Jōetsu Shinkansen

Jōetsu Shinkansen

E4 series on a Max Toki service, January 2006
Overview
Native name 上越新幹線
Type Shinkansen
Locale Japan
Termini Ōmiya
Niigata
Stations 10
Operation
Opened 15 November 1982
Owner JR East
Depot(s) Niigata
Rolling stock E2/E4 series
Technical
Line length 269.5 km (167.5 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Electrification 25 kV AC, 50 Hz, overhead catenary
Operating speed 240 km/h (150 mph)
Route map

The Jōetsu Shinkansen (上越新幹線) is a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).

Train services

Discontinued services

Stations

Station name Japanese Distance
(km)
Transfers Location
Tokyo東京0.0 Chiyoda Tokyo
Ueno上野3.6 Taitō
Ōmiya大宮31.3 Ōmiya-ku, Saitama Saitama
Kumagaya熊谷67.9 Kumagaya
Honjō-Waseda本庄早稲田88.0 Honjō
Takasaki高崎108.6 Takasaki Gunma
Jōmō-Kōgen上毛高原150.4 Minakami
Echigo-Yuzawa越後湯沢182.7 YuzawaNiigata
Urasa浦佐212.3 Jōetsu Line Minamiuonuma
Nagaoka長岡245.1 Nagaoka
Tsubame-Sanjō燕三条268.7 Yahiko Line Sanjō
Niigata新潟300.8
Chūō-ku, Niigata
  1. 1 2 Although the official terminus of the Ryōmō Line is at Shin-Maebashi and that of the Agatsuma Line is at Shibukawa, trains on both lines run through to Takasaki.
  2. Although the official terminus of the Joetsu Line is at Miyauchi, trains on the line run through to Nagaoka.
  3. Although the official terminus of the Ban'etsu West Line is at Niitsu, most trains on the line run through to Niigata.

The Gala-Yuzawa Line is a 1.8 km branch from Echigo-Yuzawa to Gala-Yuzawa Station. It operates in the winter months only, serving the adjoining ski resort.

Rolling stock

As of March 2013, the following train types operate on Joetsu Shinkansen services.

Types no longer used

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.[2] Built at a cost of $6.3 billion,[3] it was built "to establish closer ties with Tokyo and promote regional development".[4]

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, but economic considerations pushed Japanese National Railways (JNR) to merge the line with the existing Tōhoku Shinkansen line at Ōmiya.

In September 1991, a 400 Series Shinkansen train set a Japanese rail speed record of 345 km/h (214 mph) on the Jōetsu Shinkansen line, and in December 1993, the STAR21 experimental train recorded 425 km/h (264 mph). The maximum speed for regular services on the line is 245 km/h (150 mph) except for the section between Jomo-Kogen and Urasa which is 275 km/h (170 mph) for E2 series trains travelling towards Niigata. The urban section between Tokyo and Ōmiya is 110 km/h (70 mph).[5]

The Basic Plan specifies that the Jōetsu Shinkansen should actually start from Shinjuku, which would necessitate building 30 km of additional Shinkansen track from Ōmiya. While some land acquisitions along the existing Saikyō Line 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. However this plan is foreseen to be completed only by the mid-2040s.[6]

Special event train services

On 17 November 2012, a special Joetsu Shinkansen 30th Anniversary (上越新幹線開業30周年号」 Jōetsu Shinkansen Kaigyō 30-shūnen-gō) service ran as Toki 395 from Omiya to Niigata using 10-car 200 series set K47.[7]

Also on 17 November 2012, a special Joetsu Shinkansen 30th Anniversary (上越新幹線開業30周年号」 Jōetsu Shinkansen Kaigyō 30-shūnen-gō) service ran from Niigata to Tokyo using E5 series set U8, with a special ceremony at Niigata Station before departure.[8][9] This was the first revenue-earning service operated on the Joetsu Shinkansen by an E5 series trainset.[9]

References

  1. E2系車両を上越新幹線に投入! [E2 series trains to be introduced on Joetsu Shinkansen] (PDF). News Release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  2. "実に地球300周…雪国駆けた「丸顔の美人」 さらば新幹線200系". MSN Sankei News. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014. 最後の活躍の舞台となった上越新幹線。その誕生には、田中角栄元首相が赤鉛筆で線を引きルートを決めたとの逸話も残る。
  3. Hayes, Louis D. Introduction to Japanese Politics, p.107.
  4. Takashima, Shuichi. Railway Operators in Japan 3: Tohoku and Niigata Region. Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 29 (pp.40–49)
  5. "300km/hのトップランナー" [300 km/h Top Runners]. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 52 no. 612. Japan: Kōyūsha Co., Ltd. April 2012. p. 14.
  6. "新潟の西港区に新幹線、 県が30年後構想". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  7. "とき"395号「上越新幹線開業30周年記念号」運転 [Toki 395 "Joetsu Shinkansen 30th Anniversary"]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  8. おかげさまで上越新幹線開業30周年 [Joetsu Shinkansen 30th Anniversary Celebrations] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company, Niigata Division. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original (pdf) on September 20, 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  9. 1 2 "団体臨時列車「上越新幹線開業30周年記念号」,E5系で運転" [Special "Joetsu Shinkansen 30th Anniversary" runs using E5 series]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
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