Instead of spending money on minor lines like this or even the Mini-Shinkansens in the past, they should spend the money on connecting the existing major cities better, such as extending the Chuo Shinkansen maglev all the way to Hakata, speeding up the Tokaido Shinkansen to 360 km/h at select sections, upgrading most sections to 320 km/h, improving the curves at slower sections of the Tokaido Shinkansen to 300 km/h, installing sound enclosures to totally eliminate noise-related speed limits, and connecting the tracks of Tohoku Shinkansen and Tokaido Shinkansen at Tokyo Station, enabling a one-seat ride from Osaka to Sendai. That way, Japan can decarbonize as quickly as possible by making domestic flights within Honshu totally obsolete.
Thank you very much for talking about the 1973 Master Plan! I am surprised many English Shinkansen sources don't talk about these plans. The amount of detail you researched vs what I had access to in Google Translated sites is incredibly useful! I hope one day we can work together to try and get the Shinkansen documentary released! I look forward to the future videos.
6:36 Maglev San’in Shinkansen? If there only were to be a Japan-Korea tunnel under Tsushima Strait, Tōkyō and Soul would be connected in about four hours (505 km/h speed limit). Demand would shift from airtraffic to Maglev because travel time would fall.
Related to the last comment I posted, I imagine a zero-emissions future in Japan (2060s) where Tokyites/Tokyans travel to Korea for vacation by using the 600 km/h Chuo Shinkansen to Hakata, and then taking a 200 km/h battery-electric hydrofoil international ferry to Busan. Those going to Seoul will still take the airplane, although a plug-in-hybrid one. Battery technology won't be able to power airplanes over a few hundred kms in the forseeable future. Similarly, Hakatans (Fukuokans) will be able to travel to Sapporo with a 600 km/h Chuo Shinkansen, and then transfer to a 400 km/h Tohoku Shinkansen at Shinagawa with the finally-connected tracks at Tokyo Station. Those going to Okinawa of course will always have to take an airplane. If the Japanese government really spends a lot of effort in connecting the major cities, and spend tens of trillions on it, the dreams above could be completed by the early 2040s, or even the mid 2030s, just like China. As much as I hate Communist China, I do admire that they were able to build so much high-speed rail in only 15 years. I am frustrated with the Chuo Shinkansen being delayed by Shizuoka Prefecture. I think the Japanese government should compensate Shizuoka a hefty amount in order complete the project as soon as possible.
Do you think it would be possible to upgrade the existing lines in this region to be able to increase speed without constructing a new Shinkansen line? As I see, the existing limited express trains are limited to 85-120 km/h. Increasing this to 140-160 km/h would be relatively inexpensive compared to a Shinkansen line, but still yield some benefits. Also, this would avoid having parallel lines, as local trains and freight trains could still run on the upgraded line.
Yeah, China and Germany upgrade existing lines allow to reach 200 km/h for trains. Japan can expand gauge of conventional lines(for example from Okayama to Isumoshi and Takamatsu) which will give maximum 160 km/h against 130 km/h now. It will be cheaper than build Shinkansen.
What do you think about building Shinkansen lines, even if they wouldn't give a lot of profit? For example, Joetsu Shinkansen and Hokuriku Shinkansen are not so popular. Akita and Yamagata Shinkansens are failed. Also, even with the extention of Hokkaido Shinkansen to Sapporo, most of people will prefer planes, because of expensive tickets. The population of Hokkaido and northwestern Japan is small and declining, distance between Tokyo and Niigata is small, about ~200 km, is it not a fail for JR to construct high-speed rail for those areas?
@@kuanysh_sartay I'm not sure whether you asked me, but I would say one has to look at external benefits as well. If a high-speed line can attract more visitors to a certain place, or make commuting more feasible, for example, that also has to be factored in. Most railways in the world generate losses, after all. I think Japan is the only country where they are expected to be profitable without subsidies. However, I'm more skeptical about the need for high-speed rail in sparsely populated areas. I'm inclined to say that frequent and reliable commuter/regional rail is more important, since people don't tend to travel on long distances as often as they might travel on shorter distances. Even with a Shinkansen line from Izumo to Okayama and Osaka, I doubt a lot of people will make this journey on a daily basis, and if they only travel on this route once a week/month, perhaps a slightly longer journey time isn't a huge problem. Commuter rail also allows cities to expand and for workers to live outside of the city (thus keeping rural areas alive). I commute 70 km (each way) by train every day, for example.
