New bullet train route ‘Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen Line’ is Japan’s shortest route

For many travellers to Japan, a trip on a Shinkansen, or bullet train, is an adventure in itself. The super-fast bullet trains, which travel at speeds of as much as 300 kilometers each hour, are many times the most effective method for travel between major cities, and a two- or three-hour bullet train trip is a potential chance to relax and get up to speed with emails, and a reason to get into one of the bento box meals sold at each station.

Assuming that you are travelling on Japan’s most up-to-date Shinkansen line, nonetheless, you might have to reevaluate your lunch plans. The Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen Line between Takeo-Onsen in Saga Prefecture and the city of Nagasaki is just 66 kilometers in length, and the whole trip requires only 23 minutes.

New bullet train route ‘Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen Line’

The new route, which launched on September 23, is worked by Kyushu Railway (JR Kyushu). The second Shinkansen line on Kyushu is the shortest Shinkansen line in Japan. A test drive before launch attracted a local media contingent of 140 individuals quick to provide details regarding the innovations of the train called Kamome, or “seagull”.

The new Class N700S Shinkansen has a more aerodynamic design that produces seven percent less energy than past models and has improved braking. It additionally has lithium-ion batteries which can be used in earthquakes and different crises, so the train can proceed to the nearest station without overhead power, as well as sleek interiors by veteran industrial designer Eiji Mitooka.

Kamome features three reserved seating carriages and three carriages with unreserved seating and travels at speeds as much as 260 kilometers per hour. Travelers can celebrate their trip by buying an extensive variety of omiyage, or souvenirs – from beer to cakes to Bandaids – many decorated with the phrase, “Come on Kamome”.

There are plans to expand the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen line to associate with the current Kyushu Shinkansen line, albeit with no time period for the project. It is common to assemble Shinkansen lines in stages, given the complex funding negotiations between national and local governments.

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Japan’s Shinkansen network has become a symbol of the country since launching 58 years ago in time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The system carries 477,000 travelers per day – around 6.5 billion since it launched very nearly 60 years ago – with an average postponement of under a minute. Purportedly, there has not been a single fatality on the network because of an accident or derailment during that time.

The Shinkansen network is credited with aiding help local economies. At the point when the Kyushu Shinkansen line was opened in 2011, economic development in Kagoshima Prefecture at the southern tip of Kyushu, 1200 km away from Tokyo, was estimated at more than 46 billion yen ($A490 million).

Shinkansen trains additionally assist with driving tourism. Albeit the new line just covers a short distance, Kyushu Tourism manager Simon Metcalfe is hopeful that it will assist with bringing issues to light about Kyushu as a destination.

“People know about Nagasaki and its history but there is so much within this one island, from hot springs to islands with beautiful beaches,” he says.

Australians intending to visit Nagasaki additionally have the option of taking the slow route. A new sightseeing train, the Futatsuboshi 4047, travelling between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki, launched around the same day as Kamome (the name translates as “Two Stars”, those stars being the Saga and Nagasaki prefectures).

Likewise designed by Eiji Mitooka, the train trip requires a comfortable three hours, giving visitors a lot of chance to look out of the huge windows and appreciate bento boxes including local delicacies, for example, Saga beef and Ariake Sea seaweed. The train works daily from Friday to Monday.

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Shinkansen fans have one more launch to look forward to: Japan’s first magnetic-levitation train, because of beginning working on the Chuo Shinkansen line in 2027. Travelling at as much as 600 kilometers each hour, to a great extent underground, the new train will diminish the travel time between Tokyo and Nagoya from 100 minutes to only 40.

Costs for the train from Hakata (Fukuoka) and Nagasaki start from 3600 yen ($A39, pre-booked seat, at least three days in advance).