Hokuriku Shinkansen
|
|
The Hokuriku Shinkansen (北陸新幹線) is a shinkansen rail line which opened in 1997 between Takasaki and Nagano; it is called the Nagano Shinkansen (長野新幹線) in JR East publicity and timetables. It was constructed to connect Tokyo and Nagano in time for the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
Asama superexpress trains, named for an active volcano alongside the line, currently connect Tokyo and Nagano in a minimum of 79 minutes, at a maximum speed of 260 km/h. These services are run by JR East E2 series. There are approximately 2 services an hour; stopping patterns are varied, with only a few services stopping at all stations.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen services replaced the conventional Shin-etsu Main Line Express services, also named Asama, which previously took 2 h 50 min from Tokyo (Ueno Station) to Nagano. Following the opening of the Shinkansen, part of the conventional line was abandoned between Yokokawa and Karuizawa. This segment of the line had a notoriously steep gradient.
A new island platform was constructed at Tokyo Station to coincide with the new services; this increased the number of JR East shinkansen platforms to 2 (serving 4 tracks).
Future plans for the Hokuriku Shinkansen eventually include extension as far as Osaka via Toyama and Kanazawa; construction is currently underway as far as Kanazawa. Completion as far as Toyama is expected by 2012. As of yet, plans have not been finalized as far as Osaka.
Stations
Operational
Takasaki (高崎)
Annaka-Haruna (安中榛名）
Karuizawa (軽井沢)
Sakudaira (佐久平）
Ueda (上田）
Nagano (長野)
Planned
Iiyama (飯山)
Joetsu [tentative] (上越)
Itoigawa (糸魚川）
Shin-Kurobe (新黒部）
Toyama (富山)
Shin-Takaoka (新高岡)
Kanazawa (金沢）
Komatsu (小松)
Kaga-Onsen (加賀温泉）
Awara-Onsen (芦原温泉)
Fukui (福井）
Nanetsu (南越)
Tsuruga (敦賀)
Shin-Osaka (大阪)