Passenger Trains | Eastern Asia

Hong Kong's historic link to China traverses Kowloon and the New Territories. It is comprised of long-standing East Rail lines; new Light Rail service in the far West; and recently-added Mainland commuter services from Hung Hon to Guangchou and onto Shanghai and Beijing. New West Rail domestic service is currently under construction; East Rail extensions are under development.

China's vast railway network transports one-quarter of the world's rail passengers. Ongoing expansion is making even China's most remote regions accessible by train. Recently completed projects include the world's highest altitude railway, between Quinzhou and Tibet, the world's first maglev (magnetic levitation) service, between Shanghai and Pudong airport; high-speed (125-mph/200-kmh) service between Shenzhen and Guangzhou; and express trains link Kowloon (Hong Kong) with Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai. Preferred service levels are indicated by a letter prefix, "T" (Tekuai express), "K" (Kuaisu fast), "Y" (Luyou tourist) and "L" (Linshi temporary). International services connect with Almaty (Kazakhstan), Hanoi, Moscow, Pyongyang and Ulaan Baatar. Selected destinations: Beijing, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hangzhou, Kunming, Lahasa, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Tianjin, Uruumqi and Wuxi. Service notes: wheelchair access (limited), bicycle transport (shipped as freight).

The Tokyo-Yokohama megaplex and the Chubu heartland to the west -- home to Mount Fuji and the Japan Alps -- are woven together by the intercity mainlines of the Central Japan Railway, also known as JR Tokai. The railway's Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train streams between the capital and Shin-Osaka. See JR East for Shinkansen bullet train service linking Tokyo with Akita, Hachinohe, Nagano, Nigata and Shinjo. Selected destinations: Nagoya, Hakone. Shin-Fuji, Shin-Yokohama and Tokyo. Service notes: wheelchair access (some trains including all Shinkansen), bicycle transport (all trains, restrictions apply).

Crossing the greater portion of the highly urbanized Kanto plain, intercity trains press northeast through the more sparsely settled Tohoku District. The railway operates five separate Shinkansen (SuperExpress) bullet train lines: Akita (Morioka - Akita); Hokuriku (Tokyo - Nagano); Joetsu (Tokyo - Niigata); ToMhoku (Tokyo - Sendai - Hachinohe) and Yamagata (Fukushima - Shinjo). Chief among mainlines is the Yamanote High-speed loop that integrates subways, commuter rail and Shinkansen with 29 stations including Ginza, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. The Narita Express (N'EX) provides the fastest connection between the capital and the nation's largest airport. See JR Central for Shinkansen bullet train service linking Tokyo with Nagoya, Hakone. Shin-Fuji, Shin-Yokohama. Selected destinations: Kakunodate, Matsushima, Sendai, Towada-Hachimantai National Park and Tokyo. Service notes: wheelchair access (some trains including all Shinkansen), bicycle transport (all trains, restrictions apply).

Japan's last frontier and least crowded prefecture, the country's second-largest and northernmost island benefits from a well-developed rail service. Rapid Airport service connects Sapporo and other cities with New Chitose Airport. By 2015, the conventional rail line that links Honsh
k with Hokkaid
M through the Seikan Tunnel will be replaced by a new Shinkansen (SuperExpress) bullet train. Selected destinations: Abashir, Furano, Kikonai, Noboribetsu, Otaru, Sapporo and Shin-Hakodate. Service notes: wheelchair access (some trains including all Shinkansen), bicycle transport (all trains, restrictions apply).

Kyushu's many tourist attractions are easily accessed by train. Mainline rail service on Japan's southernmost island extends to glittering Nagasaki, to Kagoshima's hot springs and to numerous seaside resorts. By 2013, the pioneering Shinkansen Tsubame -- currently extending north from Kagoshima-Chuo as far as Shin-Yatsushiro -- will reach all the way to Fukuoka, covering the island's 150m/250km length in around an hour-and-a-half. See JR West for Sanyo Shinkansen (SuperExpress) bullet train between the island and Osaka. Selected destinations: Fukuoka, Ibusuki, Kagoshima and Nagasaki. Service notes: wheelchair access (some trains including all Shinkansen), bicycle transport (all trains, restrictions apply).

Home to JR's smallest operating company, Japan's smallest island is famed for its 88 Buddhist temples. The scenic Seto-Ohashi Bridge provides a direct rail link between the island town of Sakaide and Honshu Shinkansen (SuperExpress) bullet train services at Okayama. Selected destinations: Matsuyama and Takamatsu. Service notes: wheelchair access (some trains), bicycle transport (all trains, restrictions apply)

JR West links the great cities of the historic Kansai District with mountainous Chugoku District of western Honshu. Fastest are the Sanyo Shinkansen (SuperExpress) bullet trains that race between Shin-Osaka and Hakata. Rail links to Kansai International Airport include Haruka Airport Express from Kyoto and Airport Rapid Service from Osaka. See JR Central for Shinkansen bullet train service linking Shin-Osaka with Kyoto and Tokyo. Selected destinations: Hiroshima, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Okayama and Osaka. Service notes:wheelchair access (some trains including all Shinkansen), bicycle transport (all trains, restrictions apply).

Two lines serve the booming suburbs that trail off west of Shinjuku and Shibuya Stations on Tokyo's Yamanote Ring Line.

Kintetsu's KNR links Osaka and Nagoya, also serves Nara and Kyoto. Shinkansen Bullet Train connections may be made at Nagoya and Kyoto.

Departs Shibuya Station on Tokyo's Yamanote Ring Line for popular tourist destinations like Hakone and Enoshima, southeast of the city. Also: one- and two-day tours of Japan's 12th century capital of Kamakura or Hakone -- including Mt. Fuji.

Japanese Only-Tokyu, which provides commuter rail services between the capital and the western suburbs, has more riders than any other "Big Private Railway." The company operates seven rail linesand one streetcar line -- Toyoko Line, Meguro Line, Den-en Toshi, Oimachi, Ikegami, Tamagawa, Kodomonokuni and Setagaya -- in southwest Tokyo and Kanagawa prefecture.

Line connects the northern part of the Tokyo metropolitan area with Asakusa station in Tokyo.With the longest track network of any private railway company in the Kanto region, Tobu extends throughout the northern part of the Kanto Plain, covering the Tokyo metropolitan area, Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, and Gunma prefectures.