Faster bullet train aims to give airlines a run for their money

JR East's new shinkansen to shorten trip from Tokyo to Sapporo by 3 hours

20181212N new shinkansen nose

A prototype nose section, still incomplete, of a next-generation shinkasen bullet train capable of traveling at 360 km per hour. (Photo by Keigo Iwamoto)

KEIGO IWAMOTO and ANNU NISHIOKA, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- East Japan Railway unveiled Wednesday a cutting-edge shinkansen bullet train that is expected to slash by nearly 40% the travel time between Tokyo and Sapporo when the route goes into service.

By speeding up travel time, the railway company commonly known as JR East hopes to draw travelers who normally buy air tickets, much like it has done with another high-speed line launched a few years ago.

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