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Hokuriku Shinkansen
JR EastE7 series train set F19 on the Hokuriku Shinkansen
Overview
Native name	北陸新幹線
Status	Operational
Owner	JRTT
Locale	Tokyo,Saitama,Gunma,Nagano,Niigata,Toyama,Ishikawa, andFukui Prefectures
Termini	Takasaki,Tokyo (Through services) Tsuruga
Stations	24
Color on map	JR East (#800080)      JR West (#24197c)
Service
Type	High-speed rail (Shinkansen)
System	Shinkansen
Services	Kagayaki,Hakutaka,Tsurugi,Asama
Operator(s)	JR East (from Takasaki toJōetsumyōkō) JR West (from Jōetsumyōkō to Tsuruga)
Depot(s)	Nagano, Hakusan
Rolling stock	E7 series,W7 series
History
Opened	1 October 1997; 28 years ago (1997-10-01)
Last extension	16 March 2024; 20 months ago (2024-03-16), toTsuruga
Technical
Line length	470.6 km (292.4 mi)
Number of tracks	Double-track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge
Minimum radius	4,000 m (2.5 mi; 13,000 ft)
Electrification	Overhead line, 25 kV 50 Hz AC and25 kV 60 Hz AC
Operating speed	260 km/h (162 mph), 275 km/h (171 mph) (Between Omiya and Takasaki Stations)
Signalling	Cab signalling
Train protection system	DS-ATC
Maximum incline	3.0%
Route map

TheHokuriku Shinkansen (Japanese:北陸新幹線) is a high-speedShinkansen railway line connectingTokyo withTsuruga in theHokuriku region ofJapan. It is jointly operated byEast Japan Railway Company (JR East) andWest Japan Railway Company (JR West).

The first section, betweenTakasaki andNagano inNagano Prefecture, opened on 1 October 1997 in time for the1998 Winter Olympics, and was originally called theNagano Shinkansen (長野新幹線). The extension toToyama inToyama Prefecture and Kanazawa inIshikawa Prefecture opened on 14 March 2015.^[1] Construction of a further section onward toFukui andTsuruga inFukui Prefecture, covering 125 kilometers and six stations, commenced in 2012 and opened on 16 March 2024.^[2] The route of the final section to Shin-Osaka was decided on 20 December 2016 as the Osaka–Kyoto route,^[3] with construction expected to begin in the late 2020s and take about 25 years, after impact assessment procedures for areas along the line are completed.^[4]

Since March 2015, services on the line are split into four types, with train names as listed below.^[5] Trains operate over theJoetsu andTohoku Shinkansen tracks between Tokyo and Takasaki.

•  Kagayaki: Tokyo–Tsuruga, limited-stop service, since 14 March 2015
•  Hakutaka: Tokyo–Tsuruga, mostly all-stations service, since 14 March 2015
•  Tsurugi: Toyama–Tsuruga, mostly all-stations shuttle service, since 14 March 2015
•  Asama: Tokyo–Nagano, mostly all-stations service, corresponding to existing Nagano Shinkansen service introduced in 1997

The original Nagano ShinkansenAsama services, introduced in 1997, replaced the conventionalShin'etsu Main Line limited express services, also namedAsama, which previously took 2 hours 50 minutes from Tokyo (Ueno Station) to Nagano. Following the opening of the Shinkansen, part of the conventional line was abandoned betweenYokokawa andKaruizawa. This section included the steeply-gradedUsui Pass which required the use ofbank engines on all trains. Travel time between Tokyo and Tsuruga is 3 hours 8 minutes, 50 minutes shorter than using a conventional train between Kanazawa and Tsuruga.^[6]

Legend:

• The boundary betweenJR East andJR West lies immediately to the north ofJōetsumyōkō Station.
• Stations in italics are not currently operational.

