Japanese Railway History 10

Railway Modernizationand Shinkansen
Yasuo Wakuda
Progress of Electrification
and Diesel Conversion
In the late-1950s—some 10 years afterWorld War II—Japan's economy had recovered to the pre-war level and started
remarkable growth. The share of railways
in the domestic transport market was still
so large that the economic growth called
for increased passenger and freight capacities. Heavy investment was made in
the 1960s to hasten modernization oftrunk lines.
Up to the war’s end, the Japanese government railways (JNR after 1949) had relied on steam power, whereas private urban railways had already been electrified,and small and medium-sized local private
railways were using rail-cars more-andmore. Electrification of government lines
was limited to the Tokyo and Osaka areasand sections containing long tunnels.
Many of the private railways nationalized
during the war had been electrified lines
and in 1950, JNR’s electrified lines accounted for 1659 km (8%) of the totalroute length of 19,786 km. Most were
1500-volt DC systems.
After the war, electrification was promoted chiefly on the major trunk lines.
The Tokaido Line between Tokyo andOsaka was completely electrified in
1956, followed by the Sanyo Line running to the western tip of Honshu (themain island) in 1964, the Tohoku Linerunning to the northern tip of Honshu in
1968, and the Kagoshima Line runningto the southern tip of Kyushu in 1970.
The total length of JNR’s electrified sections increased from 2699 km (13%) in
1960 to 6021 km (29%) in 1970, and to8414 km (39%) in 1980.
In addition to the 1500-volt DC systemused on the Tokaido and Sanyo lines, etc.,
the AC system, which became common
in post-war Europe, started being adopted
in Japan in the late 1950s. Japan has twopower frequency zones: the Tohoku Linein the east, mostly uses 50 Hz, 20 kV,60

Japan Railway & Transport Review • April 1997

Moha 151-series express EMU used on the electrified Tokaido Line

while the Kagoshima Line in the west,
operates on 60 Hz, 20 kV. Trunk routes
running along the Sea-of-Japan coast, had
to use three different electrification systems, including the 1500-volt DC systemin the intermediate sections.
In addition to locomotive-hauled trains,EMUs also began operating on the electrified lines. JNR's first long-distance
EMU started operation on the TokaidoLine between Tokyo and Numazu in1950. In 1958, JNR started operating
express trains with a maximum speed of
110 km/h between Tokyo and Osaka.
Due to Japanese track standards, the multiple unit system with motor cars coupled
to form a train, was preferred over the(Transportation Museum)system using a heavy locomotive at thehead of the train. From the viewpoint ofterminal capacity, suburban EMUs also
had the merit of dispensing with shunting of the locomotive. While major trunklines were electrified, DMUs with underfloor diesel engines were put into operation on sub-trunk lines and secondarylines. This was made possible by the development of a power transmission system using a torque converter. A nationwide service of express trains with DMUs
or EMUs was formed after JNR’s first
DMU made its debut in 1960.
For freight traffic on non-electrified lines,
steam locomotives kept playing a substantial role through the 1960s because

JNR Rolling Stock
FY

SteamElectricDiesel
locomotives locomotives locomotives EMUs

DMUs

Passenger Freightcarscars

1950

5,102356

02,65712311,271

105,862

1960

3,974

794

218

4,534

2,227

11,412

118,729

1970

1,601

1,818

1,447

12,582

5,371

8,711

149,485

1980

5

1,856

2,109

17,696

5,038

6,176

99,562

Copyright © 1997 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

development of high-powered diesel locomotives was slow due to the severe
limitations on axle loads of the Japanesenarrow-guage system. Steam locomotives did not go out of daily use until 1976(see table).

