The Hindu Business Line : Shinkansen dreams

NO RAILWAY Minister worth his salt would ever like to miss an opportunity to go down in history as the one who brought significant technological progress to the behemoth that he heads. More so when, apart from replacing plastic cups by the eco-friendly mud Kulhars and trying to get out Wheelers, the ubiquitous bookstalls on Railway platforms, he has yet to display his genius for innovation.

Unfortunately this year's Rail Budget had none. Of course, passengers must have heaved a collective sigh of relief when the Railways Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, categorically ruled out any more increase in fares, having already got his pound of flesh a few months ago consequent to the hike in oil prices.

After the runaway success of the Delhi Metro Rail, which has become a highly visible part of the capital's skyline with its swank new rakes silently gliding over the crowded roads, Mr Lalu Prasad, ably aided by the Railway Board mandarins, has been dying to set up the Indian Railway's own hi-tech train. And what better model to copy than the world famous Shinkansen, or the "Bullet" Train of Japan with Japanese aid?

Rising out of the ashes of the Second World War, Shinkansen was a bold reassertion of Japanese national pride, and involved concerted effort by the government, business and the scientific community to place priority on train travel.

Introduced in 1964, within 20 years of the humiliating defeat at the hands of the Allied forces, the Shinkansen trains were an instant success, and soon became envy of the world. They are fast, clean, frequent and on time. The service also made history as a technological marvel for revival of railways when most of the US rail-roads were hurtling towards bankruptcy.

These state-of the-art trains run on dedicated tracks laid usually on concrete to minimise maintenance, and have few level crossings, enabling them to maintain an accident-free record for the last 40 years. Tokaido Shinkansen, covering 515 km between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, was the first service, serving a number of major cities — Shin-Yokohama, Shizuoka, Nagoya, and Kyoto en route.

With a minimum radius for curves set at 2,500 m, trains could now reach 200 km/h without causing any passenger discomfort or vehicle instability.

This was soon followed by the Sanyo Shinkansen going up to Okayama in March 1972. The entire 554-km stretch, from Shin-Osaka to Hakata (Fukuoka), was opened up in January 1975 when the 18.7-km Shin-Kanmon Tunnel linking Honshu (Japan's main island) to Kyushu was commissioned.

Laid with tracks having a curve radius of no less than 4 km, the speed could now be raised to 260 km. Serving the major cities of Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kokura, and Hakata, the line was a precursor to a nation-wide Shinkansen network. Now, most trains attain a maximum speed of 300 km/h.

A new station complex at Shinagawa, just south of Tokyo station, was opened in October 2003, which allowed some trains to start and terminate there, thereby increasing the number of trains on the Tokaido line from 11 to 15 per hour, that is, one every four minutes.

In all, nine lines, ranging from the smallest of Hakata-Minami with just 8.5 km (more of a branch line spur) run by JR West, and the longest of Tokyo-Hachinohe of 593 km, totalling 2556 km are now in operation.

Japan, being a relatively small country, the short runs at high speeds have successfully made the nation virtually a suburb of Tokyo. And to keep commuters happy, trains run, as suburban trains of Mumbai do, on some sections at three-amd-half-minute intervals during peak hours.

Extension of the line to Nagasaki in the West, and Kagoshima in the south of the island of Kyushu, which would be built to the Japanese narrow gauge of 1067 mm., yet capable of attaining a maximum speed of 200 km/h is on the anvil. The latest thrust towards higher speeds is Chuo Shinkansen, the new Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) line to be constructed between Tokyo and Osaka via Nagoya providing services at speeds of over 500 km/h.

Test runs began in April 1997 with the first three-car MLX01 maglev unit on the 18-km test section constructed between Tsuru and Otsuki in Yamanashi Prefecture.

The first manned run at over 500 km/h made recently, recorded a speed of 503 km/h. Test runs have since been conducted at speeds up to 550 km/h. Tests are also being conducted to obtain data on the interactive aerodynamic effects of two trains passing at combined speeds in the region of 1,000 km/h.

Back home, we still have to dream about our own "Bullet" trains becoming part of the Indian scenery running between Ahmedabad and Mumbai making the 492-km journey in just two hours against the seven now taken by the super-fast Shatabdi Express at a bone-rattling maximum speed of 100 km/h.

It would have cost the moon and apparently all of Mr Lalu Prasad's persuasive powers could not convince the Finance Minister, the Prime Minister, and the Planning Commission, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who is believed to have kept a close tab on the contents of this year's Railway Budget.

(The author is a former Member of the Railway Board.)

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