Shinkansen literally means new trunk line. The top speed of the shinkansen is 300km/h (186 mph). When it is traveling at this speed, the required stopping distance is 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Trains on some routes run approximately every 5 minutes.

During the Shinkansen's 44-year, nearly 7 billion-passenger history, there have been no passenger fatalities due to derailments or collisions, despite frequent earthquakes and typhoons. The Shinkansen's average arrival time was within six seconds of the scheduled time.