The is a Japanese high-speed

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...

rail line that links up with the

Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island, Honshu. Operated by the East Japan Railway Company, it links Tokyo in the south to Aomori in the north, with ...

in northern

Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

and continues on into the interior of

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May 2005; the initial to section opened on 26 March 2016. The section of the line to

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

was scheduled to open by fiscal year 2030, but in December 2024 it was delayed until the end of FY2038, distressing local communities and causing concern over impact on regional development. The line is operated by the

Hokkaido Railway Company The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart ...

(JR Hokkaido).

Associated actions

In preparation for the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, the Seikan Tunnel (

Kaikyō Line The is an railway line operated mainly by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The line connected Naka-Oguni Station in Sotogahama, Aomori, through the Seikan Tunnel between Honshu and Hokkaido, to Kikonai Station in Kikonai, Hokkai ...

) and associated approaches (approximately in total) were converted to

dual gauge Dual gauge railroad track has three or four rails, allowing vehicles of two track gauges to run on it. Signalling and sidings are more expensive to install on dual gauge tracks than on two single gauge tracks. Dual gauge is used when there i ...

, with both the Shinkansen

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

and

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

tracks. Upon the opening of the Shinkansen line the section of the conventional (narrow gauge) Esashi Line approximately paralleling the same route between and was transferred from the control of JR Hokkaido to a newly established third-sector railway operating company, South Hokkaido Railway Company, becoming the Isaribi Line.

Operations

Service types

Two train service types operate on the Hokkaido Shinkansen: limited-stop ''

Hayabusa was a robotic spacecraft developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to return a sample of material from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa to Earth for further analysis. ''Hayabusa'', formerly known as MUSES-C ...

'' services between Tokyo or Sendai and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, and semi-fast '' Hayate'' services between Morioka or Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. Under the initial timetable, ten return ''Hayabusa'' services operate daily between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and one return service operates daily between Sendai and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. One return ''Hayate'' service operates daily between Morioka and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, and one return service daily operates between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.

Operating speed

Upon commencement of services in 2016 the maximum speed on the approximately

section of the Hokkaido Shinkansen (including through the Seikan Tunnel) was , increased to in March 2019. There are approximately 50 freight trains using the dual gauge section each day, so limiting the travel of such trains to times outside of Shinkansen services is not an option. Because of this and other weather-related factors cited by JR East and JR Hokkaido, the fastest journey time between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto is currently 3 hours, 57 minutes. During the 2020-21 New Year Holiday period when fewer freight trains were operating, certain Shinkansen services were operated at on the dual gauge section and this was proposed again for the Golden Week Holiday period from 3–6 May 2021. This raising of the maximum speed during major travel periods has been repeated every year since. In January 2024, JR Hokkaido announced that the speed would be raised to during major holidays going forward. To achieve the full benefit of Shinkansen trains travelling on the dual gauge section at (the maximum speed proposed through the tunnel), alternatives are being considered, such as a system to automatically slow Shinkansen trains to when passing narrow-gauge trains, and/or loading freight trains onto special " Train on Train" standard-gauge trains (akin to a covered piggyback flatcar train) built to withstand the

shock wave In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a me ...

of oncoming Shinkansen trains traveling at full speed. This would enable a travel time from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto of 3 hours and 45 minutes, a saving of 12 minutes on the current timetable. In May 2019, JR Hokkaido announced that it had requested permission from the

MLIT The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government.国土交通省設置法

to increase the speed limit on the of new track to be constructed between Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and Sapporo to . This would involve the extension of buffers on about of tunnels, installation of sound barriers on about of the remaining of surface track and strengthening of viaducts.

Effects of winter weather on train operation

Operating in areas that see significant snowfall during the winter months, accumulation of snow has effects on various train operations. It can cause damage to equipment or can cause a moving train to miss a switch. In particular, accretion of snow in the bogies of the train has been shown to be significant, causing damage or causing schedule delays. Methods have been used to estimate snow accumulation on trains running up to , and newer estimates based on weather data can predict accumulation of up to in bogies upon arrival at a station. The winter season also adversely impacts the occupancy rates of the rail line, with recorded occupancy reaching a low of 19% in the months of January and February.

