected that the train enters the switching section, Switch to feeder. This time is about 0.5 seconds, and passengers hardly perceive switching.
Two pairs of single phase alternating currents with phases different from each other by 90 degrees from three-phase alternating current are made by using Scott connection transformer, modified woodbridge connection transformer, roof · delta connection transformer in order to avoid system failure on the power transmission side, The power is supplied to the up line and the down line respectively.
Vehicle technology
In the Shinkansen, “power distribution system” is adopted, which distributes power to each car. By adopting the power distribution system, advantages similar to the train method, such as improvement of acceleration / deceleration performance, weight reduction, reduction of load on orbit, are pursued. In addition, in order to perform high-speed driving, the ratio (MT ratio) of the electric vehicle (power vehicle) in the train formation is made as large as possible. Brake uses electric brake using power generation resistance of main motor and basic brake by friction of pneumatic operation, but electric brake is mainly used for deceleration from high speed range. By doing this, it is possible to suppress the wear of the brake shoe and prolong the replacement cycle.
Also, an airtight structure is adopted for the vehicle. This is to prevent deterioration of living comfort due to atmospheric pressure fluctuation such as entry into a tunnel during high-speed operation. Also, in Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen vehicles such as 0 series and 100 series, the ordinary steel was used for the material of the car body, it was somewhat heavy, but from the 200 series for the Tohoku and the Joetsu Shinkansen, the weight increase due to the snowfall equipment is suppressed Aluminum was used to reduce weight. The Shinkansen train developed after the privatization of the National Railways generalized the body of aluminum body, furthermore by the development of processing method of aluminum material, cost reduction of production cost and further weight saving were both achieved. As a result, it has been considerably lighter than the initial Shinkansen train developed in the JNR era.
Meanwhile, along with aggressive speedups since the inauguration of JR, problems such as the occurrence of noise due to contact of pantographs and overhead lines during traveling, wind noise, and significant consumption of contact areas were a problem. For this reason, in the 0 series, the pantograph attached to every two pairs of two was reduced to 1 every 8 pairs in the 300 series, and in the 500 series, a T type special current collector called the wing type was installed Improved, improved current collection efficiency while suppressing noise. Improvements such as attaching streamlined protrusions to the pantograph were also added. In addition, we considered the fluidity of air during traveling and the rate of area change at the time of entering the tunnel to suppress the generation of noise (tunnel micro pressure wave) due to sudden change in pressure inside the tunnel when the tunnel enters at high speed Since the development of leading vehicles and the like are being carried out, the leading car front end portion is extended longer than the initial 0 system and tends to exhibit a remarkably different form (a sharp streamlined style or a platypus like shape) from a normal train It is in.
Train protection equipment
In order to perform high-speed traveling, it is more likely that other trains will not be able to stop the train by the same signal flame tube and track shunt as the conventional line (stopping other trains). Therefore, a train protection system different from the conventional line is adopted so that other trains can be stopped promptly in case of emergency.
A protective earthing switch (EGS) is equipped on the vehicle side, and in the case of an emergency, the crew can automatically stop other trains by pushing the “protection earthing switch” of the cab.
A train protection switch is installed on the line side at intervals of 250 m on the main line and at intervals of 50 m on the home, and by pushing it, the ATC circuit can be made a stop signal.
In the train protection radio equipment, only the receiver is equipped with the transmitter, when the transmitter hinders the railway during the wire keeping work, the wire maintenance staff carries it to stop the train not using the ATC due to change in the security system etc ing.
Direct to the conventional line
The JR ‘s conventional line is a 1067 – mm track, so basically it can not be operated directly with a conventional line as is done in another country’ s high – speed rail because the train and the track are different. In order to realize direct communication, it is necessary to use some special method or the like.
Mini Shinkansen – A method of reforming a railway line of a conventional railway line to the same standard rail as that of a bullet train line, and making a direct drive with the bullet train with a vehicle made in accordance with the vehicle limit of a conventional line. This is between the Fukushima – Shinjo of the direct Yamagata bullet train and the Morioka – Akita of the Akita Shinkansen between the Shinkansen and the conventional line. Since it began in 1992, it is the only train running line / conventional line direct driving method which is the only practical application in Japan. Shinkansen express train is called express train that passes straight through the Shinkansen section and mini bullet train section. The conventional line section which has been reformed to the standard gauge by this method has the following characteristics.
