JapanRailwatch:Tokyo's last subway

[jpatokal]

A little background on this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4302291.stm): the tunnel is a part of the extension of the Tohoku Shinkansen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohoku_Shinkansen) high speed line towards Aomori, expected to be complete around 2012.

Now the article is correct enough in saying that the extension to Aomori itself makes little sense. The eventual goal, however, is to extend the line more, through the "two giant undersea tunnels built in Japan in the 1980s at a cost of many billions of dollars" (aka the Seikan Tunnel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seikan_Tunnel), designed from day 1 to accommodate the Shinkansen) to Hokkaido through the major cities of Hakodate and Sapporo. Tokyo-Sapporo is currently the busiest air route in the world (!) and a high-speed link between the two would be a Good Thing, perhaps even profitable... although even at 300 km/h the journey would take around 4 hours. This is a little too long to be fully competitive with the 55-minute plane (plus, of course, at least 2 hours for getting to/from the airport etc), and the construction cost of the full Aomori-Hakodate-Sapporo line is estimated to be around 1 trillion yen.

But it would be Insanely Cool(tm) so I'm still all for it :D

[ncr]

Interesting. But remember, the Japanese tunnel will only be the longest land tunnel until the awe-inspiring Gotthard Base Tunnel (57 km) is completed (I already mentioned that project on 2Bangkok last year; now it's 41.8% excavated, though still 10 years to go until it's operational...)

Alptransit update (http://www.alptransit.ch/pages/e/) - with some cool graphics... and cool photos like this one (http://www.alptransit.ch/pages/img/galerie/faido_031218_04.jpg) :-)

And by the way, there are plans for a Brenner Base Tunnel linking Austria to Italy, in order relieve the enormous congestion/pollution along the most important of all Alpine passes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenner_Pass).

This tunnel would connect Innsbruck (Tyrol) and Franzensfeste (South Tyrol) and be 64 km long....
http://www.bbt-ewiv.com/ (only German and Italian language)

[ncr]

This PDF (5.5 MB) has everything you ever wanted to know about the construction of the world’s longest tunnel (as well as some facts about tunneling methods in general – such as "should I use drilling and blasting or rather a TBM?"):

The new Gotthard rail link (http://www.alptransit.ch/pages/img/projekt/The_new_Gotthard_rail_link.pdf)

Also:

The new Gotthard railway - railway technology (http://www.alptransit.ch/pages/img/projekt/bt_engl.pdf) (0.8 MB)

[Yappofloyd]

^ This website is fantastic! Great to see a major civil engineering project putting the resources in to ensure that the public can understand both the general and technical construction framework.

[jpatokal]

There's a new JRTR out, dedicated to high-speed railways! Shinkansen, KTX, TGV, ICE and even Acela are all covered, only Taiwan HSR and maglev are missing (although they're mentioned in the initial "last 10 years" review). Get your free copies here:

http://www.jrtr.net/latestissue/index_latestissue.html

[Yappofloyd]

Khun jpatokal,

Thank you very much for this link as some excellent articles.

I found the article on TGV netwrok development very interesting. The French, like the Japanese, have done really well at gradually expanding their high-speed network and the TGV still remains a favourite for moi.

Great to see the huge grwoth in passengers numbers and I found the comparision chart (Table 1) of costs per km very interesting, $10m per km in France & Spain, $35m per km in Korea but $74 m per km in the UK!

[jpatokal]

Great to see the huge grwoth in passengers numbers and I found the comparision chart (Table 1) of costs per km very interesting, $10m per km in France & Spain, $35m per km in Korea but $74 m per km in the UK!
This is actually a bit distorted, because the only line of HSR in the UK is the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which burrows along the heavily developed south coast and into London, making it horrendously expensive.

Some of the articles were quite interesting, esp. the KTX article and how the new line is affecting other modes of transport, but many (eg. the Acela thing) were just content-free puff pieces. Somewhat surprisingly the Kyushu article was perhaps the most interesting though, describing how they're trying to keep rail competitive in a (comparatively) sparsely populated area with many 'legacy' lines...

[Yappofloyd]

^ yes I can see how the comparison figures can easily be distorted. However, is is just Channel Tunnel Link, as isn't the London to Edin. line also a HSR?

[jpatokal]

^ yes I can see how the comparison figures can easily be distorted. However, is is just Channel Tunnel Link, as isn't the London to Edin. line also a HSR?
Not when compared to the TGV/ICE/Shinkansen... "real" high-speed is usually considered to be 200 km/h+ in everyday use, while the British HST can just barely reach that as top speed.

[jpatokal]

Rail nuts rejoice, the new JRTR (http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr41/) is out! Alas, this issue's topic of "Rolling Stock" is a bit too geeky even for me, but the Untypical Railways (http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr41/pdf/s40_kis.pdf) (of Japan) story is worth a look, and the The Rolling Stock Manufacturing Industry in Japan (http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr41/pdf/f14_miz.pdf) story is also more interesting than you'd think from the title.

