Rail firms gear up for bullet train service linking Kagoshima, Osaka

[Guest ___]

FUKUOKA —

 

Railway companies are getting ready for the March start of bullet train services between Kagoshima in the southern tip of Kyushu and Osaka in western Japan.

 

Trains will run on the Kyushu Shinkansen Line’s Kagoshima route and the Sanyo Shinkansen Line.

 

Kyushu Railway Co, operator of the Kyushu Shinkansen Line, and West Japan Railway Co, operator of the Sanyo Shinkansen Line, have held events for children and train fans to showcase the new N700 series of bullet train cars that will be used on the route.

 

The fastest service, called ‘‘Mizuho,’’ will connect Kagoshima-Chuo Station and Shin-Osaka Station in about three hours and 45 minutes. Trains on the ‘‘Sakura’’ service will take longer as they stop at more stations en route.

 

Test runs of the new trains were conducted from August for about three months, while drivers are currently undergoing training.

 

A signboard erected at JR Hakata Station in Fukuoka City is counting down the days until the start of the full service—March 12, 2011.

 

A high school student interviewed at the station voiced anticipation, saying, ‘‘We take the bus when we travel for our club activities, but I hope we can try taking the bullet train for away games.’‘

 

The Kagoshima route will become fully operational in March 2011 when a 130-kilometer section of track—the northern part of the Kagoshima route—between Shin-Yatsushiro Station in Kumamoto Prefecture and Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture—opens.

 

The southern part of the route between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima Chuo stations opened in 2004.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/travel/view/rail-firms-gear-up-for-bullet-train-service-linking-kagoshima-osaka

[Guest ___]

http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0017.html

 

Posted w/o comment

[Tecchan]

I never got why they starded by the southern half... Hakata-Kumamoto seems like more logical than Shin-Yatsushiro-Kagoshima.

 

At least for travellers it will make visiting the South of Kyushu a lot easier. And the new N700 is rather cool! :-)

[Nozomi]

Very useful informatin. Now we know which services are covered by Japan Railpass!

[Guest ___]

gives me another reason to return to Kyushu to see sempai this time by train.

[yakumo381]

Any one know what is going to happen to the Relay Tsubame trains?

[Guest ___]

I thought they were getting service cut back.

 

Japan-Guide

[stevenh]

Yakumo would mean this one:

 

 

I imagine it's path still has local stations 'on the ground' that the shinkansen doesn't visit.

[Tecchan]

Certainly.

But I wonder if they will keep the cross-platform at Shin-Yatsushiro.

The Relay Tsubame arrives right next to the Shinkansen there, to switch train you just have to cross the platform. It's unique in Japan and it was the specificity of Tsubame/Relay Tsubame. I don't  know it they will keep it the same way.

 

PS: my Ngauge Relay Tsubame will keep running!  

[westfalen]

Any one know what is going to happen to the Relay Tsubame trains?

I wouldn't mind betting that we see them running on some services to Nagasaki and Oita again like they did in the past.

[Guest ___]

i eagerly await the day I can ride from Kyushu to Sapporo.

[clem24]

i eagerly await the day I can ride from Kyushu to Sapporo.

 

Well... You kinda could... I don't think I'd be able to stay awake the entire trip. I think the Shinkansen is best enjoyed with medium trips.

[miyakoji]

I think the Shinkansen is best enjoyed with medium trips.

I agree with this.  In addition to rolling stock, stations, and operations, I love the views from a train.  The view from the bullet train is a blur, I never really enjoyed it.  Expresses are my favorites (got my fill of most local services on various seishun 18 journeys), and as the shinkansen routes are extended, it'll be a shame to see more and more express services discontinued.  Some services are safe, I guess; Shikoku, most of the Sea of Japan side of Honshu, most of Hokkaido, and the Boso peninsula will probably never get shinkansens.

[Guest ___]

i eagerly await the day I can ride from Kyushu to Sapporo.

 

Well... You kinda could... I don't think I'd be able to stay awake the entire trip. I think the Shinkansen is best enjoyed with medium trips.

 

If I can do 28 hours to Singapore I can do 10 on a Shinkansen, besides I'd have downtime transferring at Osaka, Tokyo and possibly Aomori. the time on the train to be would be the downtown though. The downtime from photographing trains that is. 

[westfalen]

10 hours on a train is a kind of short trip for us Aussies, what amazes me is in Japan you can go the distance in 10 hours that takes us a day and a half.

 

I usually use long shinkansen trips to get out the timetable and plan what I'm going to do at the other end.

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Hyperdia doesn't seem to have the schedules up yet for the Kyushu Shinkansen post-12 March.

 

Anyone know if they're online anywhere yet?

 

Thanks...

[miyakoji]

Hyperdia doesn't seem to have the schedules up yet for the Kyushu Shinkansen post-12 March.

 

Anyone know if they're online anywhere yet?

 

Thanks...

 

Looks like this guy has it on his blog: http://japanr.blog118.fc2.com/blog-entry-220.html .  The top one is kudari (outbound relative to Tokyo, or southwestbound), second one is nobori (inbound relative to Tokyo, or northeastbound).  I'm looking forward to taking one of the Shin-Osaka to Kumamoto or Kagashima-Chuo someday, that's for sure.

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Thanks!

[miyakoji]

Sorry, wasn't sure if you're looking for English versions, Hyperdia appears to be available in both English and Japanese.  Here are the timetables from http://japanr.blog118.fc2.com/blog-entry-220.html with some English added.

 

Eastbound

 

 

Westbound

 

 

On the eastbound schedule, the times at the last six stations indicate arrival times.