The biggest operator of Japan's high-speed Shinkansen “bullet” trains has launched a push to export the technology to the rest of the world, hoping to beat European rivals to fast-growing markets including North America and the Middle East.
JR Central. which carries more Shinkansen passengers than any other operator, says it has formed a consulting division to sell the technology, in a move that will increase competition for the TGV system of France's Alstom and Siemens's Velaro.
JR Central could play the same role in planning and designing high-speed systems that SNCF, the French state-owned operator, has played in some projects to build TGV-type systems outside France.
JR Central's move came to light after Tsutomu Morimura, director-general of its general technology division, gave a presentation to an international high-speed rail conference in London setting out the merits of a Shinkansen specially drawn up for foreign markets.
Mr Morimura compared the latest Shinkansen trains' energy consumption and weight favourably with the rival French and German technologies. The trains had to be introduced as part of an overall approach to operating the railway, which extends from the design of the track to instilling the right attitude in employees, he said.
Japanese technology has previously been exported only to Taiwan, China and, in heavily modified form, to the UK, where it formed the basis of new high-speed commuter trains. French technology has been exported to Spain and Korea, while German systems have been sold to Spain and Russia. |
|
