Kyushu Shinkansen

Kyushu Shinkansen
800 Series Shinkansen Tsubame at Shin-Minamata Station in November 2004
Overview
Native name九州新幹線
Owner JRTT
LocaleKyushu (Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima Prefectures)
Termini
Stations
  • 12 (Kagoshima Route)
  • 5 (Nagasaki Route)
Color on map     Red (#FF0000)
Service
TypeHigh-speed rail
SystemShinkansen
ServicesMizuho, Sakura, Tsubame
Operator(s)Logo of the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). JR Kyushu
Depot(s)
  • Kumamoto
  • Sendai
  • Omura (Western Kyushu Route)
Rolling stock
History
Opened
  • 13 March 2004; 20 years ago (2004-03-13) (Kagoshima-Chuo to Shin-Yatsuhiro)
  • 12 March 2011; 13 years ago (2011-03-12) (The entire Kagoshima Route)
  • 23 September 2022; 2 years ago (2022-09-23) (Nagasaki to Takeo Onsen)
  • Unknown (The Entire Nagasaki Route)
Technical
Line length256.8 km (159.6 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius4,000 m (2.5 mi; 13,000 ft)
Electrification25 kV 60 Hz AC (overhead line)
Operating speed260 km/h (162 mph)
Route map

The Kyushu Shinkansen (九州新幹線, Kyūshū Shinkansen) is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima (Kagoshima-Chuo Station) in the south. The line runs parallel to the existing Kagoshima Main Line and is operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu).

The southernmost 127 km (79 mi) section of the track was constructed first, opening on 13 March 2004. The dual-track offered a significant improvement in transit time over the equivalent single-track section of the Kagoshima Main Line, despite the need for passengers to change to a Relay Tsubame narrow gauge train at Shin-Yatsushiro, and the remainder of the journey to Hakata Station. The northernmost 130 km (81 mi) section opened on 12 March 2011, enabling through-services to Shin-Osaka (and with an interchange, to Tokyo). However, opening ceremonies were cancelled due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[1]

The Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen route to Nagasaki (from Takeo-Onsen to Nagasaki) opened on 23 September 2022.[2][3] A cross-platform interchange to a relay service called 'Relay Kamome' at Takeo-Onsen station offers a connection to Hakata.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ 九州新幹線全線開通 博多－鹿児島中央 計画決定から３８年 / 西日本新聞 [The entire Kyushu Shinkansen line opens Hakata-Kagoshima Chuo 38 years after the plan was decided]. nishinippon.co.jp (in Japanese). 13 March 2011. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Construction of new bullet train route starts in Kyushu : National : …". Daily Yomiuri Online. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  3. ^ 建設計画・ルート [Construction plan / route] (in Japanese). Pref.nagasaki.jp. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Shorter N700S to serve Nagasaki". railwaygazette.com. 29 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  5. ^ 2022年度秋頃に西九州新幹線が開業します!列車名「かもめ」 [The West Kyushu Shinkansen will open in the fall of 2022! Train name "Kamome"]. jrkyushu.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  6. ^ "JR初の新型特急｢783系｣は型破りな異端児だった ｢ハイパーサルーン｣の愛称でJR九州の主力担う" [JR's first new limited express "783 series" is the mainstay of JR Kyushu under the nickname of "Hyper Saloon", which was an unconventional heretic.]. Toyokeizai Online (in Japanese). 30 July 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2022.