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▼ Hokkaido Shinkansen Goes Into Service With Fanfare
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Jiji Press
HOKUTO, Hokkaido (Jiji Press) — Hokkaido Railway Co., or JR Hokkaido, opened its Shinkansen high-speed railway line for services on Saturday, with Shinkansen bullet trains connecting Honshu and Hokkaido underneath the Tsugaru Strait for the first time ever.
This opened a new chapter in the Shinkansen history since the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Osaka, the first bullet train service in the nation, was launched in October 1964.
Shinkansen services are now available in three of the four main islands — Honshu, Hokkaido and Kyushu.
The 149-kilometer new railway between Shin-Aomori Station in Aomori
Prefecture and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in the city of Hokuto in the southern part of Hokkaido, passes through the 54-kilometer Seikan Tunnel.
The line seamlessly connects to the Tohoku Shinkansen Line of East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, which links Tokyo Station and Shin-Aomori.
This means that passengers can travel between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto without changing trains, with the fastest Shinkansen train linking the two stations in four hours and two minutes. The distance between the two stations is about 863 kilometers.
The minimum time necessary for travel between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto is 61 minutes.
Trains on the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line travel at a maximum speed of 260 kilometers per hour.
An opening ceremony was held at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, with participants including Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Keiichi Ishii, JR Hokkaido President Osamu Shimada and Hokkaido Gov. Harumi Takahashi.
HOKUTO, Hokkaido (Jiji Press) — Hokkaido Railway Co., or JR Hokkaido, opened its Shinkansen high-speed railway line for services on Saturday, with Shinkansen bullet trains connecting Honshu and Hokkaido underneath the Tsugaru Strait for the first time ever.
This opened a new chapter in the Shinkansen history since the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Osaka, the first bullet train service in the nation, was launched in October 1964.
Shinkansen services are now available in three of the four main islands — Honshu, Hokkaido and Kyushu.
The 149-kilometer new railway between Shin-Aomori Station in Aomori
Prefecture and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in the city of Hokuto in the southern part of Hokkaido, passes through the 54-kilometer Seikan Tunnel.
The line seamlessly connects to the Tohoku Shinkansen Line of East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, which links Tokyo Station and Shin-Aomori.
This means that passengers can travel between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto without changing trains, with the fastest Shinkansen train linking the two stations in four hours and two minutes. The distance between the two stations is about 863 kilometers.
The minimum time necessary for travel between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto is 61 minutes.
Trains on the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line travel at a maximum speed of 260 kilometers per hour.
An opening ceremony was held at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, with participants including Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Keiichi Ishii, JR Hokkaido President Osamu Shimada and Hokkaido Gov. Harumi Takahashi.
From the station, the first train, No. 10 Hayabusa, left for Tokyo at 6:35 a.m.
“I hope that the new Shinkansen line will be operated safely while offering greater convenience,” Ishii said.
Later, he told reporters, “I believe the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line will substantially help promote local revitalization and boost exchanges, and will be loved by everyone permanently.”
Shimada said at the ceremony, “We will do our best to ensure safe operations of the Shinkansen line.”
In a statement, Takahashi said, “I hope a number of people will visit Hokkaido by Shinkansen and fully enjoy their stays in Hokkaido, which offers various attractions from season to season and from region to region.”
She added: “The opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line is the beginning, not the end. A new challenge — delivering the effects of the launch of Shinkansen service to every corner of Hokkaido and promoting local development and revitalization — has started. I will spearhead the efforts.”
A total of about 2,500 fans, citizens and others gathered at the station to
celebrate the opening of the Shinkansen line.
At Tokyo Station, JR East President Tetsuro Tomita and others watched the departure of No. 1 Hayabusa, the first train bound for Shin-Hakodate-
Hokuto. He said: “Our long-cherished dream of seeing a Shinkansen train pass through the Seikan Tunnel has come true. We are determined to meet people’s expectations.”
Later, he told reporters, “I believe the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line will substantially help promote local revitalization and boost exchanges, and will be loved by everyone permanently.”
Shimada said at the ceremony, “We will do our best to ensure safe operations of the Shinkansen line.”
In a statement, Takahashi said, “I hope a number of people will visit Hokkaido by Shinkansen and fully enjoy their stays in Hokkaido, which offers various attractions from season to season and from region to region.”
She added: “The opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line is the beginning, not the end. A new challenge — delivering the effects of the launch of Shinkansen service to every corner of Hokkaido and promoting local development and revitalization — has started. I will spearhead the efforts.”
A total of about 2,500 fans, citizens and others gathered at the station to
celebrate the opening of the Shinkansen line.
At Tokyo Station, JR East President Tetsuro Tomita and others watched the departure of No. 1 Hayabusa, the first train bound for Shin-Hakodate-
Hokuto. He said: “Our long-cherished dream of seeing a Shinkansen train pass through the Seikan Tunnel has come true. We are determined to meet people’s expectations.”
- March 29, 2016
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