120 replies to this topic

[Jynxx]

It´s just another incentive for the economy, the general construction sector, find anywhere you can pour concrete, more donations to the politicians.

[Man_In_Japan]

Well seeing as JR are planning a maximum operating speed of 360km/h on that line Mr Wiggles, then 4 hours is more than enough time from Tokyo to Sapporo.

By that time, there will have been improvements in the noise reduction and braking for the shinkansens.


Tokyo - Shin Aomori is 675kms
Shin Aomoro - Sapporo is 360kms.

Even at 360km/h that would take 2hrs 50 without stopping. Put in a few stops and 4 hours still looks easy enough, taking into account getting up to speed and braking.

[Man_In_Japan]

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain

Do you really think there are that many people between Hachinohe and Sapporo to justify constructing this new line?

According to JR stats

84,833,000 used it for the year up to Nov '09 up to Hachinohe. Wonder how many of those then had to transfer to finish the journey?

[Black Mountain]

Originally Posted By: RobBright

According to JR stats

84,833,000 used it for the year up to Nov '09 up to Hachinohe. Wonder how many of those then had to transfer to finish the journey?

I imagine the number would actually be pretty small. There is no way of knowing how many of those passengers even went any further than Utsunomiya. I am pretty impressed that more than 84 million people used the Tohoku Shinkansen though!

[Man_In_Japan]

Should clarify - that number used the tohoku shinkansen, not up to Hachinohe itself.

[Go Native]

I wouldn't mind seeing it come through Kutchan. It would mean a very quick and easy trip into Sapporo. In fact Sapporo would be an easy commute allowing you to live in Kutchan and work in Sapporo. That would be pretty cool!

[Jynxx]

Or, the other way round ..

[Go Native]

I would never live in a city ever again!

[brit-gob]

Does anyone know how much of it will be in tunnels up there?

[rider69]

Having lived 500 meters away from a shink before the noise is pretty loud when they zip past.

[muikabochi]

Originally Posted By: Go Native

I wouldn't mind seeing it come through Kutchan.

You ready for the great big huge ugly station, Go Native?
Actually are all the plans for that etc finalised?

[Hokkaidough]

Haven't seen any, but that stretch is still a fair bit ways off.

[Go Native]

Originally Posted By: muikabochi

Originally Posted By: Go Native

I wouldn't mind seeing it come through Kutchan.

You ready for the great big huge ugly station, Go Native?
Actually are all the plans for that etc finalised?

Don't think anything is finalised including whether there will be a stop in Kutchan..

[Man_In_Japan]

Originally Posted By: Go Native

Originally Posted By: muikabochi

Originally Posted By: Go Native

I wouldn't mind seeing it come through Kutchan.

You ready for the great big huge ugly station, Go Native?
Actually are all the plans for that etc finalised?

Don't think anything is finalised including whether there will be a stop in Kutchan..

Without sounding stupid, but what is the difference between a planned stop, as in what JR have said, and a finalised stop?

[grungy-gonads]

A plan.
And something that actually happens.
Often things happen between the two.

[Go Native]

As long as I've been here they have been discussing whether or not the shink will stop in Kutchan or whether it may take a different route. As far as I know no absolute final decision has been made on this as yet.

[Mr Wiggles]

Originally Posted By: grungy-gonads

A plan.
And something that actually happens.
Often things happen between the two.

Like the difference between planned speeds and what they can actually manage on the line they can ultimately afford to build. Or the difference between the number of cars on the 1960s plan for the highway and the actual number, usually some small fraction, that use it once the thing is built in 2005.

I think 360km/h four hours to Sapporo is a carrot they are dangling to get the go-ahead. It sounds like it's going to be longer and more expensive than the plane at the 2015 stage when it opens, so they've tacked on some future bonus to make it sound better. The Hokuriku shink is supposed to go on to Kyoto or Osaka in the same way.

Btw, we passed through Itiogawa at the weekend and while it was and is a mess, rider69 is correct in that it is godawful the way the shink line towers over the city.

[stemik]

I wonder if a Winter Olympics in Sapporo is also a carrot?

[pie-eater]

A carrot, yesterday.



Said carrot, undressed (unsuitable for children)

Click to reveal..

[Mr Wiggles]

I bet the carrots used to get more construction in Japan have knobs on too!