Railway technology and
services will
change the world
What kind of changes have cutting-edge technologies and idea-rich services brought about in Japan?
Welcome message
Railways are an excellent form of transportation that combines mass transportation, punctuality, and speed with a low environmental impact. In addition, the development of a railway network can significantly change people’s lifestyles and revolutionize the social economy by speeding up passengers’ travel between cities, promoting regional exchanges, and contributing to industrial development and the realization of a tourism-oriented country.
In Japan, the world’s first high-speed railway, the Shinkansen (bullet train), opened in 1964, the same year as the Tokyo Olympics, running approximately 500 km between Tokyo and Osaka. At that time, Japan was not yet an affluent country, and the Shinkansen, traveling between major cities at 210 km/h, gave people “dreams” and “hopes”, and supported the people’s footing during the period of rapid economic growth that followed. Today, the Shinkansen network stretches approximately 3,000 kilometers across Japan, and further development is underway to create an even stronger Shinkansen network.
In urban areas, urban railways transport large number of passengers while ensuring a high level of safety. Rail transport accounts for about 80% of the total number of people transported in Japan, and is a very familiar means of transportation in people’s daily lives.
In 2022, Japan celebrated the 150th anniversary of its railway system. The Japanese railway system, which our predecessors have built with their ingenuity, is expanding its field of activity from Japan to around the worlds. At this very moment, many high-speed and urban rail projects are underway around the world, taking advantage of Japan’s superior technologies and services.
This brochure introduces in detail how Japan’s railway technologies and services have brought about changes in society, passengers, and railway operators.
We hope that the Japanese railway technologies and services introduced here will be of use to everyone who receives this brochure.
Important _This brochure will provide with the following benefits.
- Learn about the challenges faced by railway operators and how to solve them through case studies of Japanese railways;
- Find the technology and services that are key to the solution;
- Find specific organizations that provide products and services;
- Find potential collaborators and partners;
- Promote SDGs by improving social activities and customer satisfaction.
The following three perspectives will be presented to show how railway technology and services have solved problems and brought about significant change in Japan.
*You can view detailed information from the following page.
- What railway technologies and services have transformed Japanese society
- What railway technologies and services have transformed Japanese railway passengers
- What railway technologies and services have transformed Japanese operators and infrastructure managers
- Japanese Government Support for the Development of the World's Railways
