Route Choice
The Chūō Shinkansen's proposed route follows the Chūō Main Line between Tokyo and Nagoya, and the Kansai Main Line between Nagoya and Osaka. The routes pass through many sparsely-populated areas, but the routes are more direct than the current Tōkaidō Shinkansen route, and time saved through a more direct route was a more important criterion to JR Central than having stations at intermediate population centers. Also the more heavily populated Tōkaidō route is congested, and providing an alternative route, if the Tōkaidō Shinkansen were to become blocked by earthquake damage, was also considered. JR Central sometimes refers to the track as the Tōkaidō Bypass. The route as originally planned included a stop in Nara, but in 2012 politicians and business leaders in Kyoto petitioned the central government and JR Tokai to change the route to pass through their city. A final decision is pending.
JR Central announced in July 2008 that the Chūō Shinkansen would most likely start at Tokyo's Shinagawa Station, citing difficulties in securing land at nearby Tokyo and Shinjuku stations for a maglev terminal, but the route has not been finalized.
A JR Central report on the Chūō Shinkansen was approved by a Liberal Democratic Party panel in October 2008, which certified three proposed routes for the Maglev. According to a Japan Times news article, JR Central supports the more direct route, which would cost less money to build than the other two proposals, backed by Nagano Prefecture. The latter two plans have the line swinging up north between Kōfu and Nakatsugawa stations to serve areas within Nagano. In June 2009, JR Central also announced research results comparing the three routes, estimating revenue and travel time, which showed the most favorable being the shortest Plan C, with long tunnels under the Japanese Alps (Akaishi Mountains). The Council for Transport Policy for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism concluded on October 20, 2010 that Plan C would be most cost-efficient.
Reportedly, the route's Kanagawa Prefectural station will be at Hashimoto Station in Sagamihara. JR Central announced that one station would be constructed in each of Yamanashi, Gifu, Nagano, and Kanagawa Prefectures. The remaining stations were planned for Kōfu, Yamanashi, Nakatsugawa, Gifu, and near Nagoya Station in Nagoya.
The details of three routes between Tokyo (Shinagawa) - Nagoya
| Plan name | Route between Kofu - Nakatsugawa |
Distance | Construction costs | Shortest journey time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan A | via Kiso Valley | 334 km | 5.63 trillion JPY | 46 minutes |
| Plan B | via Ina Valley (Chino, Ina, Iida) | 346 km | 5.74 trillion JPY | 47 minutes |
| Plan C | under the Japanese Alps and Iida City | 286 km | 5.10 trillion JPY | 40 minutes |
Between Tokyo (Shinagawa) - Osaka
| Plan name | Route between Kofu - Nakatsugawa |
Distance | Construction costs | Shortest journey time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan A | via Kiso Valley | 486 km | 8.98 trillion JPY | 73 minutes |
| Plan B | via Ina Valley (Chino, Ina, Iida) | 498 km | 9.09 trillion JPY | 74 minutes |
| Plan C | under the Japanese Alps and Iida City | 438 km | 8.44 trillion JPY | 67 minutes |
Read more about this topic: Chūō Shinkansen
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