Jōetsu Shinkansen
| Jōetsu Shinkansen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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E4 series on a Max Toki service, January 2006
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| Overview | |||
| Native name | 上越新幹線 | ||
| Type | Shinkansen | ||
| Locale | Japan | ||
| Termini |
Ōmiya Niigata |
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| Stations | 10 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | 15 November 1982 | ||
| Owner |
.svg){kind=logo} JR East
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| Depot(s) | Niigata | ||
| Rolling stock | E2/E4 series | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 269.5 km (167.5 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Electrification | 25 kV AC, 50 Hz, overhead catenary | ||
| Operating speed | 240 km/h (150 mph) | ||
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The Jōetsu Shinkansen (上越新幹線?) is a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
The Gala-Yuzawa Line is a 1.8 km branch from Echigo-Yuzawa to Gala-Yuzawa Station. It operates in the winter months only, serving the adjoining ski resort.
As of March 2013, the following train types operate on Joetsu Shinkansen services.
E2 series shinkansen train
E4 series, July 2008
200 series on a Tanigawa service, January 2011
E1 series on a Max Asahi service, June 2002
The program to build the new line was initiated in 1971 by Niigata-born prime minister Tanaka Kakuei; one popular anecdote is that Tanaka determined the line's routing by drawing it on a map with a red pencil. Built at a cost of $6.3 billion, it was built "to establish closer ties with Tokyo and promote regional development".
Trial runs over the line began in November 1980, and regular service began on 15 November 1982. The line was initially planned to terminate at Shinjuku Station, but economic considerations pushed Japanese National Railways (JNR) to merge the line with the existing Tōhoku Shinkansen line at Ōmiya.
In September 1991, a 400 Series Shinkansen train set a Japanese rail speed record of 345 km/h (214 mph) on the Jōetsu Shinkansen line, and in December 1993, the STAR21 experimental train recorded 425 km/h (264 mph). The maximum speed for regular services on the line is 245 km/h (150 mph) except for the section between Jomo-Kogen and Urasa which is 275 km/h (170 mph) for E2 series trains travelling towards Niigata. The urban section between Tokyo and Ōmiya is 110 km/h (70 mph).
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Wikipedia