6) Bullet Train & Maglev System to Cross the Pacific
2010 Jul/Aug
COVER STORY: White Paper on International Economy & Trade 2010
By Yoshiyuki KASAI (Chairman, JRC)
Central Japan Railway Co. (JR-Central or JRC) established a section called Consultation and Coordination (C&C) in July 2009 in order to promote overseas sales of its high-speed rail (HSR) systems. The main reason for this decision was to ensure economies of scale outside Japan for Japanese rail-related manufacturers. It will enable them to remain committed to enhancing their production quality, which will in turn help our Tokaido Shinkansen HSR to better secure passenger safety and to continue to provide improved service. Setting Sail on a Fair Wind Luckily our endeavor will gather a fair wind, as across the world interest is growing in the HSR for its energy efficiency. Indeed the latest model of our rolling stock, named N700, emits just half the amount of carbon dioxide discharged by the first generation of Shinkansen bullet trains, one-12th that of a Boeing 777 aircraft and one-15th that of a sedan-type automobile (all measured per passenger), testimony that its energy efficiency is unrivaled. In promoting overseas sales of our HSR, we started by defining which specific model should be deployed. Our reference model is the "N700-I Bullet," which is based on the N700, the single most advanced model ever built for HSR, whose technological advancement is near perfection. JRC is willing to provide foreign markets, such as Florida, with the N700-I Bullet. By organizing all the related manufacturers, and in close collaboration with the Japanese government, JRC is ready to provide a turnkey, total systems solution. Why the Bullet Train? The N700-I Bullet consists of eight cars, each motored, the total length of which is 200 meters. To compare this with the French TGV and the German ICE, firstly, all three are about the same length at 200 meters, with the TGV comprising 10 cars and the ICE eight. Secondly, the N700-I Bullet comes with 636 passenger seats while a TGV has 357 and an ICE 413. Yet in terms of roominess - the square meters and leg room available per passenger - the N700-I Bullet offers by far the most space among the three. Thirdly, measured per seat, the N700-I Bullet weighs only one half as much as either of the other two. It thus emits one half of the greenhouse gas, excelling at energy conservation capacity. Fourthly, the N700-I Bullet accelerates considerably faster at 3.2 km/h per second, whereas the TGV accelerates at 1.8 km/h/s and the ICE at 2.2 km/h/s. Fifthly, the Tokaido Shinkansen has adopted a... <<BACK

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