Stations

Legend:

Rolling stock

All services are formed of 10-car JR East E5 or JR Hokkaido H5 series trainsets. In February 2014, JR Hokkaido placed an order for four 10-car H5 Series Shinkansen trainsets for use on Hokkaido Shinkansen services from March 2016. Based on the E5 series trainsets operated by

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and 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 in ...

since 2011, the order for 40 vehicles cost approximately 18 billion yen. The first two sets of the order are scheduled to be delivered to Hakodate Depot by road from Hakodate Port in October 2014, with test running commencing before the end of the year. The remaining two sets on order were scheduled to be delivered in 2015. The vehicles feature the usual upper green and lower white livery, with a purple stripe in the middle. The color purple was chosen to represent the purple flowers of Hokkaido:

lilac ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly ...

s, lupine and

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

. Inside, the ordinary-class cars feature wood paneling and carpet with a snowflake motif. Green class features cream-colored walls representing the local dairy industry and carpet with a drift-ice motif. Gran class features dark blue carpets, said to be modeled after the shimmering lakes and bodies of water along the route. File:Series-E5-U15 Yamabiko-50.jpg, A JR East E5 series train in May 2022 File:JRH Series-H5 H1.jpg, A JR Hokkaido H5 series train in June 2022

Non-revenue-earning types

* East i (E926)

History

In the early 1970s, two other Shinkansen routes were proposed for Hokkaido: Sapporo –

Asahikawa is a Cities of Japan, city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a Core cities of Japan, core city since April 1, 2000. The city i ...

(Hokkaido Shinkansen extension) and Oshamambe – Muroran – Sapporo (Hokkaido South Route). There were also further unofficial plans to connect to

Abashiri is a city located in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Abashiri is known as the site of the Abashiri Prison, a Meiji-era facility used for the incarceration of political prisoners. The old prison has been turned into a museum, but the ...

Kushiro is a city in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. Located along the coast of the North Pacific Ocean, it serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island. History An ...

and Nayoro/

Wakkanai file:Wakkanai city office.JPG, 290px, Wakkanai City Hall file:Wakkanai shore.jpg, 290px, Shore of Wakkanai is a Cities of Japan, city located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Wakkanai is the capital of Sōya Subprefecture. Situated approx ...

. These plans have been indefinitely shelved. On 1 November 2014, a ceremony was held at Kikonai Station to mark the completion of track-laying for the line between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. Test-running on the Hokkaido Shinkansen tracks within Hokkaido commenced from 1 December 2014, initially at low speeds, with the speed raised to the maximum of later that month. Test-running was extended through the Seikan Tunnel to Oku-Tsugaru-Imabetsu in December 2014. Test-running south of Oku-Tsugaru-Imabetsu commenced on 21 April 2015, with the first train reaching Shin-Aomori Station from the north in the early hours of 24 May.

Future plans

JR Hokkaido is extending the Hokkaido Shinkansen from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to , planned to open by 2030. However, in May 2024, the JRTT reported to the

MLIT The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government.国土交通省設置法

that it would be 'extremely difficult' to extend the line to Sapporo by 2030. In December 2024, MLIT announced the opening will be delayed until FY2038. There is potential for the opening date to be revised in either direction, and a further announcement will be made after discussions at a panel of experts which will commence in January 2025. Tunneling work on the Murayama Tunnel, situated about north of Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station commenced in March 2015. However in July 2016 the short section between the Murayama Tunnel and the next tunnel (26,470 m) was deemed unnecessary so the construction altered and the planned two tunnels were integrated into the Toshima Tunnel with a total length of 32,675 m. When opened, it will be the longest land tunnel in the country. The extension will be approximately 76% in tunnels, including major tunnels such as Toshima (mentioned above), Oshima (), Teine () and Shiribeshi (). When the section to Sapporo opens, the estimated journey time from

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

will be at most 5 hours and 1 minute.

References

External links

JR Hokkaido: Hokkaido Shinkansen

Federation of Hokkaido Chamber of Commerce and Industry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hokkaido Shinkansen High-speed railway lines in Japan Seikan Tunnel

Railway lines opened in 2016 Standard-gauge railways in Japan 2016 establishments in Japan