THE JAPAN NEWS


 

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Work for a magnetic levitation, linear motor Shinkansen bullet train line has started in various related locations, with 10 years to go before the scheduled launch in 2027 of the services that will link Tokyo and Nagoya in only 40 minutes at the fastest.

Construction of a tunnel under the Minami Alps huge mountain range, believed to be the toughest phase of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen project of Central Japan Railway Co., better known as JR Tokai, is slated to commence this year.

The 285.6-kilometer-long ultra-high-speed train line will connect a new Shinagawa Station in Tokyo and a new Nagoya Station in Nagoya via five other prefectures — Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Nagano and Gifu.
Maglev Shinkansen trains will travel at a maximum operating speed of 505 kph. More than 80 percent of the line will be through tunnels.

Research on the maglev Shinkansen project started in 1962 at a technical institute of the now-defunct Japanese National Railways. The project was taken over by JR Tokai when the JNR was privatized and broken up into seven Japan Railways Group companies in April 1987.

The total project costs are estimated at about ¥5.5 trillion. Expectations are high for the ultra-high-speed train line at a time when the existing Tokaido Shinkansen Line, linking Tokyo and Osaka via Nagoya, is close to reaching full capacity.

Work to construct the two new terminal stations has already been launched.

New facilities are being prepared. Dai Nagoya Building, a new
commercial building, opened in front of the current Nagoya Station last year. The JR Gate Tower skyscraper, next to the current station, is slated to fully open in April this year.

In a recent interview, JR Tokai President Koei Tsuge said, “Full-scale maglev construction work is now set to start,” adding, “We are aiming to put the work on track in 2017.”

But he also noted that the schedule is tight, stressing the company’s intention to work hard on the construction of the Minami Alps underground tunnel, as well as the new Shinagawa and Nagoya stations.
The 25-kilometer-long tunnel will be constructed between the town of Hayakawa in Yamanashi and the village of Oshika in Nagano.

Drilling work for an emergency exit for passengers and crew members of maglev trains started in October 2016 at the Yamanashi side of the tunnel and is slated to begin in the summer of 2017 at the Nagano side.

Work to build the tunnel will then be launched. It will be extremely tough because the underground tunnel is set to run as deep as 1,400 meters at the deepest point.

The launch of the maglev Shinkansen service could be delayed depending on the pace of progress in the tunnel construction work.

But Mamoru Uno, head of JR Tokai’s Chuo Shinkansen project headquarters, emphasized, “We are determined to accomplish the construction work by bringing together our state-of-the-art technologies, experts’ knowledge and the capabilities and experiences of construction companies.”

The construction of the new Shinagawa and Nagoya stations is seen to be tough as well because they will also be built underground, beneath the existing busy Shinagawa and Nagoya stations, which are used for the Tokaido Shinkansen and other train services.

Tsuge said that carrying through all of the difficult work will be “a major challenge” for JR Tokai.