The Great Railroading Nation of Japan -- Trying for 200 Km/h -- The Curtain Goes Up on the Era of the Express Trains -- The Struggle of the Technicians -- Computers Appear on the Scene -- Safety and a Comfortable Ride -- Competition with Europe Over Speed -- Toward the World’s Best Railroad -- Privatization was a “Cultural Revolution” -- The Next Generation of Railroads.

This book is the first book written in English about the secret story of the birth of the Shinkansen in Japan and its subsequent developments. The author, Mr. Shuichiro Yamanouchi, a former chairman of East Japan Railway (JR East), addresses what the essence of Shinkansen technology is and how it could be achieved in such a short time. And the book, written based on his long experience in railway engineering and management, gives readers a bird's-eye view of the Japanese railway as a whole, and the technical philosophy of his great career behind it. In this book, its whole picture is clarified, that is, the world's first 200 km/h running, dealing with troubles after the opening, and development of the 300 km/h commercial operation after that, including the failure stories encountered in the process. These gave a big stimulation to the development of other high-speed railways, and this book helps readers to learn about the accumulated experiences of Japanese high-speed railways that have not been revealed so far, such as railway safety, noise against the environment, railway privatization, harmonization of management and engineering, and so forth." .