Narita-Shinkansen

The Narita Shinkansen (Japanese成 田 新 干线) was a planned Japanese high speed line between Tokyo and Narita Airport. Its construction was begun in 1974 but had to be adjusted again in 1983 due to massive protests of the population. With the official termination of the project in 1987, the Narita Shinkansen is to date the only projected Shinkansen line, the reaction was stopped.

History

When in 1966 the construction of the airport Narita was decided from the first Sato cabinet, the plans envisaged also a railway connection of almost 50 km east of the city center of Tokyo remote new airport, which should be in operation at the scheduled opening date in 1972. First, two conventional lines were examined, one of which by Japanese National Railways ( JNR ) and should be operated by the Keisei Electric Railway Company. The plans, however, were not completed for the airport opening.

Keisei had already by Keisei line to connect from Ueno to Narita city center ( about eight kilometers from the airport ) and therefore requested in 1969 the construction of a branch to the new airport. The plan was approved in 1970 and the 7.2 km long branch was completed in 1972. However, the airport opening was postponed due to considerable difficulties in buying land and massive resistance of the applied population to 1978. The Keisei line also had another problem: The airport train station was built between the two terminals 1 and 2, so that the passengers have to change trains for the last few meters to the terminal building on buses. Although the transition claimed only a few minutes, the connection was therefore very unpopular with passengers, as the Skyliner connection from Keisei was barely faster than shuttle buses from Tokyo, which also held right in the center of Tokyo ( Ueno station is off the beaten track ).

JNR had begun in parallel with the studies for a link to the airport on the conventional rail network their plans for a high- speed line. The plans were approved in 1972 and envisaged a 65 km long route with a stop in Chiba New Town and a journey time of approximately 30 minutes. The construction was begun in 1974, but it came as with the airport itself due to the feared pollution and the expropriation plans to massive protests by the residents and especially the local farmers. The construction therefore dragged on until they were discontinued in 1982. Up to this time had been built:

• The underground airport station below Terminal 1
• Underground Bauvorleistungen at Tokyo Station

After the construction moratorium in 1982 for an alternative link to the airport were examined to the rail network. The Expert Commission proposed three possible solutions, two of them are conventional rail lines and an interim solution until the resumption of construction of the Narita Shinkansen. However, none of these proposals.

Due to the extreme debt situation of JNR and the unbroken resistance of the population, it was decided in the privatization and splitting of JNR in 1987, not to overwrite the Narita Shinkansen to the successor companies, but officially abandon the plans. Thus, the Narita Shinkansen is the only Shinkansen planning, which was abandoned.

Configured Route

The Narita Shinkansen Tokyo Station on the underground should have its terminus in Tokyo. From there it should run underground to Etchūjima. It should then be performed parallel to the Tōkyō Metro Tozai Line to Funabashi, from where they should be underground to Shiroi again. Then the plans foresaw a stop in Chiba New Town, the only intermediate stop. At Chiba New Town Centre Station, there is still an area free entertainment for the Shinkansen Station. From Chiba New Town, the Narita Shinkansen should run through the town to the new Narita Airport, where their underground railway terminal was built at Terminal 1.

For the entire route the trains of the Narita Shinkansen need around 30 minutes at a maximum of 200 km / h. Introduced later Narita Express ( N'EX ) required from Narita to Tokyo about 53 minutes.

The depot was planned near the train station Shimosa - Manzaki the Narita Line. The trains of the Narita Shinkansen should reach comparable on a single-track link with the Hakata- Minami- line to the depot.

Reuse

After the official termination of the Narita Shinkansen project, the Department of Transportation announced in 1988 that the unused underground airport station would be made available for Keisei and JR East. For the necessary conversion work as well as the connection of the buildings constructed on the Shinkansen route to the routes from Keisei and JR East Narita Airport Rapid own the Railway Co., Ltd. was established. founded, which was equipped with registered capital of JR East and Keisei. Thus she became the first public -private partnership in the Japanese railway sector. The renovation work started in March 1989 and on 19 March 1991, the first trains of JR East and Keisei could keep in the underground airport station. In December 1992, the station was taken under Terminal 2 in operation.

Since Keisei already had an airport connection, use the Skyliner trains shortly before the old Keisei Narita Airport Station, the Shinkansen route. In contrast, the trains of JR East to use almost the entire 9 km -long pipeline, which was built for the Narita Shinkansen. With the commissioning of the new line, JR East introduced the Narita Express, which is in direct competition with the Skyliner Keisei of, but is bound by in Tokyo to Shinjuku.

Although the Narita Shinkansen was built only in sections that have already acquired land and building permits have been used at various points by other lines. Instance, the planned tunnel was built from Tokyo Station by Etchūjima later for the Keiyo Line. Also in Chiba Prefecture was later used for the Hokusō - line an area free attitude.

Future

Although there were calls for a resumption of construction work for the Narita Shinkansen again and again, a completion of the line is almost impossible. In addition to the lack of political will, the alternative offers of N'EX and Skyliner have established. In addition, Keisei Narita opened in July 2010 the Sky Access has a new, more direct route, and thus with a journey time of 36 minutes at a maximum of 160 km / h is almost the same speed as that would have been Narita Shinkansen.