is the name given to the concept of building new high-speed
narrow gauge () railway lines in Japan to extend the
Shinkansen network of high-speed lines.
No Super Tokkyū routes have actually been built.
Concept
The Super Tokkyū concept involves building new narrow-gauge lines along the routes of planned Shinkansen lines. All infrastructure would be built to high-speed Shinkansen standards, including its wider
loading gauge
A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and ke ...
, 4,000 m minimum curve radius, and total
grade separation
In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tran ...
, with the ability to
convert the lines to in the future. Although they would be slower than regular Shinkansen trains, they would have a speed of more than 200 km/h, enabling some reductions in journey times to be achieved, and total construction expenditure could be spread over a longer period, with travel times gradually reduced as more sections are completed.
The ultimate goal is eventual conversion to standard-gauge Shinkansen track once the entire line is completed, but with
gauge change train
The Gauge Change Train (GCT) or is the name given to a Japanese project started in 1994 to develop a high-speed train with variable gauge axles to allow inter-running between the Shinkansen network, and the narrow gauge regional rail network.
T ...
s (GCTs), it may be possible in the future to upgrade these sections to full Shinkansen specifications even while inter-operation with conventional lines remains in place.
Proposals
In 1991, the Super Tokkyū concept was formally planned to be used as part of the following three Shinkansen extensions:
*
Kyushu Shinkansen southern section between
Yatsushiro and
Nishi-Kagoshima
*
Tohoku Shinkansen extension between
Morioka and
Hakodate through the
Seikan Tunnel
*
Hokuriku Shinkansen extension beyond
Nagano
These schemes were subsequently constructed to full Shinkansen specification lines.
The West Kyushu Shinkansen route to
Nagasaki was also initially proposed as a Super Tokkyū line from Takeo-Onsen. However, after construction commenced the proposal changed to incorporate GCTs, resulting in the Takeo Onsen to Nagasaki section (due to open in March 2023) being constructed as standard gauge lines. The service is proposed by GCTs using the
Hakata
is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the locatio ...
to Shin-Tosu section of the
Kyushu Shinkansen, then the narrow gauge line to Takeo Onsen, then the new West Kyushu Shinkansen line for the final section of the trip.
九州新幹線西九州ルート（長崎ルート） (Kyushu Shinkansen West (Nagasaki) Route)
Retrieved on 11 February 2009.
See also
* Gauge Change Train
The Gauge Change Train (GCT) or is the name given to a Japanese project started in 1994 to develop a high-speed train with variable gauge axles to allow inter-running between the Shinkansen network, and the narrow gauge regional rail network.
T ...
, an experimental train designed to operate on both narrow-gauge and standard-gauge routes
* Mini-shinkansen, the concept of converting narrow-gauge lines to standard gauge for use by Shinkansen trains
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Super Tokkyu
Shinkansen