San'yō Shinkansen

The San'yō Shinkansen (山陽新幹線) is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Osaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan. Operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West), it is a westward continuation of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and also serves other major cities in between on Honshu and Kyushu islands such as Kobe, Himeji, Okayama, Hiroshima, and Kitakyushu. The Kyushu Shinkansen continues south of Hakata to Kagoshima. The San'yō Shinkansen connects Hakata with Osaka in two and a half hours, with trains operating at a maximum operating speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) for most of the journey[2] Some Nozomi trains operate continuously on San'yō and Tōkaidō Shinkansen lines, connecting Tokyo and Hakata in five hours.

San'yō Shinkansen
N700 Series Shinkansen between Okayama and Aioi, April 2009
Overview
Native name山陽新幹線
Owner JR West
LocaleOsaka, Hyōgo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi and Fukuoka Prefectures
TerminiShin-Ōsaka
Hakata
Stations19
Service
TypeShinkansen
Operator(s) JR West
Depot(s)Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Hakata
Rolling stock500 series
700 series
N700 series
Daily ridership110,004 passengers per km per day (FY2014)[1]
History
Opened15 March 1972
Technical
Line length553.7 km (344.1 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV AC, 60 Hz, overhead catenary
Operating speed300 km/h (185 mph)
Route map

Trains

Train sets operating on the line include:

Stations

All stations on the San'yō Shinkansen are owned and operated by JR West, with the exception of Shin-Osaka which is run by Central Japan Railway Company (JR central). Kodama trains stop at all stations; other services have varying stopping patterns. All trains stop at Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kokura, and Hakata. Nozomi and Mizuho trains cannot be used by tourists travelling with a Japan Rail Pass.

Station Japanese Distance (km)
from Tokyo		 Transfers Location
Through service to Tokyo on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen (16 car sets only)
Shin-Ōsaka 新大阪 515.4 Tōkaidō Shinkansen (through service)
JR Kyoto Line (JR-A46)
Osaka Higashi Line (JR-F02)
Midosuji Line (M13)		 Yodogawa-ku, Osaka Osaka Prefecture
Shin-Kobe 新神戸 548.0 Hokushin Line and Seishin-Yamate Line (S02) Chūō-ku, Kobe Hyōgo Prefecture
Nishi-Akashi 西明石 570.2 JR Kobe Line (JR-A74) Akashi
Himeji 姫路 601.3 JR Kobe Line (JR-A85)
Sanyō Main Line
Bantan Line
Kishin Line
Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line (SY 43: Sanyo Himeji Station)		 Himeji
Aioi 相生 621.3 Sanyō Main Line
Ako Line		 Aioi
Okayama 岡山 676.3 Sanyō Main Line
Uno Line ( Seto-Ōhashi Line)
Hakubi Line
Tsuyama Line
Kibi Line
Okayama Electric Tramway Higashiyama Main Line		 Kita-ku, Okayama Okayama Prefecture
Shin-Kurashiki 新倉敷 702.1 San'yō Main Line Kurashiki
Fukuyama 福山 733.1 Sanyō Main Line
Fukuen Line		 Fukuyama Hiroshima Prefecture
Shin-Onomichi 新尾道 750.5   Onomichi
Mihara 三原 761.0 Sanyō Main Line
Kure Line		 Mihara
Higashi-Hiroshima 東広島 791.9   Higashihiroshima
Hiroshima 広島 821.2 Sanyō Main Line
Geibi Line
Kabe Line
Kure Line
■M Hiroshima Electric Railway Main Line		 Minami-ku, Hiroshima
Shin-Iwakuni 新岩国 865.4 Nishikigawa Seiryu Line (Seiryū-Shin-Iwakuni Station) Iwakuni Yamaguchi Prefecture
Tokuyama 徳山 903.5 ■ Sanyō Main Line
■ Gantoku Line		 Shunan
Shin-Yamaguchi (formerly Ogori) 新山口 944.6 ■ Sanyō Main Line
■ Yamaguchi Line
■ Ube Line		 Yamaguchi
Asa 厚狭 968.7 ■ Sanyō Main Line
■ Mine Line		 Sanyō-Onoda
Shin-Shimonoseki 新下関 992.5 ■ Sanyō Main Line Shimonoseki
Kokura 小倉 1013.2 Kagoshima Main Line
Nippo Main Line
Hita-Hikosan Line
Kitakyushu Monorail		 Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyūshū Fukuoka Prefecture
Hakata 博多 1069.1 Kyushu Shinkansen (through service)
■ Hakata-Minami Line
Kagoshima Main Line
Sasaguri Line
Fukuoka Subway Airport Line		 Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Through service to Kagoshima-Chūō on the Kyushu Shinkansen (8 car sets only)

