Jōetsu Shinkansen
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The is a high-speed
shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...
railway line connecting
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
and Niigata, Japan, via the
Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in a route length of , making it Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main ...
, operated by the
East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
(JR East). Despite its name, the line does not pass through the city of Joetsu or the historical
Jōetsu region is a geographical region within Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It includes of the cities of Jōetsu, Itoigawa and Myōkō. History The historical Jōetsu region is in the area of the old provinces of Kōzuke and Echigo was an old provinc ...
, which instead are served by the
Hokuriku Shinkansen The is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West), connecting Tokyo with in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The first section, between and in Nagano Pr ...
. The name instead originates from the parallel
Jōetsu Line The is a major railway line in Japan, owned by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Takasaki Station in Gunma Prefecture with Miyauchi Station in Niigata Prefecture, linking the northwestern Kanto region and the Sea of Japan c ...
, which in turn is named after the two provinces that it connects: Jōshū (an alternate name for
Kōzuke Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Gunma Prefecture. Kōzuke bordered by Echigo, Shinano, Musashi and Shimotsuke Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Kōzuke was ran ...
which comprises today's
Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...
), and Echigo Province (modern day
Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...
).


Train services

* '' Toki'', Tokyo - Niigata (limited-stop) * '' Tanigawa'', Tokyo - Echigo-Yuzawa (all-stations, since October 1997)


Discontinued services

* ''
Asahi Asahi (朝日, 旭, or あさひ) means "morning sun" in Japanese and may refer to: Cities * Asahi, Chiba (旭市; ''Asahi-shi'') Wards * Asahi-ku, Osaka (旭区; ''Asahi-ku'') * Asahi-ku, Yokohama (旭; ''Asahi-ku'') Towns * Asahi, Aichi (旭 ...
'', Tokyo - Niigata (discontinued December 2002) * '' Max Asahi'', Tokyo - Niigata (discontinued December 2002) * '' Max Toki'', Tokyo - Niigata (discontinued October 2021) * '' Max Tanigawa'', Tokyo - Echigo-Yuzawa (discontinued October 2021)


Stations

Legend: The
Gala-Yuzawa Line The is the unofficial name for a railway branch line in Yuzawa, Niigata, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The standard gauge line is a short (1.8 km) branch line that extends from Echigo-Yuzawa Station on the Jōet ...
is a branch from Echigo-Yuzawa to
Gala-Yuzawa Station is a seasonal railway station on the Gala-Yuzawa Line in the town of Yuzawa, Niigata, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines The station is served by the Gala-Yuzawa Line from Echigo-Yuzawa Station, and forms the only ...
. It operates in the winter months only, serving the adjoining ski resort. As of 2012, the maximum line speed is between Tokyo and Omiya, and between Omiya and Niigata. Additionally Tokyo bound trains have a higher limit of between Jōmō-Kōgen and Urasa. Like all
Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...
lines, the Jōetsu Shinkansen is
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
.


Rolling stock

, the following train types operate on Joetsu Shinkansen services. *
E2 series The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed lines in Japan since 1997. They are formed in 8- and 10-car sets. The 8-car sets were used on the Hokurik ...
: '' Toki'' / '' Tanigawa'' (since January 2013) *
E7 series The and Shinkansen are Japanese high-speed train types operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR-West), respectively. They were jointly developed. The E7 series has operated since 15 March 2014. It a ...
: '' Toki'' / '' Tanigawa'' (since March 3, 2019) Between fiscal 2018 and 2020, eleven 12-car
E7 series The and Shinkansen are Japanese high-speed train types operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR-West), respectively. They were jointly developed. The E7 series has operated since 15 March 2014. It a ...
train sets are scheduled to be introduced on Joetsu Shinkansen services, replacing the E4 series trains, raising the speed from to . File:E2 J8 Nasuno 272 Omiya 20110206.jpg, An E2 series trainset File:E7 F4 Asama 522 Omiya 20140419.jpg, An E7 series trainset


