Free gauge trains for Hokuriku Shinkansen?

[bikkuri bahn]

Gov't considers free-gauge trains for Hokuriku Shinkansen, local line in Kansai

An E2 Series bullet train, which is serving as a design model for the new E7 Series to be launched in 2015. (Mainichi)The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry is considering introducing free-gauge trains for through services between the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line and a local line to the Kansai region around Osaka, a ministry official has disclosed.

 

At a Feb. 1 meeting of an experts' panel, an official said that the ministry is considering using trains with variable gauge axels to connect services between the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line and a local line into the Kansai region to enhance convenience and to increase the lines' profitability.

 

Since the gauges of superexpress lines and local lines are different, free-gauge trains are indispensable for through services between the two types of lines. Shinkansen lines use the standard gauge of 1,435 millimeters while a narrow gauge of 1,067 millimeters is used for local tracks.

 

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120202p2a00m0na014000c.html

[miyakoji]

Or maybe they should convert the zairai lines in question to 1435mm like JRE did with the Ou Main Line--148.6km of it.  I don't get the impression that they're really that far along with the variable gauge technology.  I've seen only one video of the current test train running under its own power.  Kind of like the HD300!  And, I haven't read anything about it running on the actual shinkansen.

 

I can only assume they've done all the background they need to do to prove this investment is worth it.  Otherwise I'd think they might consider something like what Hokuetsu Kyuko does, running zairai lines at 160km/h.  And, they do it with the JRW 681/683 series rolling stock that's already running on the Hokuriku Main Line.

[bikkuri bahn]

The problem with 1435mm gauge conversion is the Hokuriku/Kosei Lines are vital main lines for freight traffic to Western Japan, not just from Hokuriku/Tohoku but also Hokkaido. The converted lines in Tohoku were secondary lines, with little or no freight traffic left.

[westfalen]

How much is it worth spending to spare passengers the inconvenience of getting up out of their seats and walking across the platform from one train to another?

[linkey]

How much is it worth spending to spare passengers the inconvenience of getting up out of their seats and walking across the platform from one train to another?

 

Sounds like the pages of the old days of the Spirit of Progress there westy. Having the Victorian train get to Albury and then passengers changed trains to go all the way to Sydney until the 1960's where standard gauge got placed down all the way to Melbourne for continious running. All East-coast Australia needs now is the shinkansen to be running :D

 

meanwhile getting back on topic, wouldn't it be cheaper to have the rail line that is already in place and just re-gauge it? Or is there a reason why they are opting to create a whole new shinkansen line from scratch?

[disturbman]

Meanwhile getting back on topic, wouldn't it be cheaper to have the rail line that is already in place and just re-gauge it? Or is there a reason why they are opting to create a whole new shinkansen line from scratch?

 

You know, building a few train sets with variable gauges will always be cheaper than to have to regauge a hundred ans something kms of line. They could actually simply had a third rail and have a dual gauge line (like it has been done in some places in Spain).

 

What I don't understand it's the interest to have a direct liaison between Osaka/Kyoto/Maibara - Kanazawa -  Toyama - Nagano and Takasaki. Thre is enough Limited Express not to need to introduce a new Shinkansen slow pace service. I guess they want to jack up the price and demonstrate they can have variable-gauge HST.

[miyakoji]

What I don't understand it's the interest to have a direct liaison between Osaka/Kyoto/Maibara - Kanazawa -  Toyama - Nagano and Takasaki. Thre is enough Limited Express not to need to introduce a new Shinkansen slow pace service. I guess they want to jack up the price and demonstrate they can have variable-gauge HST.

Yeah, I think you're right about there being sufficient limited expresses, and the 681/683 rolling stock is fairly new.  Wikipedia says that the first 683 series 4000 subseries arrived in December of 2008 and the last left Kinki Sharyo's factory on July 22 of last year!  These were built to replace some 485s that had to be retired.  In related matters, a 683-4000 end car was irreparably damaged in a crash on November 29th, so they're down a set.  I wonder if they'll replace that one.  Link below.

 

I don't thinking increasing the price will cover the cost of construction over any meaningfully shorter period of time.  Demonstrating the tech--you might have something here.  Lastly, it might just be make-work construction work.

 

http://railf.jp/news/2012/01/02/200000.html