Uchikura & Co., LLC

Did You Know? The Shinkansen Runs on Seconds

 

Most railway timetables show departure and arrival times only by the minute. Japan’s Shinkansen, however, operates with far greater precision. In the detailed schedules used by railway personnel, each train’s arrival and departure times are planned down to the second.

 

This precision is necessary because many high-speed trains share the same tracks. Each train must arrive at and leave stations, change speed, and pass designated points at carefully coordinated times. Even a small delay can affect the trains behind it. Drivers, station crews, signaling systems, and control centers must therefore work together with extraordinary accuracy.

 

According to JR Central, the Tokaido Shinkansen operated approximately 130,000 trains in 2019, with an average delay of only 12 seconds per train—even when delays caused by natural disasters were included.

 

People often think the Shinkansen’s greatest achievement is its speed. But its true strength is its ability to operate so many trains safely, frequently, and reliably.

 

The Shinkansen does not merely run by the minute. It runs by the second.

 

That is Japanese precision in action.