By EISHI KADO/ Staff Writer
March 29, 2024 at 18:16 JST
A prototype car for the Linear Chuo Shinkansen Line (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The president of Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) announced on March 29 that the Linear Chuo Shinkansen Line will not begin operating in 2027 as planned, with the delay now expected to be at least several years.
“Unfortunately, the situation is not one that will allow us to begin operating to Nagoya in 2027," JR Tokai President Shunsuke Niwa said at a meeting of experts organized by the central government. "Moreover, we cannot estimate a new starting year because we have no idea when we can begin work on tunnel construction within Shizuoka Prefecture.”
The Shizuoka prefectural government has not approved tunnel construction work within its jurisdiction for the maglev line that would link Tokyo with Nagoya.
Because construction of the tunnel in Shizuoka Prefecture is expected to take at least 10 years, the earliest the Linear Chuo Shinkansen Line could possibly begin operating is 2034.
While JR Tokai signed a work contract for the Shizuoka portion of the line in November 2017, the Shizuoka prefectural government has not given its approval.
At the March 29 meeting, Hisao Sawada, a JR Tokai corporate executive officer, said, “Even if we were able to start construction in April 2024, that would mean a delay of six years and four months for starting work.”
He added that there were no factors that could shorten the time needed to construct the tunnel.
“We feel there is a strong possibility that the construction period could become longer,” Sawada said.
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