2. The philosophy of high-speed trains in Japan

Let's take a look now at how it's been possible to realize such a high standard of transport quality.

First of all there is the strong determination that the railway operators have to improve the quality of transport. The companies belonging to JR that run the Shinkansen network believe that it is by raising the quality of transport conceived of as a commodity that railways operators are able to fulfil their responsibilities as the custodians of the public transport system. They are constantly striving to improve the services they offer by injecting substantial management resources into the system in order to obtain the trust of their customers. They consider that these efforts are the most important, forward-looking activities that they undertake, with the aims of achieving stable management and progress in the future.

The unflagging pursuit of improvement of transport quality is an aspiration shared by everyone involved in the industry. On the immediate practical level, this aspiration takes the form of doing everything to ensure that accidents do not happen in the first place and that, if by any chance an accident does occur, there is as little as possible disruption and delay in the timetable. This approach is rigorously reflected in the introduction of the most advanced technology in areas such as rolling stock and operational control systems, in the maintenance of rolling stock, track and power lines, and in the response adopted when an accident occurs.

Another distinctive feature is the system of cooperation that exists between manufacturers and railway companies. The management philosophy of the railway operators to which I have just referred is shared also by the manufacturers of rolling stock and all the machinery used in it. Manufacturers are constantly cooperating with the railway operators in areas such as design aimed at reducing to the absolute minimum the possibility of mechanical faults occurring, rapid response in the event of an unforeseen circumstance, and analysing the causes of a defect or breakdown. The manufacturers are just as aware as the railway operators themselves of the enormous damage likely to occur as the result of an accident, and their approach to such risks is based on shared values that stand over and above short-sighted economic considerations.