Kyushu Shinkansen
| Kyushu Shinkansen | |||
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800 Series Shinkansen Tsubame at Shin-Minamata Station
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| Overview | |||
| Native name | 九州新幹線 | ||
| Type | Shinkansen | ||
| Locale | Kyushu | ||
| Termini |
Hakata Kagoshima-Chūō |
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| Stations | 12 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | 2004 | ||
| Owner | JR Kyushu | ||
| Operator(s) |
JR Kyushu JR West |
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| Depot(s) | Kumamoto Sendai |
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| Rolling stock |
800 series N700-7000/8000 series |
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| Technical | |||
| Line length | 256.8 km (159.6 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Electrification | 25 kV AC, 60 Hz overhead catenary | ||
| Operating speed | 260 km/h (160 mph) | ||
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The Kyushu Shinkansen (九州新幹線 Kyūshū Shinkansen?) is a Japanese high-speed railway line between the Japanese cities of Fukuoka (Hakata) and Kagoshima in Kyushu (and an extension of the Sanyo Shinkansen from Honshu), running parallel to the existing Kagoshima Main Line and operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The southern 127 km (79 mi) was constructed first because the equivalent section of the former Kagoshima Main Line is single track, and thus a significant improvement in transit time was gained when this (dual track) section opened on 13 March 2004, despite the need for passengers to change to a Relay Tsubame narrow gauge train at Shin-Yatsushiro for the remainder of the journey to Hakata. The northern 130 km (81 mi) section opened on 12 March 2011 (although opening ceremonies were canceled due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami), enabling through-services to Shin-Osaka (and with a change of train, Tokyo).
The construction of the first section (from Takeo-Onsen to Isahaya) of the West Kyushu Shinkansen route to Nagasaki, approximately 45.7 km (28.4 mi) in length, began in 2008, with construction of the 21 km (13 mi) section from Isahaya to Nagasaki commencing in 2012. The entire line is due to open by March 2023,. Service was proposed to be provided by Gauge Change Train (GCT) trainsets (which are designed to operate on both existing narrow gauge lines and standard gauge Shinkansen lines); however, technical issues with the bogies is likely to delay CGT introduction until 2025, and initial service options are now being investigated, such as a 'relay' service.
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