<P> The Shinkansen ( 新幹線 , new trunk line ) , colloquially known in English as the bullet train , is a network of high - speed railway lines in Japan operated by five Japan Railways Group companies . Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen ( 515.4 km , 320.3 mi ) in 1964 , the network has expanded to currently consist of 2,764.6 km ( 1,717.8 mi ) of lines with maximum speeds of 240 -- 320 km / h ( 150 -- 200 mph ) , 283.5 km ( 176.2 mi ) of Mini-shinkansen lines with a maximum speed of 130 km / h ( 80 mph ) , and 10.3 km ( 6.4 mi ) of spur lines with Shinkansen services . The network presently links most major cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu , and Hakodate on northern island of Hokkaido , with an extension to Sapporo under construction and scheduled to commence in March 2031 . </P>
<P> The Shinkansen ( 新幹線 , new trunk line ) , colloquially known in English as the bullet train , is a network of high - speed railway lines in Japan operated by five Japan Railways Group companies . Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen ( 515.4 km , 320.3 mi ) in 1964 , the network has expanded to currently consist of 2,764.6 km ( 1,717.8 mi ) of lines with maximum speeds of 240 -- 320 km / h ( 150 -- 200 mph ) , 283.5 km ( 176.2 mi ) of Mini-shinkansen lines with a maximum speed of 130 km / h ( 80 mph ) , and 10.3 km ( 6.4 mi ) of spur lines with Shinkansen services . The network presently links most major cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu , and Hakodate on northern island of Hokkaido , with an extension to Sapporo under construction and scheduled to commence in March 2031 . </P>
how fast is the bullet train in japan
how fast is the bullet train in japan
150 -- 200 mph
150 -- 200 mph