Freight transport
Freight transport by the Shinkansen is difficult to mix with passenger trains on a diagram due to differences in maximum speed and braking distance, etc. Even if it runs at high speeds, time is required for transshipment and so the time saving effect is reduced by passenger It is also said that it will not come out as much. Furthermore, after about 40 years time, a train with a similar concept appeared as a JR freight M250 series train (super rail cargo) on the conventional line.
safety
The accident confirmed as a responsible accident on the business side since the opening of the Tokaido Shinkansen, the first Shinkansen bullet train on October 1, 1964, rushed to 1995 (Heisei 7) Two passenger falling accidents (passenger killed) that caused the dragged and died hands with doors and two cases of Sanyo Shinkansen parts dropout accident (passenger injured) that occurred in 2015 (Heisei 20 years).
Although many accidents occurred at the station home (falling from the station home or deliberately punctuated by touching the vehicle or touching the overhead wire and electric shock etc.) and many cases of deaths due to access within the railroad tracks, It is not a responsible accident, and because these are not accidents caused by the fundamental defect of the Shinkansen system itself, the safety of the Shinkansen is regarded as very high. This fact was referred to as a safety myth of the Shinkansen. In this way, passenger death accidents caused by derailment, overturning or collision of the Shinkansen train itself have not yet occurred, but the situation one step before the serious accident has occurred several times in the past.
The threat to safety associated with the earthquake
Disasters associated with earthquakes can pose a threat to the safety of high-speed railways. For this reason, it is a problem for Shinkansen operated in Japan where earthquakes occur frequently. Since the 1990 ‘s, vulnerability to high – speed rail earthquakes has been pointed out due to frequent occurrence of large earthquake disasters in Japan.
Normally, when a train is directly hit by an earthquake of this size in the vicinity of the epicenter, it is considered that derailment can not be avoided even if it is stopped. In the case of “Time 325”, although it derailed at about 200 km / h, miraculously, no fatalities, serious injuries or the like occurred. This is due to the fact that the whole organization did not overturn and the fortune of avoiding a collision with the opposite train by a few minutes also overlapped. The reason why the rollover did not occur is that since the accident site is a zone with many snow, there is a groove for melting the snow and flowing to the side of the rail and a part of the car body after the derailment gets stuck in there It is said that it was also involved.
Insufficient measures against disasters and terrorism
Unlike aircraft and ships, on the Shinkansen, passenger rosters etc. are not maintained in normal operation. There are points to point out that if a large number of casualties arise due to a rollover accident or the like, identification of identities of casualties will be hindered. If that happens, it is expected that it will be a serious problem by contacting family members and compensating for accidents, but each railway company that operates the Shinkansen has not yet taken measures taking this step forward.
It is pointed out that Shinkansen is also fragile against terrorism which is increasing worldwide from the end of the 20 th century. At present it is not a baggage inspection at the time of boarding like an aircraft, and it is a fact that inflammables, explosives, and knives can be brought in easily into the car and platform if it is worrisome. In addition, there are many places where tracking facilities such as viaducts can be easily accessed from the surroundings, and this side can easily be subject to terrorism.
For each bullet train in JR East, there was a time when we stopped using the trash box inside the train for countermeasures against terrorism, but the voice of inconvenience from passengers increased and now we are resuming use. However, the occasion may be suspended when the crowd arrives (especially at the time of hosting the summit of major countries or visiting the US President). In addition, in JR Tokai, since the terrorist attacks in America in the United States, in cooperation with a series of security companies, they are patrolling 24 hours a day along the railway tracks, and depending on the trains they are squading security guards.
Life-saving measures
On 2008 July 28, Tokai and Sanyo Shinkansen announced that automatic defibrillator (AED) will be deployed in December 2008 from all organizations.
Impact on the world
The highest speed of the world high speed railway
The success of the Shinkansen, which achieved the world’s first 210 km / h driving, affected Europe and the United States. France, which he was proud of as an advanced country of railway, started driving the train “Le Capitole” between Paris and Toulouse in Paris for the first time in a section of 200 km / h from May 28, 1967, It operated at 200 km / h. After the opening of the Shinkansen, in 1981 developed a full-scale ultra high speed train TGV, achieved the world’s fastest speed of 260 km / h maximum speed, surpassing the record of the Shinkansen.
In addition, high-speed trains were planned in Germany (ICE) and Italy (Diletti Sima), and they were put into realization. Italy’s Diletti Shima is the first high-speed new line in Europe, construction began in 1970, partly opened in 1978, although it started 250 km / h in 1983, it was later developed to France and Germany It took a delay and the whole line opened in 1992.