Ten of Japan's famous bullet trains will be scrapped. They were caught in floods after Typhoon Hagibis hit eastern Japan in October. typhoon caused widespread damage and loss of life in Japan. There were many photos and TV footage of 10 shiny bullet trains lined up next to each other at train yard near central city of Nagano. They were deep in floodwater after nearby Chikuma River burst its banks. trains used to run between Tokyo and city on the Sea of Japan coast called Kanazawa. The line is now running 80 per cent of its normal services. The bullet train company said it hopes to be running full service again by end of March 2020.
Bullet trains are called Shinkansen in Japan. They started in 1964 in time for Tokyo Olympics. They became iconic symbol of Japan and were world's fastest trains. They currently reach speeds of 320kph. bullet train rail network has expanded to currently consist of 2,764km. People take around 350 million rides year on the Shinkansen. Shinkansen president, Yuji Fukasawa, spoke about flooded trains. He said floodwater seriously damaged their motors and braking systems. The total cost of damage is around $135 million. He said: "For stability and safety, we [will] replace trains with newly built ones instead of repairing them."