Former rolling stock

* 200 series: '' Toki'' / '' Tanigawa'' (until March 2013) * E1 series: '' Max Asahi'' / '' Max Toki'' / '' Max Tanigawa'' (until September 2012) *
E4 series The was a high-speed shinkansen train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. They were the second series of completely bi-level Shinkansen trainsets to be built in Japan (the other being the E1 series). They previousl ...
: '' Max Toki'' / '' Max Tanigawa'' (until October 2021) File:200 K47 Tanigawa 410 Omiya 20110106.jpg, 200 series on a ''Tanigawa'' service in January 2011 File:E1 M1 Max Asahi 317 Omiya 20020629.jpg, E1 series on a ''Max Asahi'' service in June 2002 File:Series-E4-P20.jpg, An E4 series trainset on a ''Max Tanigawa'' service in February 2021


History

The program to build the new line was initiated in 1971 by Niigata-born prime minister Tanaka Kakuei; one popular anecdote is that Tanaka determined the line's routing by drawing it on a map with a red pencil. Built at a cost of $6.3 billion, it was built "to establish closer ties with Tokyo and promote regional development". Trial runs over the line began in November 1980, and regular service began on 15 November 1982. The line was initially planned to terminate at
Shinjuku Station is a major railway station in the Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan. In Shinjuku, it is part of the Nishi-Shinjuku and Shinjuku districts. In Shibuya, it is located in the Yoyogi and Sendagaya districts. It is the world's busiest rai ...
, but economic considerations pushed
Japanese National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
(JNR) to merge the line with the existing
Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in a route length of , making it Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main ...
line at . In September 1991, a 400 Series Shinkansen train set a Japanese rail speed record of on the Jōetsu Shinkansen line, and in December 1993, the
STAR21 "STAR21" was the name given to the 9-car experimental Shinkansen train developed in 1992 by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan to test technology to be incorporated in next-generation shinkansen trains operating at speeds of or ...
experimental train recorded . The maximum speed for regular services on the line is except for the section between Jomo-Kogen and Urasa which is for
E2 series The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed lines in Japan since 1997. They are formed in 8- and 10-car sets. The 8-car sets were used on the Hokurik ...
trains travelling towards Niigata. The urban section between Tokyo and Ōmiya is . The Basic Plan specifies that the Jōetsu Shinkansen should actually start from Shinjuku, which would necessitate building of additional Shinkansen track from Ōmiya. While some land acquisitions along the existing
Saikyō Line The Saikyō Line ( ja, 埼京線, ) is a Japanese railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Ōsaki Station in Shinagawa, Tokyo, and Ōmiya Station in Saitama Prefecture. The line's name is an abbreviation of ...
were made, no construction ever started. The Niigata prefectural government has proposed building a new multi-modal terminal to directly connect the Shinkansen to the port of Niigata, potentially allowing direct transfers to ferries and cruise ships, and to potentially allow direct access between the Shinkansen and
Niigata Airport is a second class airport located northeast of Niigata Station in Niigata, Japan. History The first airport on the Sea of Japan coast of Japan was opened on an island in the Shinano River in 1929. This airport was moved to what was then the ...
. However this plan is foreseen to be completed only by the mid-2040s.


Future plans

The entire line is currently being upgraded to , with construction starting in May 2019. The upgrades are scheduled to be completed by 2023. Upgrades included improvements to the soundproofing system. This will mark the first time that an E7 series train has operated commercially at more than , which is the maximum speed of the only other line served by this train, the Hokuriku Shinkansen. As a result of the upgrades, all trainsets on the Joetsu Shinkansen will operate exclusively with E7 series trainsets and the travel time on the line is projected to be reduced by 7 minutes. The end of E2 series trainsets on Joetsu Shinkansen services is scheduled to take place on 18 March 2023, which is also the date of the implementation for the operating speed improvements.


Special event train services

On 17 November 2012, a special service ran as ''Toki'' 395 from Omiya to Niigata using 10-car 200 series set K47. Also on 17 November 2012, a special service ran from Niigata to Tokyo using E5 series set U8, with a special ceremony at Niigata Station before departure. This was the first revenue-earning service operated on the Joetsu Shinkansen by an E5 series trainset.


See also

* 2004 Derailment of Joetsu Shinkansen


References


External links


JR East website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joetsu Shinkansen Lines of East Japan Railway Company High-speed railway lines in Japan Railway lines opened in 1982 Standard gauge railways in Japan 1982 establishments in Japan 25 kV AC railway electrification