As of 2024, the maximum line speed is 110 km/h (70 mph) between Tokyo and Ueno, 130 km/h (81 mph) between Ueno and Omiya,^[10] 275 km/h (170 mph) between Omiya and Takasaki,^[11] and 260 km/h (160 mph) between Takasaki and Tsuruga.^[12]

• E7 series 12-car "F" sets" (since 15 March 2014)^[13]
• W7 series 12-car "W" sets" (since 14 March 2015)

With the start of Nagano Shinkansen services, trains were operated by a new fleet of JR EastE2 series 8-car sets. A fleet of 17 newE7 series 12-car trainsets were phased in from March 2014, and these were augmented by a fleet of 10 JR WestW7 series 12-car sets introduced from March 2015. The fleet of W7 series was purchased at a cost of ¥32.8 billion.^[14] The remaining E2 series trainsets were withdrawn from Hokuriku Shinkansen services on 31 March 2017.^[15]

In 2019, ten trains, eight from JR East with a book value of ¥11.8 billion and two from JR West, were damaged when a train yard inNagano was flooded as the Chikuma River overflowed duringtyphoon Hagibis.^[14][16] As a result, JR West suffered a loss of¥3 billion (2019) (US$27.52 million).^[16]

• East i (E926)

• E2 series 8-car "N" sets on Tokyo - NaganoAsama services only
• E2 series 8-car "J" sets
• E4 series 8-car "P50/P80" sets asMax Asama
• 200 series 12-car set F80 during February 1998 only

The originalE2 series 8-car "J" sets, primarily used onTohoku Shinkansen services were also used on someAsama services until they were subsequently lengthened to 10 cars. One specially-modified200 series set, numbered F80, was used on additionalAsama services in February 1998 during the1998 Winter Olympics held in Nagano. The train was modified to operate on both 25 kV AC 50 Hz and 60 Hz overhead power supplies, incorporated weight-saving measures to comply with the 16 tonne axle load restriction, and included additional control equipment to cope with the 30‰ gradient of the Nagano Shinkansen.^[17] Its maximum speed was limited to 210 km/h (130 mph).^[17] The last services operated using eight-car E2 series trainsets ran on 31 March 2017, from which date allAsama services were formed of E7 and W7 series trainsets.^[18]

• 
  Nagano Shinkansen E2 series "N" set (Set N11) approaching Tokyo, June 2002
• 
  Nagano Shinkansen E2 series "J" set (Set J6) approachingKaruizawa, February 1998
• 
  An E4 series set (Set P14)
• 
  Modified set F80 on a Nagano ShinkansenAsama service, February 1998

The initial section between Takasaki and Nagano opened on 1 October 1997, in time for the1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

Between May 2012 and March 2014, station platforms on the Nagano Shinkansen had their platform roofs extended to handle theE7 series 12-car trains which entered service in March 2014 ahead of the March 2015 opening of the extension beyond Nagano.^[19] The Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Nagano toKanazawa opened in March 2015.^[19] The 113-km extension from Kanazawa to Tsuruga was approved for construction in June 2012.^[20]

From the start of the revised timetable on 15 March 2014, E7 series trainsets were introduced onAsama services.^[13] Initially used on seven return services daily, this number was increased to eleven return services daily from 19 April 2014.^[13]

The line's legal name has always been Hokuriku Shinkansen. However, just before the opening of the Nagano section, JR East decided that using this name in passenger service was to be avoided. From March 22, 1997 until the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa, the primary route for Hokuriku customers (from the Tokyo area) was to use theJoetsu Shinkansen toEchigo-Yuzawa Station, then transfer toHakutaka via theHokuetsu Express, rendering using the Takasaki–Nagano section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen meaningless for them. Therefore, JR East sought other names.^[21]

On the other hand, local governments in Hokuriku, fearing construction west of Nagano may be halted, petitioned that the name "Hokuriku" should remain in use for operational purposes.^[22]

JR East announced the following solution on July 25, 1997:^[23]

• Voice announcements using "Nagano Shinkansen"
• Tokyo area stations using depictions with "Nagano-bound Shinkansen".
• Stations betweenAnnaka-Haruna Station andNagano Station depicting "Shinkansen" only.

Soon, "Nagano-bound Shinkansen" fell out of use, and timetables by various publishers use "Nagano Shinkansen" only.^[24] Construction to Kanazawa was officially decided, thereby reducing the opposition to the name.