Factoids of the day: Tokyo's two busiest train network sections are packed to 230% between 8 and 9 AM on weekdays, and carry a total of 162,410 passengers per hour in one direction. The Skytrain's still got some ways to go...!

[Yappofloyd]

Thanks jpatokal,

The Untypical Railways article is interesting and I am surprised to see an article on a new line in Iran.

230% line usuage doesn't sound very safe. Don't worry in 2015 Bangkok will have the patronage on metro trains that Tokyo had in 1960! (Of course assuming that everything gets built....)

[Wisarut]

Haveseenthat and then I save them into hard drive ....

[Tettyan]

JPatokal -

While we're on the subject of Japanese railways, let me tell you a little about something you were complaining about earlier. JR East by the end of next year plans to integrate it's Suica prepaid card system with Passnet (the card that can be used on the subways and other private railways). Means you won't be needing those transfer tickets anymore.

[doseiai]

You'd think that with high gas prices these days, an increase in Japanese would be taking public transit...but it didnt happen...oh well. Since ten years ago, Metropolitan Tokyo alone has got the USA outdone...some 20 million people use the train system daily...(one of the more than 70 lines, 1000+ stations), versus 5 million in the whole USA...4 million in New York City. Bangkok with 600,000 has a ways to go...

[jpatokal]

Hello Family! Let's enjoy JRTR for your Exciting Life!

JRTR 42: Rolling Stock and Manufacturers (part 2) (http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr42/index.html)

This issue has some rather dull blurbs by Alstom/Siemens/Bombardier/Hitachi on why their trains are the coolest, and some rather more interesting articles on station design for the Oedo, Minatomirai, TWR, and Tsukuba Express lines in greater Tokyo -- which once again go to show how far ahead the Japanese are of everybody else in this field. Can you imagine a disabled toilet with voice-activated guidance systems in Thailand? :(

[jpatokal]

Gasp -- it's time for Japanese train porn!

http://skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=8104950&postcount=203
http://skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=7502859&postcount=146

That'll be the world's fastest (non-maglev) train in commercial operation around 2010 or so. More data for you (us?) hardcore geeks out there:

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/press/20050302/index.html

[Yappofloyd]

Khun jpatokal, we have neglected to update the forum on the last few issues of JRTR. The last issue, #46 from Dec 06, mainly deals with new urban rail projects in Japan. Issue #45 is quite interesting with various articles on design of railways and infrastructure. Check them out at www.jrtr.net

[GWR]

Impressive start to creating more energy-efficient trains:

http://img.iht.com/images/2007/07/30/30train550.jpg

Japan inaugurates first hybrid train
The Associated Press
Published: July 30, 2007

SAKU, Japan: Winding past rice paddies and lazily blowing its whistle along bubbly creeks, a two-car train in rural northern Japan is the latest entrant in the battle against global warming.

Encouraged by the success of hybrid cars, Japan is now bringing hybrid trains to the world. Regular passenger service is to begin Tuesday along a short, mountainous route in what will be the first commercial service by a diesel-electric hybrid train.

"It's part of our efforts to be green," Yasuaki Kikuchi, a spokesman for East Japan Railway, said during a test Friday.

Compared with cars, trains are relatively small contributors to global warming. But the popularity of hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius is helping to increase interest in hybrid trains. Railroad companies around the world, including Amtrak in the United States and Deutsche Bahn in Germany, are looking into the technology.

Cost remains a major problem, however. The Japanese train, the Kiha E200 - which is 20 percent more fuel efficient and produces only 60 percent as much emissions as a standard diesel - cost nearly $1.7 million, roughly twice as much as a standard train would have, Kikuchi said.

With the word "hybrid" splashed in silver paint across its side, the otherwise normal-looking train rolled quietly out of Nakagomi station during its test run. The train has a diesel engine, two electric motors under each car and lithium ion batteries on the roof. The diesel engine is to kick in only when needed to climb a hill or when the batteries run low.

The batteries are recharged when the train slows. After the power is switched off, the motors continue to turn for a while and the energy expended then - which is wasted in a non-hybrid train - is used to recharge the batteries.

Whether cars or trains, hybrids delicately balance their two sources of power, relying on computers to minimize waste. Aside from the usual buttons and dials, the conductor of the new Japanese train also has access to a touch-panel monitor. Arrows show the constantly changing direction in which energy is flowing, connecting boxes that represent the engine, generator, motor and battery.

The Kiha E200, which seats 46 but can hold as many as 117 people including standing passengers, will start with an inaugural route of about 80 kilometers, or 50 miles, and will run about once an hour. Over time, East Japan Railway will gather data on fuel consumption by the train, which is expected to vary according to passenger load, maintenance needs and heating in the winter, said Mitsuyoshi Yokota, an engineer with the railroad company.

