Japanese Railways History

The old railway line which is the most important way of passenger and freight transport in Japan, since they were established in the late nineteenth century.Government policies promoted train due to lack of fossil fuels and dependence on imports is almost complete. Land in the countryside near big cities with private companies acquired cheap train as early as the late nineteenth century, and then became the backbone for urban transport, formed around the suburban railway station radiating out of the metropolitan area, similar to the growth of suburbs around highways in other countries.
Although this plan, continue to grow making use of rival railroad transportation since the 1960s. The relative share of total rail passenger kilometers fell from 66.7 percent in 1965 to 42 percent in 1978, and 29.8 percent in 1990. Conversely, cars and domestic flights carrying stock is always greater than the passenger traffic in 1990, but still accounted for railway largest percentage so far in the OECD.

However, in the largest metropolitan areas in Japan: Tokyo (including Chiba, Saitama, Tokyo and Kanagawa prefecture), Osaka (including Kyoto, Osaka, and Hyogo prefectures), and Nagoya, the share of passenger trains is much higher at 43.5% [as in 2001]. Private cars in Greater Tokyo still account for less than 20% of the daily commute as walking, cycling and buses also remained very popular.
History of rail transport in Japan starts at the end of the Edo period. There are four main stages. of 1872 with the first line from Tokyo to Yokohama, to 1906 at the end of the Russo-Japanese war, from 1906 to 1907 until nationalization in the end of World War II in 1945, from the creation of the postwar Japanese National Railways in 1987, privatization from 1987 to the present, as JNR was split among six new rail operator for passengers and one for delivery.
British engineer Edmund Morel (1841-1871) supervised the construction of the first railway in Honshu during the last years of his life, American engineer Joseph U. Crowford (1842-1942) supervised the construction of coal mine train in Hokkaido in 1880, and German engineers Rumschottel Herrmann (1844-1918) supervised the construction of the railway in Kyushu early 1887. All three foreign engineers trained Japanese engineers to execute projects train future. Two people were trained by Crowford later became president of the Japan National Railways.
A bronze statue of Morel in Yokohama, Crowford bronze statue in Temiya Railway Memorial Museum, and a statue commemorating the contribution Rumschottel in Hakata train foreign engineers to Japan. Reason rail gauge choice remains unclear. It could be due to 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm), as opposed to the standard size 4 ft 8 1/2 in (1,435 mm), it should be cheaper, or because British agents first, then the contract is canceled, ordered iron bed measuring. Previous experience building appears to Cape gauge railway Morel New Zealand in a similar field may have a significant effect. Anyway decisions still affect today's Japanese railways, narrow Cape gauge as a de facto standard.
Rail transport is introduced not only to inter-city, but also for transportation in the city. Japan's first horsecar line built in Tokyo in 1882. The first tram is the Kyoto Electric Railway (京都 电 気 鉄 道 Kyōto Denki Tetsudo?), Which opened in 1895.
The first railway locomotive built in Honshu used in the UK. Locomotives of the United States arrived in Hokkaido in 1888 and locomotives from Germany arrived in Kyushu in 1889. Early British locomotive of the type often tank while the early American locomotives were 2-6-0 and 4-4-0 types with separate tender. German manufacturer produces a small tank locomotive types, including some for narrow 762 millimeters (2 ft 6.0 in) gauge.
Henry Francis Trevithick Richard Trevithick grandson became locomotive superintendent for JNR at the end of the 19th century, and ordered the locomotive of the UK, including various types of 4-4-0. FH brother Richard Trevithick Francis Trevithick designed the first locomotive produced in Japan in 1893. Japanese manufacturers were initially very dependent on the import of locomotives. JNR stop importing locomotives in 1912. After that, with the exception of a few experimental locomotives manufactured by Orenstein & Koppel or American Locomotive Company, locomotive production JNR design built by Japanese manufacturers.
However, after using the money to nationalization, the government does not have enough money to expand the network to the countryside. They passed the Light Railway Act, encourage private operators to establish a smaller light rail (軽 便 鉄 道 keiben Tetsudo).
