Other news re. JR Hokkaido

[bikkuri bahn]

Hakodate Liner may be expanded to 6 car trains for peak period services.

 

It appears JR Hokkaido is considering adding an additional 3 carriages to the originally planned 3 carriage Hakodate Liner shuttle services between Shin-Hakodate Hokuto and Hakodate, scheduled to start next spring.  The additional carriages will require lengthening of a platform at Shin Hakodate Hokuto Station.  Cited was the capacity of a Hokkaido Shinkansen H5 trainset at 731 passengers, while the capacity of a 3 carriage shuttle train would be 441 passengers.  Doubling that number would ensure all could get a ride to Hakodate during heavy traffic periods.  Business interests are welcoming the move.

http://dd.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/area/donan/1-0151676.html

 

Hokkaido Shinkansen terminal platforms may be located west of the main Sapporo Station platforms.

 

It has come to light that JR Hokkaido is considering locating the platforms of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, scheduled for completion to Sapporo in 2030, approx. 300m west of the current station.  Originally it was planned to build the shinkansen platforms at the current location of the (south side) #1 and #2 zairaisen tracks, and build a new zairaisen platform on the north side.  However, doing so would result in traffic conflicts affecting up to 100 scheduled zairaisen services due to trains crossing over, so the option of building at the west location is being considered.  However, having shinkansen platforms at that location would reduce greatly convenience for passengers, as they would be located far from subway and long distance bus connections.

http://dd.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/economy/economy/1-0152629.html

Edited July 3, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[Sacto1985]

If JR Hokkaido decides to build the Hokkaido Shinkansen platforms 300 meters west of the main Sapporo Station, they may have to seriously look at building a long moving sidewalk system from the Shinkansen platform back to the current station.

[bikkuri bahn]

I think they should build on top of the current station platform structure (the roof serves as a parking lot currently).  Do some Tohoku Junkan Line style engineering works.  I'm afraid that JR Hokkaido will plead poverty to such a scheme though.

[katoftw]

So they are gonna move the original commuter platforms to new location, then build the Shinkansen platforms in that old location.  Now cannot, so they are building the Shinkansen platforms 300m away.

 

Why don't they just build the Shinkansen platforms in the "new" location instead of the commuter platforms.  Saves spending moeny on moving the commuter platforms.

[kvp]

Considering how cramped the space around the station is right now, they either have to build above it or remove two cape gauge tracks completly. Although the latter would compromise the current commuter operations.

 

I think the cleanest solution would be to build above the station, even above the current car park. 300 meters west is a narrow one street wide park that ends in a small backstreet at the red circle. Building there would mean the buffer stops would be a the western side of the current station building or around 100 meters from the main enterance. Walking the full length of the shinkansen and another 100 meters instead of just half the shinkansen is not really a good idea. Also the station would turn into a terminal instead of the original through station configuration and there would be no space left to extend from two tracks, but at least they would have the space to extend the length of the trains. Building above the current station would solve both problems and building an elevated station above a park or an existing station should cost around the same, except the height of the support columns.