In the United States, railroads contribute just 4 percent of transportation-related emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas to which global warming is attributed. The company Railpower Technologies has developed a hybrid train called the Green Goat, but it is designed specifically for moving freight cars in railroad yards.

Most efforts in the U.S. train industry have focused on developing cleaner fuels for nonhybrid trains, said Allen Schaeffer of the Diesel Technology Forum. The United States, he said, is "not really looking at hybrid technology as replacing the main locomotive."

Even in Japan, expectations are not high. "Maybe we can't expect too much from a railway this small," said Makoto Arisawa, an ecology professor at Keio University in Tokyo. "For the technology to be effective, it must become more widespread."

But that did not stop Hitomi Shimizu, 29, who runs a nearby inn, from showing up at Nakagomi station to have her photograph taken next to the train.

"I'm so proud of being part of a community with a train that's gentle to the environment," she said.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/30/business/train.php

[jpatokal]

The train on Japanese Wikipedia:

JR東日本キハE200形気動車 (http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/JR%E6%9D%B1%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%82%AD%E3%83%8FE20 0%E5%BD%A2%E6%B0%97%E5%8B%95%E8%BB%8A)

The train operates on the Koumi Line (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koumi_Line), which really is remarkably obscure, but at least has the minor distinction of having the highest point of any rail line in Japan (1375m).

[doseiai]

They could have made it a bit more aerodynamic, couldn't they? I don't understand why the trains are so boxy shaped in the front.

Yeah I guess regenerative braking will save fuel. Not like America won't burn it for them anyway tho...

[Wisarut]

Boxy shape of Kiha E200 is due to the fact that it does not need high speed on the track they are running ... it is cheaper to produce if it does not have to take aerodynamic into account :)

[GWR]

Asian rail pass

Japan's Construction and Transport Ministry said last week it planned to launch a prepaid rail pass that could be used in major cities around Asia, with tests of the card planned for April.

Such cards, which use embedded integrated circuits, would eliminate the need to carry multiple passes or change money, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

According to the ministry, travellers could buy the passes through the Internet and at airports and travel agencies in Japan by next summer. It plans to begin the service in cooperation with countries and regions including South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/12/24/business/business_30060052.php

[GWR]

Japan lawmakers call for 'peace tunnel' to S. Korea

Saturday, February 16, 2008
Reuters

TOKYO -- Japan and South Korea, long at odds over their wartime history, should be linked by a railway tunnel under the sea symbolising peaceful ties, a group of Japanese lawmakers was reported as saying on Friday.

The cross-party group of parliamentarians is proposing a 128 km (80 miles) tunnel that would be part of a rail link between Karatsu on Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu and Pusan in South Korea via two Japanese islands, Kyodo news agency said.

The tunnel -- which would be more than twice as long as the Channel Tunnel connecting Britain and France -- could one day allow passengers to travel by rail from Tokyo to London, Kyodo quoted lawmakers as saying.

"This is a dream-inspiring project," Kyodo quoted former defence chief Seishiro Eto as telling reporters after a meeting with other interested lawmakers from various parties. "We'd like to promote it as a symbol of peace-building."

The lawmakers' group first plans to try to persuade Tokyo and Seoul to fund a feasibility study, Kyodo said.

Eto was not immediately available to comment on the report.

Relations between Tokyo and Seoul have improved since former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi stepped down in 2006. Koizumi irritated Asian nations with annual visits to a war shrine that critics see as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

Conservative South Korean President-elect Lee Myung bak was born in Japan and is seen as Tokyo-friendly. Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda plans to attend his inauguration in Seoul later this month.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/2008/02/16/143089/Japan-lawmakers.htm

[jpatokal]

TOKYO -- Japan and South Korea, long at odds over their wartime history, should be linked by a railway tunnel under the sea symbolising peaceful ties, a group of Japanese lawmakers was reported as saying on Friday.
Actually, such a tunnel was first proposed as part of the Tokyo-Beijing railway to be built by the Empire of Japan after its victory in WW2... :eek:

[jpatokal]

The last subway line to be built in Tokyo, the Fukutoshin Line, is scheduled to open on June 14th. Good summary here:

http://www.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/recent/feature.asp

And the details at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Metro_Fukutoshin_Line

Tokyo Metro states that this will be their last line or extension, although work is still going on to reshuffle the lines at Shibuya and allowing through runs on the Fukutoshin Line to the (non-subway) Toyoko Line to Yokohama. Tokyo's other main operator Toei has some extensions planned, but (AFAIK) no actual construction in progress at the moment.

[jpatokal]

The Fukutoshin Line has opened:

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/archive/news/2008/06/13/20080613p2a00m0na012000c.html