Amazon's use of Japan's famed Shinkansen bullet trains for package line-haul this year has made same-day delivery possible from Tokyo to parts of central and northern Japan. Incorporating the trains' speed and reliability into its middle-mile network — the segment of logistics between fulfillment centers and last-mile delivery stations — has cut transit times and carbon emissions, and management is pleased with the results so far, spokesman Steve Kelly said.

At the same time, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is deploying e-cargo bikes — a decidedly slower but tactically efficient mode for dense urban environments — on the U.S. West Coast for the first time.

This year the e-commerce company contracted with three Japan Railway companies to haul parcels on three high-speed routes connecting Amazon fulfillment centers in the Greater Tokyo area with the Hakodate, Aomori and Kanazawa areas. Packages are carried in non-passenger compartments.

Traveling at speeds of up to 200 mph, the Shinkansen network is recognized for its high punctuality, which the company says enables faster and more secure deliveries. Compared with long-distance trucking between cities, using the trains reduces emissions and road congestion. The new delivery system began in March on the Tohoku Shinkansen and Tohoku-Hokkaido Shinkansen lines, and in May on the Hokuriku line.

Bullet trains are not the only unconventional method Amazon uses to reach customers faster and more sustainably. The variety reflects the fact that no single mode fits every geography: rail suits high-speed intercity line-haul, while small electric vehicles excel where streets are narrow and parking is scarce.

In more than 50 European cities, compact e-cargo bikes let associates deliver in crowded neighborhoods, cutting noise, producing zero tailpipe emissions and taking vehicles off the road. Amazon is also testing e-cargo bikes, which resemble golf carts with a rear compartment, in Washington, D.C. Last week it launched e-cargo bike operations in Culver City, California, outside Los Angeles. The service, operated by two independent delivery partners, started with 25 bikes and will ramp up to full capability over the next four to six weeks, spokeswoman Leigh Anne Gullett said. Amazon also plans to roll out e-cargo bikes in the Los Angeles County city of Burbank in the next few weeks.

Both the Culver City and Burbank operations are permanent. Full implementation takes several weeks because couriers must be trained and delivery service providers prefer to deploy in small batches on shorter routes so deliveries run smoothly while operators learn on the job — a gentle onramp that leaves room to work through hiccups during a launch. Eventually Amazon will operate dozens of routes out of the Culver City and Burbank delivery stations, Gullett said.

Amazon's e-bike training covers safety, local road regulations, onsite procedures, on-road delivery methods and daily vehicle safety inspections, followed by a practical assessment and a road course test. The bikes include multiple safety features, including rear cameras, regenerative braking to help control speed downhill, automatic parking brakes and electronic locks. Drivers wear helmets and reflective safety vests.

Each pedal-assist e-bike, with a top speed of 12 mph, can carry around 240 packages per shift using one refill stop. The vehicles also widen the hiring pool because a driver's license is required to operate them.

Amazon's logistics arm is also scaling up drone delivery across the United States this year and has launched operations in England. The expansion of drones, bikes and rail line-haul together signals that Amazon is diversifying its transportation mix rather than relying on any one method.

On Michigan's Mackinac Island, where motor vehicles have been banned since the end of the nineteenth century, the resort's roughly 500 residents receive deliveries by horse-drawn carriage. In Venice, last-mile deliveries are often made by boat along the city's famous waterways.

To reach Monhegan, a small island 10 miles off the central coast of Maine, Amazon partners with the operator of a 65-foot wooden boat. The Laura B. was built in 1943 and served in the South Pacific during World War II as a patrol boat carrying troops, supplies and two 50-caliber machine guns on deck. When the boat docks at Monhegan, the local mail carrier loads the packages into her pickup truck for delivery.

Why it matters: Amazon's focus on pleasing the customer means it will try any mode that increases speed, efficiency or access to remote areas — something few companies are able to do.