A ticket is about the same as a flight, and the door-to-door time on some of the world's most popular routes is the same⏤or less⏤than getting a plane.

高速列車的票價跟機票錢差不多，而且也跟世界上一些受歡迎的路線之間的交通時間是一樣的，或更短，甚至比搭飛機還快 。

But decades ago, rail travel was in decline.

但在數十年前，搭火車旅遊的人數遞減。

It faced fierce competition from the air and auto industries.

火車面臨來自航空業與汽車業激烈的競爭。

Then came Japan's bullet train.

這時，日本的子彈列車便誕生了

By the late 1950s, Japan's economic miracle had transformed the war-ravaged nation.

在 1950 年代晚期，日本的經濟奇蹟似的改變了這個飽受戰爭蹂躪的國家。

Its economy was growing quickly.

當時的經濟快速成長。

The area between Tokyo and Osaka was booming with industry.

東京和大阪之間的地區也隨著工業發展而繁榮起來

People were flocking to the capital for work, but the rail line connecting the two major cities couldn't take the stress.

人們蜂擁入首都工作，但連接這兩個主要都市的鐵路系統無法負擔這麼多的交通人潮。

In 1958, a government panel was set up to tackle the problem and several potential solutions arose.

政府於 1958 年成立一個專案小組來處理這個問題，該小組提出了數個可能的解決方案。

Among them, building the world's first high-speed rail line.

建造世界首條高鐵路線便是其中一個解決方案。

Many were skeptical, but two men were true believers.

許多人對此都抱持著懷疑的態度，不過有兩個人是高鐵路線的倡議者。

Shinji Sogō was the then president of the state-run Japanese National Railway[s].

十河信二後來就成為日本國有鐵道的總裁。

The other, Sogō's colleague, veteran engineer Hideo Shima.

另一位是十河信二的同事，資深工程師島秀雄。

Up against bureaucratic obstacles and fierce opposition, the two drove the project forward.

就算面對官僚的阻礙以及受到強烈的反對聲浪，他們還是繼續推動這項工程。

In 1959, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen line started construction under Sogō's leadership.

在十河信二的領導下，東海道新幹線於 1959 年開始建造。

Shima was appointed the project's chief engineer.

島秀雄被指派擔任該工程的總工程師。

His team designed the sleek and revolutionary cone-shaped front, from which the bullet train got its name.

他的團隊設計出創新的錐形火車頭具有流暢的線條，也就是子彈列車這個名字的由來。

Rather than being pulled by an engine in front, each carriage of the bullet train was driven by an individual electric motor, which has proven to be safer, faster, and more efficient.

子彈列車並非是由車頭的引擎所驅動，而是每一節車廂都由一個獨立電動馬達來驅動。這樣的驅動模式更安全、更快速也更有效率。

Apart from the train itself, the team also built wider tracks, which were more costly, but allowed for greater stability and higher speeds.

除了火車車體外，島秀雄的團隊也建造更寬的軌道。雖然這樣會增加成本，但也提供了更高的穩定性和速度。

3,000 bridges and 67 tunnels were built on the 515-kilometer line to allow a clear and largely curveless path.

他們沿著這條 515 公里的鐵路線建造了三千座橋以及 67 個隧道，讓列車行駛在一條順暢且大部分都是筆直的路徑上。

Older trains were banned from the new line.

舊款的火車被禁止行駛於新幹線鐵路上。

Equipped with advanced technologies, the new trains were able to travel as fast as 210 kilometers per hour,

新款的火車配有先進的技術，可以用時速 210 公里的速度行駛，

a breakthrough in the passenger rail industry and the world's fastest at the time.

這在當時是世界上最快的火車，也是客運火車工業中的一項重大突破。

The journey time between Tokyo and Osaka was cut from over six hours to four.

東京和大阪來回的車程從原本的 6 個多小時減至 4 個小時。

On October 1st, 1964, the new line opened, just in time for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

1964 年 10 月 1 日開通一條新幹線，通車營運剛好趕上了東京奧運。

But neither Sogō nor Shima were invited for the inauguration.

但十河信二和島秀雄皆未受邀至通車典禮。

They both resigned in 1963 because the project's budget came in at double what was promised: 400 billion yen, the equivalent of 3.6 billion US dollars today.

他們於 1963 年雙雙辭職，因為工程預算比預計的高出一倍：4000 億日圓，等同於現今 36 億美元。

But despite their premature departure, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen line was an immediate success and quickly turned a profit.

雖然他們提前離職，但東海道新幹線在當時大獲成功，也很快就開始盈利。

It transformed the nation, allowing more people to work in metropolitan areas and became a symbol of Japan's post-war re-emergence as an economic and tech power.

東海道新幹線徹底改造了日本，使更多人能夠到都會區工作，也代表日本戰後經濟與科技的復甦。

Now over 300 trains operate on the line every day.

現在，東海道新幹線每日運行的列車超過 300 個車次。

And the trip between Tokyo and Osaka has shortened to 2.5 hours.

東京和大阪之間的旅程縮短至 2.5 個小時。

The number of passengers has also soared, reaching 165 million in 2016.

乘客的數量也跟著暴增，於 2016 年達到一億六千五百萬人。

After the success of the Tōkaidō Shinkanse line, Japan has continued expanding its high-speed rail network, and plans to build more.

在東海道新幹線取得成功後，日本持續拓展其高速鐵路網，並且計劃興建更多鐵路。

Following Japan's lead, countries like France, Germany, and China have also developed high-speed railways.

在日本的先例後，一些國家像是法國、德國以及中國也建造了高速鐵路。

By the end of 2018, the total length of high-speed rail network in the world will be over 46,000 kilometers, and over half of it is in China.

於 2018 年底，世界上高速鐵路網的總長度超過了四萬六千公里，而其中超過一半的鐵路都位於中國。