Increasing Capacity of
Trunk Lines
Before World War II, most JNR trunk lines
were single track except the Tokaido andSanyo lines which connected Tokyo withwestern Honshu. In addition, many lines
had gradients of 1/40. These factors severely limited the capacity of trunk lines,
and in the late 1950s, JNR set about
double-tracking and regrading sectionsof its major trunk lines.
In particular, the Hokuriku Line—a partof the trunk route along the Sea-of-Japan
coast—was in need of greater capacity
to allow industrial development along theline. In 1962, JNR opened a new doubletrack line with the 13.9-km Hokuriku
Tunnel (Japan's longest tunnel in thosedays). This, together with the AC electrification started from 1957, marked an epoch in this line’s improvement.
The Shinetsu Line—a trunk line crossing
central Honshu—had a steep gradient of
1/15 at the Usui Pass. It was one of thefew trunk lines in the world using the Abt

DD51 Diesel locomotive—principal trunk-line loco

Kiha 81-series express DMU used on Joban and Tohoku Lines

rack-and-pinion system. The work toswitch to a new line without rack-andpinion over the steep grade was completed in 1963. The Joetsu Line, anothertrunk line crossing central Honshu, hadtwo spiral loops and the Shimizu Tunnel(9.7 km, single track) to conquer the elevation. The New Shimizu Tunnel (13.5km; single track) was built at a lower elevation than the old tunnel and the line
became double-tracked in 1967 using thetwo tunnels.
Railway transport in northern Japan wasreinforced significantly with the total
electrification and double-tracking of
the Tohoku Line by 1968 and the putting
into operation of seven large train ferries
connecting Honshu with Hokkaido in(Transportation Museum)(Transportation Museum)

1964–66.
The ferries were scaled-up to increase thetransportation capacity and to learn thetragic lesson of the Toya-maru, whichsank in a typhoon in 1954 (a maritime
disaster, second only to the Titanic, claiming about 1400 lives including passengers of other sunken ferries).
Fatal rail accidents also occurred in 1962
and 1963. In both cases, EMUs collided
with a derailed freight train in the Tokyo
suburbs, killing 160 in the first accident
and 161 in the second. After these accidents, JNR implemented extensive safetymeasures, including the installation ofautomatic train stopper devices (ATS) on
all its lines.

EF63 Electric loco used exclusively on steep grade at Usui Pass(Transportation Museum)

Copyright © 1997 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

Japan Railway & Transport Review • April 1997

61

Japanese Railway History 10

Seikan Tsugaru-maru ferry

Construction ofTokaido Shinkansen
The coastal plain between Tokyo andOsaka is the centre of Japanese population and industry, and demand for transport in this area was ever expanding.
Scheduled flights were already in service,
and a motorway was also planned between Tokyo and Osaka. The doubletrack Tokaido Line was reaching its capacity limit. A government panel established in 1958 discussed measures to(Transportation Museum)tackle the problem, such as quadrupling
the existing line, constructing a separate
narrow-gauge line, and constructing aseparate standard-gauge line. Eventually,
the panel decided to recommend construction of a standard-gauge shinkansen.
The decision was endorsed by a report of
the Railway Technology Research Institutethat a high-speed EMU on standard gauge
could connect Tokyo and Osaka in 3hours. Shinji Sogo, the JNR President, alsostrongly supported the idea.
According to the original standards,

the minimum radius of curves was2500 m, the steepest gradient was 1/50,
and the top speed was 210 km/h (270km/h today). The electrical system is 25
kV AC, 60 Hz, and the entire line isgrade-separated from roads. Advanced
safety systems, including cab signalling
and automatic train speed control (ATC),are used.
Construction of the Tokaido Shinkansen
was started in 1959 and the line wasopened on 1 October 1964 in time for
the Tokyo Olympic Games. For the firstt i m e i n t h e w o r l d , t h e To k a i d oShinkansen routinely topped 200 km/h
and demonstrated the high safety levelof railways. Previously, Japanese railway
technology had not been highly rated internationally, partly because of its narrow-gauge limitations. However, withthe success of the Tokaido Shinkansen, itbegan to attract global attention.
From 1965, the Hikari trains covered the515 km between Tokyo and Osaka in 3
hours and 10 minutes. At first, only two
trains, including the stopping Kodama
operated each hour, but the operating frequency was increased year-after-year.
The Tokaido Shinkansen became the forerunner of high-speed railways worldwide,such as the French TGV. Although theconstruction was financed mostly byloans (partly from the International Bankfor Reconstruction and Development),strong demand ensured its business success.

