This weekend Japan’s iconic rail network launched the newest addition to its system of shinkansen "bullet trains," connecting Tokyo for the first time by high-speed rail with the northern island of Hokkaido. The new Hokkaido Shinkansen travels the 825 km (513 miles) from Tokyo to near Hakodate, Hokkaido’s southern port city, in just over four hours. It’s another approximately 20 minutes by a connector train into Hakodate proper.
This shaves almost an hour off the previous train travel time; trains ride at speeds up to about 260km per hour (160 miles per hour). Travel times would be shorter were it not for speed restrictions in the tunnel under the strait between Hokkaido and Honshu, Japan’s main island.
The futuristic, needle-nosed 10-car trains can seat up to 731 passengers in three classes of service. Interior design is inspired by Hokkaido’s natural beauty - snowflakes, bays, etc. - and the art of its native Ainu people.
The one-way fare between Tokyo and Hakodate is between JPY22,810 for a regular reserved seat and JPY38,600 for first class, called Gran Class (about $201-340). For comparison, plane flight between Tokyo and Hakodate cost about JPY27,400 to JPY42,700 ($242-377), plus transfers, and get you there about 40 minutes faster, after allowing time for check-in, security and travel time to and from the city centers.
The Japan Times reports that tickets for the inaugural runs of the Hokkaido Shinkansen sold out in 30 seconds. The total construction cost was put at JPY550 billion (about $4.85 billion).
Eventual plans are for the shinkansen to reach Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital and Japan's fifth largest city, by 2030. The long lead time is largely attributed to work boring tunnels through the island's mountains.
As Japan, China and European nations expand their high-speed rail networks exponentially, the U.S. can’t seem to get its act together with high-speed rail. A new survey by the transportation search engine GoEuro ranks the U.S. a dismal 19th out of 20 nations in terms of its high speed rail service, behind such countries as Poland and Turkey.
So far the greatest progress in high speed rail in the U.S. has been in California. A Public Policy Institute of California survey found that two-thirds of Californians support high speed rail in the state, but the reality is a long way off. Although construction has begun through central California, under current projections the system won’t link San Francisco with Los Angeles and Anaheim until 2029.
