Japan's Shinkansen: A model of a bullet train system for Malaysia, Singapore? (VIDEO)

TOKYO, Feb 3 — So, what would running a high-speed train connecting Malaysia and Singapore be like?

An example can be found in Japan's highly-efficient bullet train system — the Shinkansen — which the Asian superpower has been promoting as a model for the planned Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail link that is set to start in 2016.

On a recent media trip hosted by Japan, Malay Mail Online was given the opportunity to ride on the country’s fastest bullet train model Series E5, that covered a 325 kilometre-long journey between Tokyo and Sendai at a maximum speed of 320 km per hour.

In a display of the Japanese' trademark discipline, passengers queue patiently while waiting for the arrival of a Shinkansen bullet train. — Picture by Ida Lim

A train going at the same speed would be able to cover a similar distance between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore within the targeted 90 minutes’ travel time; in comparison to the five hours by bus or up to eight hours by the existing intercity train.

Zero fatalities in 50 years

What really sets the Japan bullet train system apart from its competitors is the way it is operated, with the country being particularly proud of its track record of zero fatalities in its 50 years of operations connecting a nation of islands with the ever-present threat of earthquakes.

Yet this does not come by accident, nothing is left to chance when it comes to the safety of passengers.

According to Shinkansen operator East Japan Railway Company (JR-East)'s international department manager Osamu Onodera, train drivers are only allowed to work for seven hours 10 minutes per day to prevent fatigue from setting in.

The maximum period per trip for each train driver is three hours 20 minutes in the daytime and they are only allowed to go on for two hours 40 minutes on a night trip, he said.

In a rare ride in a bullet train's cockpit, Osamu told Malaysian reporters that the drivers' manual handling and personal monitoring of the train's condition allow for rapid response and quick communication with the control centre during emergencies.

Amid the modern gadgetry in the cockpit, an analog stopwatch takes centrestage and marks the traditional drive for perfection by Shinkansen drivers.

"Five seconds," said the driver at the end of our trip as he noted the delayed arrival, with what almost looked like an expression of regret. This is part of the secret behind the Shinkansen's famously brief delays that are measured in mere seconds, with the average delay time per train only less than a minute.

With minimal delays in train arrivals and short intervals of just a few minutes between each train, the Shinkansen system is a dream come true for commuters — whether they are busy businessmen or homesick passengers eager to reach their families.

Passengers boarding a Series E5 bullet train, with the model affectionately called 'Hayabusa' or the Falcon, capable of reaching speeds of 320km per hour. — Picture by Ida Lim.

Always be prepared, never forget lessons from the past

So you have trains drivers who are kept fresh for each trip. Just wait until you see how they are trained at JR East's General Education Center training facility — where 300 types of training programmes are provided and where 27,000 staff pass through its doors annually.

Newly-recruited train drivers are trained for a year, but the training never stops throughout their entire career; they train again for three days if they have less than a year's experience, and return for a minimum two-day training every two years.

Train drivers are trained using simulators and role-playing exercises to cope with various real-life emergency scenarios — including potential mechanical failures or natural disasters.

Training never stops in a Shinkansen driver's entire career and practice makes perfect with the small-scale railway track at the JR East General Education Centre, Japan. — Picture by Ida Lim

There is even a small-scale railway track on the centre's sprawling grounds — 200 metres for the Shinkansen, 500 metres for the conventional trains — for them to practise and be tested on.

An entire section at the training centre is carved out for the Museum of the History of Railway Accidents, with exhibits of black-and-white news cuttings chronicling railway incidents stretching back all the way to the 1950s, including derailments and earthquakes.

With the aim of never forgetting the past and an attitude of learning from all railway accidents, a visit to the museum is a compulsory part of the training for train personnel, no matter how experienced they are.

The secret to the Japanese edge

A visit to the JR East's Shinkansen rolling stock maintenance depot in Sendai revealed a rigorous inspection programme, where the bullet trains are given daily and monthly checks, as well as a bogie inspection every 18 months.

The work area is kept spotlessly clean; it is hard to believe that the complete disassembling and meticulous reassembling of trains every three years takes place here.

Even cleaning tools at the maintenance depot are numbered and stored carefully, with Osamu later explaining that the inspectors want to avoid the possibility of having a spanner left forgotten and then hurtling off a bullet train at high speeds.

Osamu attributed the Japanese work ethic and culture to the training given by the company to its employees.

An employee working on the tiniest component parts of a bullet train would do it with the understanding that he was helping to contribute to the smooth running of the entire Shinkansen system, he explained.

This dedication is also shown in how a tireless band of railway staff descends on the carriages of each Shinkansen train upon its arrival, energetically scrubbing the compartments clean for the next batch of passengers. All within just seven minutes.

And 12 minutes after a train arrives, it’s all set to go off again. This short turn-around time is certainly helped by the Japanese innovation of train seats that automatically turn 180 degrees to face the correct direction for the next trip in the opposite direction.

Osamu explained that Japan is not simply planning to provide civil engineering and hardware expertise to Malaysia and Singapore, calling it "not enough", indicating that the aim was to transfer the Japanese attitude of excellence in training drivers and operating the high-speed rail.

"It's not enough. The important thing is providing training and other services to conduct better high-speed rail operations," he said.

A Shinkansen train conductor checks his watch to ensure a punctual departure, illustrating the spirit of excellence that Japan wants to transfer to Malaysia and Singapore. — Picture by Ida Lim.

Back to the Malaysia-Singapore project

In February 2013, the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore made a joint announcement of plans to build the high-speed rail link by 2020, a sign of warming ties between the two neighbours — where many of their citizens cross the border regularly for work and holidays.

Although Japan has expressed keen interest to provide technical expertise and technology from its Shinkansen model to Malaysia and Singapore, bidding has yet to start as the city state down south is still undergoing feasibility studies.

It remains to be seen who will be eventually chosen, with China seemingly a strong competitor. South Korea, France, Germany and Spain are all also reportedly eyeing the same HSR project.