I was wondering the same, as to why the other side of japan (sea side) not given a shinkansen along with Tokaido side. but the only reason I am happy it is not built yet, is because it has kept the Sunrise express alive...
Shimane is actually one of my favourite regions to travel in - there's so much to do there and my wife loves to immerse herself in the folklore and mythology of the region, which has a very rich history around Izumo. It would be great to have improved access to the region, but the population is low compared to other planned routes and as you say, I never see a lot of international tourists there. I wonder if a plan more akin to a mini-Shinkansen like Yamagata/Akita may be more feasible here along the Hakubi Line with branches to Matsue/Izumo and Tottori that allows faster inter-city service within the region and between Okayama and these cities. I don't get motion sick on trains often, but the current Yakumo service is one that has made me quite ill in the past... but Sunrise Izumo doesn't have the same effect on me, so the older rollingstock could be playing a part :)
I'm impressed with your great love for the San'in region. Yakumo is operated currently by 381 series which is the oldest vehicle with tilting system. 381 will be replaced by new vehicle in 2022 to 2023. I don't think the Shinkansen will run on the Hakubi line but you will be able to enjoy a trip by new vehicle which does not make you sick. :)
One thing the japanese did not do is declogging the cities.....transfer some other economic devt in other side of the country that could be expand already.......only the eastern part of japan are most develop.. and mostly major cities are found on the eastern part of the country......
since shinkansen is of conventional gauge or international gauge 4 feet 8.5 inches (1.44 meters ) the comon gauge in japan is 3 feet or 0.91 meters . why not just leave an outside rail for international gauge.
The difference between the Shinkansen and the conventional line is not only the gauge, so even if JR changes the gauge to the dual gauge or changes the gauge of the conventional line, the Shinkansen cannot go directly to the conventional line. Due to the different sizes of vehicles, there may be insufficient space with the adjacent railroad tracks. In addition, there are places where the size and height of the platform do not match. Moreover, the operation system and voltage are also different. It costs a lot to change all of these.
Very good video! But, I think San'in Shinkansen will be never built, because of small and declining population in this region. Even, Tohoku Shinkansen, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen are not profitable now. Sanyo Shinkansen keeps because of dense Kyushu population. Only Tokaido Shinkansen makes real profit, connecting densely populated Kanto(Tokyo) and Kansai regions, via Aichi prefecture. Most of people prefer to take a bus or ride a car from Tokyo to Sendai or Niigata because of small distance ~300 km and rapid highway. It doesn't matter to reach Sendai from Tokyo by 2 hours or 3-4 hours for ordinary people, not businessmen. So these three new built Shinkansen routes does not make any sense in public use. Also, for instance, interval between trains in Hokuriku Shinkansen is from 30 to 60 mins vs Tokaido/Sanyo with 10-15 mins interval. Of course, ordinary person will take a car or InDriver, Blablacar(doesn't matter), even bus to reach Sendai, Niigata or other destination, not wait train for 1 hour at station.
Much of your comment is nonsense. "Most" people don't prefer to take a bus over trains between Tokyo and the cities you mention. Official statistics available at www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&toukei=00600460 show that the number of "automobile" trips (I don't think this includes private cars, but certainly does include buses) are only around 1/10 that of JR trips (most of which is going to be on the shinkansen due to the distance/time) between Tokyo and Miyagi (Sendai) or Niigata prefectures. You can't drive from Tokyo to Sendai in 3 hours. Google Maps says 4.5 hours in normal traffic, without break. Bus trip estimates at kakuyasu-ryoko.com/matome/tokyo-sendai/ (which by the way also states that the shinkansen is the "most popular", "main" method of travel between the two cities) are 5-6 hours. In contrast the fastest shinkansen service (the Hayabusa) takes 1.5 hours. And for these itineraries you don't have to wait anywhere near 1 hour for a shinkansen either. You took some of the longest intervals between trains in the system, seen only at some of the more remote stations (i.e. not the bigger cities), and applied it everywhere. In reality there are 4-6 runs per hour in each direction between Tokyo and Sendai during the day, for example. (The Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen also runs more frequently than you're claiming at the big Nozomi stations.) And imagine arguing that people don't care about hours of additional travel times, only to then turn around and claim that people won't wait for trains. 🤣 You also have to wait for buses, surely you know that?
