there are three types of trains serving this route. when the tōkaidō shinkansen started operations in 1972, only "hikari" and "kodama" were serving this line. among the two trains types, "kodama" trains stop at all stations, while the "hikari" trains skip some of the stations to make the travel shorter. in early 1990s, "nozomi" was added to the service. "nozomi" trains skips even more stations then the "hikari", which is now the fastest service on this route.