Bullet Train Speed: How Fast Is Japan's Shinkansen?

How fast does a bullet train go?

A bullet train in Japan runs at 285 to 320 km/h (177 to 199 mph) at the top of its run. The exact figure depends on the line, not just the train: the same N700-family trains that cruise at 300 km/h on the Sanyo Shinkansen are held to 285 km/h on the older, curvier Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka.

“Bullet train” is the English nickname for the Shinkansen (Japanese for “new trunk line”), which opened between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964. The name has since spread to any dedicated high-speed train: China’s Fuxing, France’s TGV and India’s planned Mumbai–Ahmedabad line are all called bullet trains in the press. This page goes deep on Japan, maglev and India. For a ranking of every country’s fastest train, see the fastest trains in the world; for Amtrak, Brightline and freight, see how fast do trains go.

Three speeds get mixed up when people quote a bullet train speed:

• Maximum operating speed: the highest speed with paying passengers, set by the operator for each line. All the numbers in the table below are this kind.
• Average speed: distance divided by timetable time, always much lower because of stations, curves and acceleration.
• Test or record speed: a one-off run, often with a modified train. The L0 maglev’s 603 km/h is a record, not a service speed.

Shinkansen speed by line (2026)

The fastest Shinkansen in daily service is the E5 Hayabusa at 320 km/h (199 mph), on the Tohoku line north of Tokyo. The busiest line, Tokaido, is the slowest of the main trunk routes at 285 km/h, because it was built in the early 1960s with tighter curves.

Every mph value below is converted from the operator’s km/h figure with the site’s tested converter (1 mph = 1.609344 km/h exactly) and rounded to one decimal.

How fast is the Tokyo to Osaka bullet train?

The Tokaido Shinkansen’s top speed is 285 km/h (177 mph), and the fastest Nozomi links Tokyo and Shin-Osaka in 2 hours 21 minutes. JR Central’s Integrated Report 2025 traces how that happened: 4 hours at the 1964 opening, 3 hours 10 minutes later, then a maximum of 270 km/h, then 285 km/h on some trains in 2015 and on every train from 2020, when the N700S entered service.

The speed matters less than the frequency and punctuality. The same report says the line can run up to 12 Nozomi trains an hour at peak, roughly one every five minutes, with an average delay of 1.4 minutes per train in fiscal 2024, natural disasters included. JR Central also states that no passenger on board has been killed or injured in a train accident since the line opened.

At 285 km/h a train covers 100 miles in about 34 minutes (calculated). Try your own route with the speed, distance and time calculator.

How fast is Japan’s maglev train?

Japan’s L0 Series superconducting maglev reached 603 km/h (374.7 mph) on the Yamanashi test line in April 2015, the world speed record for a manned rail vehicle, according to JR Central. In 2004 two test trains also passed each other at a combined 1,026 km/h (637.5 mph).

The commercial version is the Chuo Shinkansen. JR Central’s Chuo Shinkansen section gives an operating speed of 500 km/h (310.7 mph), a maximum design speed of 505 km/h, and travel times of 40 minutes Shinagawa–Nagoya (285.6 km) and 67 minutes to Osaka. 285.6 km in 40 minutes is an average of 428.4 km/h (266.2 mph), faster than any wheeled bullet train’s top speed.

What is the speed of India’s bullet train?

India’s Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) is designed for 320 km/h (198.8 mph) and is expected to operate at about 300 km/h (186.4 mph). It is built with Japanese Shinkansen technology and financing, run by the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL), and will be 508 km long with a journey time of about two hours, an average near 254 km/h (158 mph, calculated).

Status as of October 2026: on 1 January 2026, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw gave 15 August 2027 as the target for the first operations, starting with Surat–Bilimora in Gujarat and opening in phases (Gulf News).

Earlier targets have already slipped, so read 2027 as a goal, not a timetable. The 320 km/h figure is a design speed; India’s first trains will run below it.

Bullet train speed by country

China runs the fastest bullet trains in daily service at 350 km/h (217 mph); Japan, France and Morocco follow at 320 km/h (199 mph). The US has no bullet train yet: its fastest train, the Acela, tops out at 160 mph.

mph values are converted from the operators’ km/h with the site’s exact factor; the Acela and Brightline West figures are given in mph by their operators. Most TGV services run at 300 km/h, with 320 km/h on the newest lines (Railway Technology). For the full world ranking, record runs and China’s 600 km/h maglev prototype, see fastest trains in the world.

Is a bullet train faster than a plane?

No, an airliner cruises at roughly three times bullet-train speed, but on routes under about 500 km (310 miles) the train is often faster door to door. A jet cruises at roughly 550 mph (885 km/h; see how fast planes fly), yet Shinkansen stations are in city centres, boarding takes minutes, and there is no airport security queue or transfer to a distant airport.

Over longer distances the plane wins. At 320 km/h a train needs about 30 minutes per 100 miles even at full speed (calculated), and real averages are lower.

How to check bullet train speed with your phone

Open this page before departure, sit by a window, tap Start and allow location: the GPS speedometer above shows live speed in mph or km/h and records your top speed. It needs no app, and once loaded it works without a data connection, which helps on rural Shinkansen stretches.

Tips from riding with GPS:

• Readings freeze in tunnels and catch up when you come out. The Tohoku and Hokkaido lines and the Sanyo line west of Okayama have long tunnel sections.
• Expect the top reading on long straight viaducts, not near stations.
• Switch units with the unit pill; use the km/h to mph converter or the speed converter to compare with the onboard display.

GPS speed is an estimate that depends on signal, sky view and device; GPS.gov explains why phone accuracy varies. Use it for curiosity, not as an official record.