Hokkaido Shinkansen

The Hokkaido Shinkansen (北海道新幹線, Hokkaidō Shinkansen) is a Japanese high-speed shinkansen rail line constructed between Aomori Prefecture in Honshu and Hokkaido through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May 2005, and the initial Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto section is scheduled to open on 26 March 2016. The line to Sapporo is scheduled to open in fiscal year 2030. The line will be operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido).

Outline

In preparation for the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, the Seikan Tunnel (Kaikyō Line) was converted to dual gauge, with both the Shinkansen 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) standard and 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge tracks.

Operations

Service types

Two train service types will operate on the Hokkaido Shinkansen: limited-stop Hayabusa services between Tokyo or Sendai and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, and semi-fast Hayate services between Morioka or Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.

From the start of the 26 March 2016 timetable revision, ten return Hayabusa services will operate daily between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, and one return service will operate daily between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. One return Hayate service will operate daily between Morioka and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, and one return service daily will operate between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.

Hokkaido

Hokkaido (北海道, Hokkaidō, literally "Northern Sea Circuit") (Japanese: [hokkaido]), formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is the 2nd largest island of Japan, and the largest and northernmost prefecture. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel. The largest city on Hokkaido is its capital, Sapporo, which is also its only ordinance-designated city.

History

Hokkaido was settled by the Ainu,Nivkh, and Orok peoples many years ago. The Nihon Shoki, finished in 720 AD, is often said to be the first mention of Hokkaido in recorded history. According to the text, Abe no Hirafu led a large navy and army to northern areas from 658 to 660 and came into contact with the Mishihase and Emishi. One of the places Hirafu went to was called Watarishima (渡島), which is often believed to be present-day Hokkaido. However, many theories exist in relation to the details of this event, including the location of Watarishima and the common belief that the Emishi in Watarishima were the ancestors of the present-day Ainu people.

Hokkaido Railway Company

The Hokkaido Railway Company (北海道旅客鉄道株式会社, Hokkaidō Ryokaku Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of JR Hokkaido (JR北海道, Jeiāru Hokkaidō). It operates intercity rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart card ticketing system, from autumn 2008.

At the time of its privatization in 1987, JR Hokkaido operated 21 railway lines totalling 3,176.6 kilometres (1,973.8 mi) of narrow-gauge (1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)) track, as well as a ferry service to Aomori. Since then, that number has dwindled to just below 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi), as unprofitable lines have been shut down or spun off (in the case of the Hokkaidō Chihoku Kōgen Railway). The ferry service has also been replaced by the Seikan Tunnel.

Hokkaido Railway's headquarters are in Chūō-ku, Sapporo.

History

H5 Series Shinkansen

The H5 series (H5系) is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type on order by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) for use on Hokkaido Shinkansen services starting when the line opens in March 2016. Based on the earlier E5 series trains, a total of four 10-car sets are on order, to be built by Hitachi and Kawasaki Heavy Industries at a cost of approximately 18 billion yen. The first two sets were delivered in October 2014.

Design

The H5 series is directly based on the E5 series trains operated by JR East on the Tohoku Shinkansen since 2011, and will have an identical maximum operating speed of 320 km/h (200 mph), although this will be limited to 260 km/h (160 mph) on the Hokkaido Shinkansen, and to 140 km/h (85 mph) on the shared track running through the undersea Seikan Tunnel connecting Hokkaido with mainland Honshu. All cars feature active suspension, and tilt by up 1.5 degrees through curves, allowing the maximum speed of 320 km/h to be maintained even on curves with a radius of 4,000 m.