@@СлаваУкраїні-м2о6в hmm, it is interesting, didn't know about that. Of course, Shinkansen is faster because of low speed limit in highways, about 80 km/h. If there is a speed limit about 140 km/h like in Europe and Russia, or without limit like in Germany, of course people will prefer cars or taxis like Uber, BlaBlaCar or InDriver, because it will be possible to reach Sendai by at least 2.5 hours from Tokyo(door to door) in cheaper price than Shinkansen. Bus will ride in low speeds(80-90 km/h) so route will be possible in 4 hours, also, waiting time, so bus lose its benefits. If speed limits in highways will be increase from 80 to 140 km/h, most people will choose car in distance under 300 km. In that case, Sendai, Nagoya and Nagano will be accessible by car by 2-3 hours and Shinkansen passengers will focus on 500-800 km trips. Speeds of Shinkansen also could be increased from 260-300 km/h to 350 km/h like in China, in order to get Osaka by maximum 2 hours from Tokyo. But, maglev will reduce this trip to 1 hour. On Hokkaido Shinkansen it makes a lot of sense, because by increasing of speed to 350 km/h by 2030, people could reach Sapporo from Tokyo not in 5 hours, but just in 3-3,5 hours, which is great!
Instead of spending money on minor lines like this or even the Mini-Shinkansens in the past, they should spend the money on connecting the existing major cities better, such as extending the Chuo Shinkansen maglev all the way to Hakata, speeding up the Tokaido Shinkansen to 360 km/h at select sections, upgrading most sections to 320 km/h, improving the curves at slower sections of the Tokaido Shinkansen to 300 km/h, installing sound enclosures to totally eliminate noise-related speed limits, and connecting the tracks of Tohoku Shinkansen and Tokaido Shinkansen at Tokyo Station, enabling a one-seat ride from Osaka to Sendai. That way, Japan can decarbonize as quickly as possible by making domestic flights within Honshu totally obsolete.
Thank you very much for talking about the 1973 Master Plan! I am surprised many English Shinkansen sources don't talk about these plans. The amount of detail you researched vs what I had access to in Google Translated sites is incredibly useful! I hope one day we can work together to try and get the Shinkansen documentary released! I look forward to the future videos.
I think the #1 think that keeps tourists from this area is the time it takes to get there and back.
6:36 Maglev San’in Shinkansen? If there only were to be a Japan-Korea tunnel under Tsushima Strait, Tōkyō and Soul would be connected in about four hours (505 km/h speed limit). Demand would shift from airtraffic to Maglev because travel time would fall.
3 of 4 biggest cities (Matsue, Izumoshi and Yonago) in Sanin region already so close together even rapid train service is sufficient.
Great! Hopefully a video about the Shinkansen route from Niigata to Akita will come soon
Related to the last comment I posted, I imagine a zero-emissions future in Japan (2060s) where Tokyites/Tokyans travel to Korea for vacation by using the 600 km/h Chuo Shinkansen to Hakata, and then taking a 200 km/h battery-electric hydrofoil international ferry to Busan. Those going to Seoul will still take the airplane, although a plug-in-hybrid one. Battery technology won't be able to power airplanes over a few hundred kms in the forseeable future. Similarly, Hakatans (Fukuokans) will be able to travel to Sapporo with a 600 km/h Chuo Shinkansen, and then transfer to a 400 km/h Tohoku Shinkansen at Shinagawa with the finally-connected tracks at Tokyo Station. Those going to Okinawa of course will always have to take an airplane.
If the Japanese government really spends a lot of effort in connecting the major cities, and spend tens of trillions on it, the dreams above could be completed by the early 2040s, or even the mid 2030s, just like China. As much as I hate Communist China, I do admire that they were able to build so much high-speed rail in only 15 years.
