A CEREMONY was held at Toyama station on May 24 to mark the completion of tracklaying on the 228km Nagano – Kanazawa section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, with around 60 dignitaries tightening bolts on the final section of rail.
A 228km section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen is scheduled to open in March 2015, which is one of three extensions to the Japanese high-speed network currently under construction, as Yoshihiko Sato and David Briginshaw explain.
THE first Shinkansen train to be developed jointly by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) was unveiled to the press at JR East's Rifu depot near Sendai on November 28.
EAST Japan Railway Company (JR East) began scheduled operations at 320km/h on the Tohoku Shinkansen with the timetable change on March 16.
JAPAN's minister of transport Mr Yuichiro Hata has approved the construction of three extensions to the Shinkansen high-speed network. The project will cost an estimated Yen 3.04 trillion ($US 38.1bn) and will be mainly funded by national and municipal governments.