Private railway operators greater, on the other hand, further developed their business models after interurbans. Hanshin Electric Railway Express (at Hankyu Railway) department store building itself is connected to its terminals, management models still in use today. Unlike intercity operators in the United States who suffer motorization as early as the 1910s, Japanese counterparts do not experience the phenomenon until the late 1960s, giving them a stable development and allow their survival to this day.
One Achievement In, In the initial period, Railway Technology is a conversion of all link and pin couplers Locomotive and car FUNDS national education network for couplers dead. Husband works took place in July 1925 (in Honshu and Kyushu) The preparation taxable income ENOUGH. [7] ON April 1, 1930, the Ministry of Railways adopted SYSTEM metric, replacing the Imperial British SYSTEM, for the measurement of Railways.
1872 - Opening of the first railway in Japan between Shimbashi (Tokyo) and Yokohama
1881 - Nippon Foundation Railway, the first private railway companies in Japan
1882 - Opening Horonai Railway, the first railway in Hokkaido
1888 - Opening of Iyo Railway, the first railway in Shikoku
1889 - Opening of Kyushu Railway, the first railway in Kyushu
1889 - Completion of the Tokaido Main Line
1892 - Notice Railway Construction Act
1893 - 860 Class steam locomotive, the first locomotive built in Japan
1895 - Opening of the first streetcar in Kyoto Japan
1895 - acquisition of Japanese railway in Taiwan
1899 - Opening Keijin Railway, the first railway in Korea
1906 - Opening of the first railway in Karafuto
1906 - Foundation of the South Manchuria Railway
1906-1907 - The nationalization of 17 private railway
1910 - Light Railway Act Notices
1914 - Opening of Tokyo Station
1925 - The introduction of automatic couplers to the national grid
1925 - Inauguration of the Yamanote Loop Line
1927 - Opening of Tokyo subway, the first subway in the East
1930 - Adoption of the metric system
1942 - Adoption of 24-hour system
1942 - Opening of Kanmon Tunnel linking Honshu and Kyushu
1945 - End of World War II, the heavily damaged train
1949 - The Foundation of Japan National Railways as a public company
1956 - Completion of the electrification of the Tokaido Main Line
1957 - Opening of Ueno Zoo Monorail, the first monorail Japan
1958 - Kodama, the first EMU express between Tokyo and Osaka
1960 - Hatsukari, revealing the first DMU between Ueno (Tokyo) and Aomori
1964 - Opening of the first Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka
1975 - Retired from service steam locomotives of all JNR (switch remained until 1976)
1980 - Ratification of JNR Reconstruction Act; outline the abandoned low-income
1981 - Opening Portliner, AGT Japanese first
1987 - The privatization of JNR, while the Japan Railways Group companies succeed former JNR.
1988 - Opening of Seikan Tunnel linking Honshu and Hokkaido
1988 - Opening of Great Seto Bridge connecting Honshu and Shikoku
After privatization, JR companies are trying to renovate their services, some of them become successful. At the same time, many local lines with low riderships has been closed, because the JRs now a private company. Decade after motorization, train in the countryside, often troublesome with infrequent service, becomes less important for the local population. The relative share of total rail passenger kilometers fell from 66.7 percent in 1965 to 42 percent in 1978, and 29.8 percent in 1990.
Also, the fierce competition between train operators put great emphasis on efficiency, perhaps more so than safety. Some people think Amagasaki rail crash in 2005, which killed more than 100 passengers, is the result of that trend.
Rail transport in Japan is still worthy of fame with the efficiency, capacity, timeliness, and technology. Liner harbor, one of the first AGT in the world, opened in 1981. Seikan Tunnel, the longest railway tunnel in the world, and the Great Seto Bridge linked the four major islands of Japan by train in 1988. JR-Maglev, tested maglev train system, reached a world record speed of over 581 km / hour in 2003, while Linimo much slower, debuting in 2005, is the world's first maglev metro.