Toei's "international version" was heavily cut, with nearly forty minutes removed, bringing the runtime to about 115 minutes. The version removed the characters' back-stories. The Japanese version runs around 152 minutes.
The film was picked up for distribution in the USA as it fitted into the mainstream Hollywood 1970s disaster movie cycle. Hollywood would soon reply with making their own 70s rail disaster films with Rollercoaster (1977), Avalanche Express (1979) and The Cassandra Crossing (1976).
The movie was shot entirely on location. The movie was filmed on the actual bullet train route between Tokyo and Hiroshima.
This film was released in the United States and other English language territories by 20th Century Fox in an English dubbed version and retitled "The Bullet Train". The film's original Japanese title translates into English as "Shinkansen Bomb".