The is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tokaido Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen lines with a maximum speed of , and of spur lines with Shinkansen services. The network presently links most major cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu, with services along the newly constructed extension to the northern island of Hokkaido scheduled to commence in March 2016. The nickname bullet train is sometimes used in English for these high-speed trains.