page_title: High-speed rail
section_title: Breakthrough: Shinkansen
hierarchical_section_title: High-speed rail / History / Breakthrough: Shinkansen
caption_attribution_description: English: JR East E6 series shinkansen set Z5 approaching Omiya Station on a down Tohoku Shinkansen service coupled to an E5 series set 日本語: 新幹線E6系（秋田新幹線用）・E5系
context_page_description: High-speed rail is a type of rail transport that runs significantly faster than traditional rail traffic, using an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, new lines in excess of 250 kilometres per hour and existing lines in excess of 200 kilometres per hour are widely considered to be high-speed. The first high-speed rail system, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, began operations in Japan in 1964 and was widely known as the bullet train. High-speed trains mostly operate on standard gauge tracks of continuously welded rail on grade-separated right-of-way that incorporates a large turning radius in its design, however certain regions with wider legacy railways, such as Russia have sought to develop a high speed railway network in broad gauge.
  Several countries have built and developed high-speed rail infrastructure to connect major cities, including Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Morocco, The Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uzbekistan.
caption: E6 and E5 series Shinkansen models
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