Hokuriku Shinkansen

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Image:Hokuriku-Shinkansen.png 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. The current line extends 117.4 km.

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 trains run along the Joetsu and Tohoku lines from Tokyo to Takasaki.

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).

Smoking on all Asama trains was prohibited from December 2005.

1 Future
2 Stations
- 2.1 Operational
- 2.2 Planned

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Future

Future plans for the Hokuriku Shinkansen eventually include extension as far as Osaka via Toyama and Kanazawa. Parts of the 162.1 km section to Toyama began as early as 1993, and as of 2005 construction is currently underway as far as Kanazawa, including the 22.2 km Iiyama tunnel which is about 40% complete as of 2005. Completion as far as Toyama is expected by 2012, with service to Kanazawa tentatively scheduled for 2014. Construction to Fukui is scheduled to begin 2008, with the final leg to Osaka not yet finalized.

Beyond Joetsu station, the line will be operated by JR West instead of JR East.

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