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Big and fast: A single Shinkansen passenger car measures 25 to 27 meters (82 to 90 feet), which is roughly the same as the blue whale--the largest living creature on earth. To achieve higher speeds, steel parts have been replaced with lighter aluminum. For instance, one car of the Nozomi operating on the Tokaido Shinkansen line, with a maximum speed of 270 kph (168 mph), weighs 710 tons, 265 tons lighter than the Hikari, whose top speed is 220 kph (137 mph).