Linking Four Main Islands

Inauguration of Tokaido Shinkansen on 1 September, 1964

62

Japan Railway & Transport Review • April 1997

(Transportation Museum)

After the success of the Tokaido
Shinkansen, construction of the Sanyo
Shinkansen was started to extend theshinkansen to the west; it reached Hakata(Fukuoka City) in Kyushu in 1975. The
planned maximum speed was 260 km/h.
So the line standards were revised with aminimum radius of curves of 4000 m anda maximum gradient of 1/67. The line

Copyright © 1997 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

(Transportation News)

Seikan Undersea Tunnel

passes through many tunnels, including
the New Kanmon Tunnel (18.7 km) under the strait between Honshu andKyushu.
There was strong national opinion demanding construction of shinkansen nationwide and a new law was enacted in
1970. Construction of the Tohoku
Shinkansen to Morioka and the Joetsu
Shinkansen to Niigata was started basedon this law. Both lines were mostlyopened in 1982 (reaching Tokyo Centralin 1991). The Joetsu Shinkansen runningsouth to north crossing Honshu has manylong tunnels, including the Daishimizu
Tunnel (22.2 km). On this section, sometrains have operated at the maximum
speed of 275 km/h since 1990.
After the Toya-maru disaster in 1954,
construction of the Seikan Tunnel under
the Tsugaru strait to connect Honshu andHokkaido was the subject of in-depth investigation. Construction was finallyapproved and started in 1971 with thedesign modified so that it could accommodate a future shinkansen. Construction of a chain of bridges accommodating road and rail (both narrow and standard gauge) to connect Honshu andShikoku was also started.

Copyright © 1997 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

(Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation)

U n l i k e t h e To k a i d o r o u t e , o t h e rshinkansen running through low-density
rural areas cannot be profitable, andconsequently, shinkansen expansion
slowed down in the 1980s. Although theSeikan Tunnel (53.9 km, double track)
was opened in 1988, it only has a narrow-gauge track because the Tohoku
Shinkansen still ends at Morioka. (Operation at a maximum of speed 140 km/h
was started in 1991 in the tunnel.) In thesame year, the bridges connecting Honshu
and Shikoku were opened, but only withnarrow-gauge tracks.
All four main islands of Japan were joinedby rail at last, but JNR was privatized in
the previous year, and the managementof the new links was transferred to theseparate JR companies.
■■ Shinji Sogo (1884-1981)
The decision to construct a standard-gauge
shinkansen at the end of the 1950s owed muchto Shinji Sogo, the president of JNR. After
graduating from the Faculty of Law at Tokyo
Imperial University in 1909, he entered the Railway Agency and advanced through the management. While working for the Agency and
the Teito Reconstruction Agency after the Great
Kanto Earthquake of 1923, he was strongly influenced by Shinpei Goto (JRTR 4), the Agency
president.
After leaving the government railways in 1926,
he became a director of South Manchurian Railways. After the war, he served as Chairman of
the Railway Welfare Association until he wasappointed JNR president in 1955.
To improve the Tokaido Line, he insisted on
adopting the standard gauge despite much opposition. His reason was that he firmly believed
the international standard gauge was indispensable for radical improvement of Japaneserailways. In this view, he echoed the ideals of
Shinpei Goto who had called for a total change
to standard gauge about 50 years earlier.
To ensure government approval for construction of the shinkansen, JNR set the original budget on the low side. As the budget shortage
became clear, he resigned in 1963 to take responsibility. However, much of the credit for
the Tokaido Shinkansen, which opened a newera for the world’s railways, goes to him.

Yasuo Wakuda
Mr Wakuda graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, in 1957 and worked for theMinistry of Transport until 1984; he served as a board member of the Japan Non-Government Railways Association, and the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation, and as president of theJapan Transport Economics Research Centre. He is currently the Executive Vice-chairman of JapanAir Charter Co. As a specialist in the history of railways, he is author of 100 Years of Japanese Private

Railways through Men and Events, Private Railways of Japan-Their Networks and Fleets, and otherworks.

Japan Railway & Transport Review • April 199763