Construction of the extension from Nagano to Kanazawa was completed on 24 May 2014.^[25] When services commenced in March 2015, the travel time from Tokyo to Toyama was reduced to about 2 hours, with Kanazawa an additional 30 minutes away.^[25] Final permission to start construction to Fukui was granted in December 2011, with modification works to Fukui Station already in progress for several years in anticipation of the extension.^[26] The extension to Tsuruga was approved for construction on 30 June 2012,^[27] and opened on 16 March 2024.^[28] Beyond Jōetsumyōkō Station, the line is operated byWest Japan Railway Company (JR West) instead ofEast Japan Railway Company (JR East).^[29]

Many people speculated about and discussed what the line's operational name should be after Nagano–Kanazawa section is completed.

Nagano economic associations argued a sudden change in name will confuse customers, propose "Nagano–Hokuriku Shinkansen" to be used.^[30] In contrast government officials and economic associations in Hokuriku region defended the legal name, including statements such as "a just result should come after 3 prefectures striving for 40 years".^[31][32][33]

Section west of Jōetsumyōkō belongs to JR West, which did not state an opinion and used "Hokuriku Shinkansen" only.^[34]

On October 2, 2013, JR East announced formal line name will be Hokuriku Shinkansen (consistent withNational Shinkansen Railway Development Act) and depicted asHokuriku Shinkansen (via Nagano) to reflect its expansion into the region, resolving the naming issue.^[35]

Test-running on the JR East section of the line between Nagano and Kurobe-Unazukionsen commenced on 1 December 2013, initially at low speeds using the "East i" test train.^[36] From 6 December, test-running commenced using 10-carE2 series trainsets, with running speeds gradually increased to the full line speed of 260 km/h (160 mph).^[36] Test-running continued until the end of March 2014.^[36] Test-running on the entire line between Nagano and Kanazawa (Hakusan Depot) started on 1 August 2014, using the "East i" test train.^[37] Test-running using W7 series trains commenced on 5 August 2014, initially at low speed, on the JR West section betweenKanazawa andJōetsumyōkō.^[38]

In the months preceding the opening, JR West conducted various low speed runs on the newKanazawa-Tsuruga section using "East i" test trains on 23 September 2023.^[39] Runs using regularW7 series trainsets started on 26 September.^[39] Regular passenger service began on 16 March 2024, with ceremonies at bothTsuruga andTōkyō from the respective presidents ofJR West andJR East.^[40] The extension cost¥1.67 trillion (US$15.22 billion) to build.^[41]

In accordance with the opening of the extension, thelimited express serviceThunderbird ended its service betweenTsuruga andKanazawa on 15 March 2024.^[42]

The route of the final section fromTsuruga toŌsaka was finalized on 20 December 2016 as the Obama–Kyoto route.^[3]JRTT proposed three possible stations in Kyoto at an August 8, 2024 meeting.^[43] Two options include a new station underground near Kyoto Station. The third option is a newly constructed station near Katsuragawa Station, also underground. The route extension is estimated to cost up to 5.3 trillion yen and require up to 28 years to complete construction.^[44]

Including the Obama-Kyoto route, the following four options were under consideration before the December 2016 announcement,^[45] with a fifth unofficial option suggested by a local politician.^[46]

1. Maibara Route (米原ルート): This involved building a full standard shinkansen track toMaibara Station. The proposal was one third of the length of the Obama Route, and provided good access to both Kyoto and Nagoya. However, a severe drawback was that it would have resulted in longer travel time to Osaka than the other options and trains would have had to use the existing, already heavily congestedTokaido Shinkansen tracks between Maibara and Shin-Osaka.
2. Kosei Route (湖西ルート): This involved no new track construction; instead, this proposal would have upgraded theKosei Line toKyōto, either by regauging or dual-gauging the line to supportMini-Shinkansen, or alternatively utilizingGauge Change Train (GCT) operations. This was the cheapest option, but meant train speeds would likely be limited to a maximum of 160 km/h (100 mph) and hence travel times would have been longer than the other options.
3. Obama Route (小浜ルート): First proposed in 1973,^[45] this route involved building a full standard shinkansen track viaObama andKameoka. It was the shortest route to Osaka, but also the most expensive (approximately 1 trillion yen), and would have bypassedKyōto.
4. Obama–Kyoto Route (小浜・京都ルート): This, the now selected route, was first made public in August 2015, and involves following the proposed Obama Route west as far as Obama and then building shinkansen track southward to link with the Tokaido Shinkansen atKyōto. Including Kyoto on the route is seen as important to increase tourism.^[45]
5. Maizuru Route (舞鶴ルート): Kyoto politician,Shoji Nishida's proposal from Tsuruga, via Obama, to Maizuru then south-east to Kyoto City, southern Osaka City, andKansai International Airport.^[46] This option did not have a price estimated, but would have likely been the most expensive due to the scale of the proposal. Its case was to provide development to the Maizuru region as per the Japanese national government's policy, with the Maizuru Maritime Self-Defence Force Base and several nuclear power stations put forward as reasonable traffic generators. The option to extend the line south of Kyoto to a new Osaka station (Tennōji, located in the south east of Osaka City) was seen as a means to avoid the congestion of the Tokaido line. It may have served as an alternative route or terminus to Shin-Osaka station for Tokaido line trains, reducing Tokaido line congestion.

