TOKYO - A panel of the ruling parties that has been reviewing an extension plan for the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line beyond Tsuruga in central Japan to Osaka decided Wednesday on a route that passes through Kyoto, with a new station to be created in the city.
The route review has been under way as construction work to extend the Hokuriku bullet train line, which currently runs between Tokyo and Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture, has failed to start amid concerns voiced by authorities in Kyoto over the potential environmental impact.
Under the latest plan, the line will be extended to Shin-Osaka Station via the city of Obama in Fukui Prefecture and a new station to be built near JR Katsuragawa Station in Kyoto, about 5 kilometers west of JR Kyoto Station.
The proposal is deemed more likely to gain local support than the alternatives, enabling the extension to be completed sooner. The panel aims to begin construction as early as fiscal 2027.
The selected route was one of three shortlisted options, including another alternative that passes through Obama and runs north-south through JR Kyoto Station. The remaining option was to link the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line to the Tokaido Shinkansen Line at JR Maibara Station in Shiga Prefecture.
Speaking to reporters following the decision, ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Shoji Nishida said that while the north-south plan was economically preferable, it was unlikely to gain local understanding as many had voiced concerns about the impact on groundwater and the line passing under areas dense with historical buildings.
Regarding the Maibara route, Nishida said local governments along the route had opposed the idea, with JR companies also expressing reluctance over allowing trains to run onto the already heavily congested Tokaido bullet train line, which connects Tokyo to Shin-Osaka Station.
The Katsuragawa plan calls for building an underground station near Katsuragawa Station. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism estimates construction will take 26 years and cost 5.5 trillion yen ($34 billion), factoring in future price hikes.
In 2016, the LDP and its then coalition partner Komeito party decided to adopt a route passing through Obama and Kyoto. But construction has not started, prompting a review of the route since last year following a proposal by the Japan Innovation Party, the LDP's current coalition partner.
Since the Shinkansen began operations between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka in 1964, the year of the Tokyo Olympics, Japan's bullet train network has expanded across the country.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen Line, included in a national development plan in 1973, has gradually been extended, with the section between Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture and Tsuruga having opened in 2024.
