Trip Ideas Bus and Train Travel Japan Has an Incredible New Bullet Train That Can Help Rescue Passengers During an Earthquake The advanced new train can travel up to 223 miles per hour. By Andrea Romano Andrea Romano Andrea Romano is a writer and editor in New York City. For the last eight years, she has been a lifestyle journalist for Mashable, Brit+Co, Reviewed, Bustle, and Travel + Leisure. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on July 6, 2020 Japan’s newest, highly anticipated bullet train will be fast, convenient, and built for some extraordinary circumstances in the future. The N700S, which will travel between Tokyo and Osaka on the Tokaido Shinkansen line and run up to about 360 kilometers (223 miles) per hour, is the first new bullet train by the Central Japan Railway (JR Central) in 13 years, and it was anticipated to be the fastest train the country has ever seen, according to CNN. The train began service on July 1, meant to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, which have been rescheduled for 2021, but perhaps the best part of this new train isn’t its speed — it’s actually built to help people evacuate areas in the event of an earthquake, CNN reported. The new train is comfortable, of course, with softer lighting, a quieter ride, an innovative suspension system, energy efficient upgrades, and newly designed seats, according to CNN. But perhaps what will set the train apart is its new safety systems. A N700S Shinkansen bullet train test runs between Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama stations on June 26, 2018 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. Manabu Takahashi/Getty Images Equipped with a new braking system, the train will be able to break much faster and safer, even at increased speeds. In addition, the train will have the world’s first lithium-ion battery self-propulsion system, which will allow the train to operate for short distances during a power outage, making it easier to run the train out of high risk areas, through tunnels and over bridges, during a natural disaster, according to CNN. JR Central hopes that the upgrades made on the N700S will be appealing in other countries, so travelers across the globe may be seeing these innovations as well. While the N700S has already started service, it isn't the only impressive bullet train to make headlines. Japan Railways Group (JR Group) is also working on an ultra-fast train that could take passengers from Tokyo to Osaka in 67 minutes, with speeds up to 311 miles per hour. This train is still in development, however, and not anticipated to be complete before 2037. It is, however, expected to have the same technological advances as the N700S, with the added ability to actually “levitate” four inches off the ground once it is up to speed, according to Matador Network.