A government committee deliberating the proposals decided in April 2016 to narrow the proposed route to three alignments betweenTsuruga andKyōto and two alignments between Kyoto andShin-Ōsaka (a northern route throughMinoh and a southern route through theKansai Science City). On 6 March 2017 the government committee announced the chosen route from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka is to be via Kyotanabe, with a station at Matsuiyamate on theKatamachi Line.^[47][48] There are also requests from Kyoto City and Kyoto Prefecture, local governments along the route, to further extend the line toKansai Airport.^[49][50]

In an attempt to extend the benefits of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to stations west of Tsuruga before the section to Shin-Osaka is completed, JR West was working in partnership with Talgo on the development of aGauge Change Train (GCT), which was proposed to be capable of operating under both the 25 kV AC electrification used on the Shinkansen and the 1.5 kV DC system employed on conventional lines. The six-car train was due to start trials on the Hokuriku Shinkansen and the 1067 mm-gauge Hokuriku and Kosei lines in 2017. As part of the project JR West had begun trials with a purpose-built 180 m-long gauge-changer at Tsuruga.^[51] However, as a result of the abandonment of the proposed use of a GCT on the West Kyushu Shinkansen to Nagasaki by JR Kyushu, in August 2018 JR West announced that the proposed GCT between Tsuruga and Osaka had been abandoned.^[52]

With the opening of the initial Nagano Shinkansen section in October 1997, the section of the conventional (narrow gauge)Shinetsu Main Line running along approximately the same route betweenKaruizawa andShinonoi was transferred from the control of JR East to a newly establishedthird-sector railway operating company,Shinano Railway, becoming theShinano Railway Line.

With the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension north of Nagano on 14 March 2015, the conventional lines running along approximately the same route were transferred from the control of their respective JR owning companies to newly established third-sector railway operating companies funded primarily by the prefectural and municipal governments through which the lines pass. A total of 252.2 km (156.7 mi) of route between Nagano and Kanazawa was transferred to four separate operating companies, including 75.0 km (46.6 mi) of theShinetsu Main Line between Nagano andNaoetsu, and 177.2 km (110.1 mi) of theHokuriku Main Line between Naoetsu and Kanazawa.^[53] Details of the five third-sector operating companies and their respective lines are as shown below.^[53]

In 2019, it was decided that the section of the Hokuriku Main Line between Tsuruga and Fukui would be transferred to third-sector railway operating companies.^[54] Three years later in 2022, it was determined that the section would be split among two operators. The IR Ishikawa Railway would extend their operations from Kanazawa to Daishoji,^[55] while a new company, Hapi-Line Fukui,^[56] established during the preparation phase, would take over the section between Daishoji and Tsuruga. Hapi-Line Fukui is took over the 84.3 km (52.4 mi) section of the Hokuriku Main Line on 16 March 2024.^[57]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHokuriku Shinkansen.

• JR East website(in Japanese)
• JR West website(in Japanese)
• Ishikawa Prefecture: Hokuriku Shinkansen construction page(in Japanese)
• Fukui Prefecture: Hokuriku Shinkansen Construction Promotion Division(in Japanese)

• Hokuriku Shinkansen
• Railway lines opened in 1997
• Lines of East Japan Railway Company
• Lines of West Japan Railway Company
• High-speed railway lines in Japan
• Standard-gauge railways in Japan
• 1997 establishments in Japan
• 25 kV AC railway electrification

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