Japan celebrates having it's 186mph bullet trains for FIFTY YEARS ... while Britain's crumbling rail network still travels slower than ever
- The bullet train was completed in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964
- A former railway worker described driving it as like 'flying in the sky'
- Its inauguration ceremony was re-enacted in Tokyo today
While Britain was closing railways and stations in 1964, Japan was changing the world of rail travel and launching its 130mph bullet-train which celebrated its 50 birthday today.
And while the UK's railway network continues to chug along and the £50 billion, 330-mile HS2 line project inches forward, Japan's Shinkansen has continued to speed ahead.
While its top speed was initially 130mph, it now races between Tokyo and Osaka at 186mph, the same speed as the Eurostar - which runs between London and Folkstone.
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Japan's 186mph bullet-train, known as the Shinkansen, today celebrated its 50 birthday
The 1964 opening of the bullet train which was re-enacted in Tokyo today complete with ribbon cutting
Retired Japanese railway engineer Fumihiro Araki recalls being on the Shinkansen was 'like flying in the sky', and how the train became a symbol of pride for Japan
Japan's first bullet train, with its almost cute bulbous round nose, completed the trip between the two cities in four hours, shaving two and a half hours off the 319 mile journey.
The latest model, with a space-age-like elongated nose, takes just two hours and 25 minutes.
The October 1, 1964, inauguration ceremony was re-enacted at Tokyo Station today at 6am complete with ribbon cutting.
Retired Japanese railway engineer Fumihiro Araki recalls being on the Shinkansen was 'like flying in the sky', and how the train became a symbol of pride for Japan.
Mr Araki, now 73, drove the Shinkansen briefly in the summer of 1967 as part of his training as a railway operations engineer.
While its top speed was initially 130mph, it now races between Tokyo and Osaka at 186mph
The successive models of the Shinkansen bullet train, (L to R) E3 Komachi, E3 Tsubasa, E1 Max, 200, E6, E5 and E4 Max are displayed at JR East's Oyama Shinkansen Train Center
Mr Araki, pictured sitting in the driver's seat of the early model bullet trains at a railway museum, drove the Shinkansen briefly in the summer of 1967 as part of his training as a railway operations engineer
Japan started building a high-speed line during the Second World War, but construction was halted in 1943, before it was completed in time for the Tokyo Olympics in October 1964
Last week, he slipped back in time as he sat in the driver's seat of one of the early model bullet trains at a railway museum outside of Tokyo.
He pulled a lever on the control panel, looking straight ahead as he was trained, though all he could see were other museum exhibits.
Mr Araki recalled: 'It was like flying in the sky, it was that kind of feeling.
'On a clear day, you could see Mount Fuji, and riding atop the railway bridge at Hamanako lake was very pleasant. It felt like you were sailing above the sea.'
Japan started building a high-speed line during the Second World War, but construction was halted in 1943 as funds ran out.
The idea was revived in the 1950s and the project was completed in time for the Tokyo Olympics in October 1964.
The Shinkansen renewed interest in high-speed rail across the world, notably in Europe.
France and Spain are among the leaders, and Turkey last year became the ninth country to operate a train at an average speed of 124mph.
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