Tokaido Shinkansen Line To Mark 50th Anniversary In October

Above, a view inside a Tokaido Shinkansen car. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

October will mark the 50th anniversary of the Tokaido Shinkansen.

According to the Japan Times:

NAGOYA – The Tokaido Shinkansen Line is set to mark its 50th anniversary in October, having carried more than 5.5 billion passengers since its 1964 debut.

The Tokaido Shinkansen Line began operating between Tokyo and Osaka on Oct. 1, 1964, nine days before the start of Tokyo Olympics. It drastically improved the transportation capacity of the Tokaido Line, which was nearing its limit, and carried more than 100 million people in its first three years.

Above, a 300 Series Tokaido Shinkansen at Tokyo Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In the fifty years the Tokaido Shinkansen has been in service, there has been no fatal accidents with the train. I have ridden the Tokaido Shinkansen several times, most recently in 2007 on the 300 Series (now retired) trains.

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