I am frustrated with the Chuo Shinkansen being delayed by Shizuoka Prefecture. I think the Japanese government should compensate Shizuoka a hefty amount in order complete the project as soon as possible.
Things don't work that way.there are pros and cons.geography,laws,demands,strategy are different.
Do you think it would be possible to upgrade the existing lines in this region to be able to increase speed without constructing a new Shinkansen line? As I see, the existing limited express trains are limited to 85-120 km/h. Increasing this to 140-160 km/h would be relatively inexpensive compared to a Shinkansen line, but still yield some benefits. Also, this would avoid having parallel lines, as local trains and freight trains could still run on the upgraded line.
Yeah, China and Germany upgrade existing lines allow to reach
200 km/h for trains. Japan can expand gauge of conventional lines(for example from Okayama to Isumoshi and Takamatsu) which will give maximum 160 km/h against 130 km/h now. It will be cheaper than build Shinkansen.
@@kuanysh_sartay Even without expanding gauge it might be possible, I think. The Keisei Skyliner runs at 160 km/h, but is still Japanese gauge.
@@anonomia5535 ooh, really. It's great! Didn't know about that.
What do you think about building Shinkansen lines, even if they wouldn't give a lot of profit? For example, Joetsu Shinkansen and Hokuriku Shinkansen are not so popular. Akita and Yamagata Shinkansens are failed. Also, even with the extention of Hokkaido Shinkansen to Sapporo, most of people will prefer planes, because of expensive tickets. The population of Hokkaido and northwestern Japan is small and declining, distance between Tokyo and Niigata is small, about ~200 km, is it not a fail for JR to construct high-speed rail for those areas?
@@kuanysh_sartay I'm not sure whether you asked me, but I would say one has to look at external benefits as well. If a high-speed line can attract more visitors to a certain place, or make commuting more feasible, for example, that also has to be factored in. Most railways in the world generate losses, after all. I think Japan is the only country where they are expected to be profitable without subsidies. However, I'm more skeptical about the need for high-speed rail in sparsely populated areas. I'm inclined to say that frequent and reliable commuter/regional rail is more important, since people don't tend to travel on long distances as often as they might travel on shorter distances. Even with a Shinkansen line from Izumo to Okayama and Osaka, I doubt a lot of people will make this journey on a daily basis, and if they only travel on this route once a week/month, perhaps a slightly longer journey time isn't a huge problem. Commuter rail also allows cities to expand and for workers to live outside of the city (thus keeping rural areas alive). I commute 70 km (each way) by train every day, for example.
My grandparents were from Masuda, though I've never been there myself. They came to USA long ago. I guess no shinkansen for Shimaneken.
Looking forward to the other videos!
I was wondering the same, as to why the other side of japan (sea side) not given a shinkansen along with Tokaido side.
but the only reason I am happy it is not built yet, is because it has kept the Sunrise express alive...
Shimane is actually one of my favourite regions to travel in - there's so much to do there and my wife loves to immerse herself in the folklore and mythology of the region, which has a very rich history around Izumo. It would be great to have improved access to the region, but the population is low compared to other planned routes and as you say, I never see a lot of international tourists there. I wonder if a plan more akin to a mini-Shinkansen like Yamagata/Akita may be more feasible here along the Hakubi Line with branches to Matsue/Izumo and Tottori that allows faster inter-city service within the region and between Okayama and these cities. I don't get motion sick on trains often, but the current Yakumo service is one that has made me quite ill in the past... but Sunrise Izumo doesn't have the same effect on me, so the older rollingstock could be playing a part :)
I'm impressed with your great love for the San'in region.
Yakumo is operated currently by 381 series which is the oldest vehicle with tilting system. 381 will be replaced by new vehicle in 2022 to 2023.
I don't think the Shinkansen will run on the Hakubi line but you will be able to enjoy a trip by new vehicle which does not make you sick. :)
Good job!
Almost at 1000 subs, keep it up
another good video, Sanin or northern Chūgoku are still not well known for tourist
One thing the japanese did not do is declogging the cities.....transfer some other economic devt in other side of the country that could be expand already.......only the eastern part of japan are most develop.. and mostly major cities are found on the eastern part of the country......
and then Chizu Express just f*cking dies.
since shinkansen is of conventional gauge or international gauge 4 feet 8.5 inches (1.44 meters ) the comon gauge in japan is 3 feet or 0.91 meters . why not just leave an outside rail for international gauge.