As of 2012, the maximum line speed is, West-bound 285 km/h (175 mph) between Shin-Ōsaka and Shin-Kobe, 275 km/h (170 mph) between Shin-Kobe and Nishi-Akashi, and 300 km/h (185 mph) between Nishi-Akashi and Hakata. East-bound it is 300 km/h (185 mph) between Hakata and Himeji, 275 km/h (170 mph) between Himeji and Shin-Kobe and 300 km/h (185 mph) between Shin-Kobe and Shin-Ōsaka.[2]

History
700 series Hikari Rail Star train

Construction of the San'yō Shinkansen between Shin-Ōsaka and Okayama was authorized on September 9, 1965, and commenced on March 16, 1967. Construction between Okayama and Hakata commenced on February 10, 1970. The Shin-Ōsaka to Okayama segment opened on March 15, 1972; the remainder of the line opened on March 10, 1975. The first Hikari trains, using 0 series trains, made the Shin-Ōsaka to Hakata run in 3 hours 44 minutes. This was shortened to 2 hours 59 minutes in 1986 with an increase in maximum speed to 220 km/h (140 mph). 100 series trains, introduced in 1989, boosted maximum speed to 230 km/h (140 mph) and reduced travel time to 2 hours 49 minutes.

Tokyo to Hakata Nozomi services began on March 18, 1993, using 300 series trains. The Shin-Ōsaka to Hakata run was reduced to 2 hours 32 minutes, at a maximum speed of 270 km/h (170 mph). On March 22, 1997, the 500 series entered service on Nozomi services between Shin-Ōsaka and Hakata, reducing that run to 2 hours 17 minutes at a maximum speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).

The 700 series was introduced on Tokyo-Hakata Nozomi services on March 13, 1999, coinciding with the opening of Asa Station, and on March 11, 2000, 700 series trains were introduced on Hikari Rail Star services.

Ogori Station was renamed Shin-Yamaguchi Station on October 1, 2003.

The N700 series was launched on Nozomi services on July 1, 2007, with a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) (compared to 285 km/h or 177 mph for the 700 series).

From the start of the revised timetable on March 12, 2011, new Mizuho and Sakura inter-running services commenced between Shin-Ōsaka and Kagoshima on the Kyushu Shinkansen using new N700-7000 and N700-8000 series 8-car trainsets. This boosted JR West's market share in the Osaka-Kagoshima passenger market from 13 percent in March 2011 to 35 percent in March 2012. JR West began offering discounted advance purchase fares on this route in July 2013 in an effort to compete for market share with new low-cost airlines such as Peach.[3] With the launch of Mizuho and Sakura services, nearly all of the Hikari services operating solely on the San'yō Shinkansen (mostly Rail Star services) were discontinued as it was deemed redundant.

Ridership

In fiscal 2005, the Sanyo Shinkansen line ridership was 58 million passengers/year, or about 159,000 daily.[4]

References
  1. 区間別平均通過人員および旅客運輸収入（平成26年度） [Average passenger figures and revenue by line (Fiscal 2014)] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan: West Japan Railway Company. 2015. p. 58. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-09. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  2. 300km/hのトップランナー [300 km/h Top Runners]. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 52 no. 612. Japan: Kōyūsha Co., Ltd. April 2012. p. 14.
  3. "Budget airlines challenge Shinkansen". Bloomberg. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  4. http://www.westjr.co.jp/english/english/company/con02/library/annual/2005/c06.html
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.