The difference between the Shinkansen and the conventional line is not only the gauge, so even if JR changes the gauge to the dual gauge or changes the gauge of the conventional line, the Shinkansen cannot go directly to the conventional line.
Due to the different sizes of vehicles, there may be insufficient space with the adjacent railroad tracks. In addition, there are places where the size and height of the platform do not match. Moreover, the operation system and voltage are also different. It costs a lot to change all of these.
The population decline in the San’in region will probably mean this will never happen.
Ironically the population decline is why this is needed.
Very good video! But, I think San'in Shinkansen will be never built, because of small and declining population in this region. Even, Tohoku Shinkansen, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen are not profitable now. Sanyo Shinkansen keeps because of dense Kyushu population. Only Tokaido Shinkansen makes real profit, connecting densely populated Kanto(Tokyo) and Kansai regions, via Aichi prefecture. Most of people prefer to take a bus or ride a car from Tokyo to Sendai or Niigata because of small distance ~300 km and rapid highway. It doesn't matter to reach Sendai from Tokyo by 2 hours or 3-4 hours for ordinary people, not businessmen. So these three new built Shinkansen routes does not make any sense in public use. Also, for instance, interval between trains in Hokuriku Shinkansen is from 30 to 60 mins vs Tokaido/Sanyo with 10-15 mins interval. Of course, ordinary person will take a car or InDriver, Blablacar(doesn't matter), even bus to reach Sendai, Niigata or other destination, not wait train for 1 hour at station.
Much of your comment is nonsense.
"Most" people don't prefer to take a bus over trains between Tokyo and the cities you mention. Official statistics available at www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&toukei=00600460 show that the number of "automobile" trips (I don't think this includes private cars, but certainly does include buses) are only around 1/10 that of JR trips (most of which is going to be on the shinkansen due to the distance/time) between Tokyo and Miyagi (Sendai) or Niigata prefectures.
You can't drive from Tokyo to Sendai in 3 hours. Google Maps says 4.5 hours in normal traffic, without break. Bus trip estimates at kakuyasu-ryoko.com/matome/tokyo-sendai/ (which by the way also states that the shinkansen is the "most popular", "main" method of travel between the two cities) are 5-6 hours. In contrast the fastest shinkansen service (the Hayabusa) takes 1.5 hours.
And for these itineraries you don't have to wait anywhere near 1 hour for a shinkansen either. You took some of the longest intervals between trains in the system, seen only at some of the more remote stations (i.e. not the bigger cities), and applied it everywhere. In reality there are 4-6 runs per hour in each direction between Tokyo and Sendai during the day, for example. (The Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen also runs more frequently than you're claiming at the big Nozomi stations.)
And imagine arguing that people don't care about hours of additional travel times, only to then turn around and claim that people won't wait for trains. 🤣 You also have to wait for buses, surely you know that?
@@СлаваУкраїні-м2о6в hmm, it is interesting, didn't know about that. Of course, Shinkansen is faster because of low speed limit in highways, about 80 km/h. If there is a speed limit about 140 km/h like in Europe and Russia, or without limit like in Germany, of course people will prefer cars or taxis like Uber, BlaBlaCar or InDriver, because it will be possible to reach Sendai by at least 2.5 hours from Tokyo(door to door) in cheaper price than Shinkansen. Bus will ride in low speeds(80-90 km/h) so route will be possible in 4 hours, also, waiting time, so bus lose its benefits. If speed limits in highways will be increase from 80 to 140 km/h, most people will choose car in distance under 300 km. In that case, Sendai, Nagoya and Nagano will be accessible by car by 2-3 hours and Shinkansen passengers will focus on 500-800 km trips. Speeds of Shinkansen also could be increased from 260-300 km/h to 350 km/h like in China, in order to get Osaka by maximum 2 hours from Tokyo. But, maglev will reduce this trip to 1 hour. On Hokkaido Shinkansen it makes a lot of sense, because by increasing of speed to 350 km/h by 2030, people could reach Sapporo from Tokyo not in 5 hours, but just in 3-3,5 hours, which is great!