# Hokuriku Shinkansen

The Hokuriku Shinkansen (Japanese: 北陸新幹線) is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo with Tsuruga in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It is jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
The first section, between Takasaki and Nagano in Nagano Prefecture, opened on 1 October 1997 in time for the 1998 Winter Olympics, and was originally called the Nagano Shinkansen (長野新幹線). The extension to Toyama in Toyama Prefecture and Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture opened on 14 March 2015. Construction of a further section onward to Fukui and Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture, covering 125 kilometers and six stations, commenced in 2012 and opened on 16 March 2024. The route of the final section to Shin-Osaka was decided on 20 December 2016 as the Osaka–Kyoto route, with construction expected to begin in the late 2020s and take about 25 years, after impact assessment procedures for areas along the line are completed.

## Train names and service patterns

Since March 2015, services on the line are split into four types, with train names as listed below. Trains operate over the Joetsu and Tohoku Shinkansen tracks between Tokyo and Takasaki.
* Kagayaki: Tokyo–Tsuruga, limited-stop service, since 14 March 2015
* Hakutaka: Tokyo–Tsuruga, mostly all-stations service, since 14 March 2015
* Tsurugi: Toyama–Tsuruga, mostly all-stations shuttle service, since 14 March 2015
* Asama: Tokyo–Nagano, mostly all-stations service, corresponding to existing Nagano Shinkansen service introduced in 1997
The original Nagano Shinkansen Asama services, introduced in 1997, replaced the conventional Shin'etsu Main Line limited express services, also named Asama, which previously took 2 hours 50 minutes from Tokyo (Ueno Station) to Nagano. Following the opening of the Shinkansen, part of the conventional line was abandoned between Yokokawa and Karuizawa. This section included the steeply-graded Usui Pass which required the use of bank engines on all trains. Travel time between Tokyo and Tsuruga is 3 hours 8 minutes, 50 minutes shorter than using a conventional train between Kanazawa and Tsuruga.

## Stations

Legend:
| ● | All trains stop |
| ▲ | Some trains stop |
| ｜ | All trains pass |
| Line | Station | Japanese | Distance from Takasaki (km) | Distance from Takasaki (km) | Distance from Takasaki (km) | Distance from Takasaki (km) | Distance from Takasaki (km) | Distance from Takasaki (km) | Distance from Takasaki (km) | Location | Location |
| Line | Station | Japanese | | Distance from Tokyo (km) | Distance from Tokyo (km) | Distance from Tokyo (km) | Distance from Tokyo (km) | Distance from Tokyo (km) | Distance from Tokyo (km) | | | | | | Location | Location |
| Line | Station | Japanese | | | Kagayaki | Kagayaki | Kagayaki | Kagayaki | Kagayaki | | | | | Location | Location |
| Line | Station | Japanese | | | | Hakutaka | Hakutaka | Hakutaka | Hakutaka | | | | Location | Location |
| Line | Station | Japanese | | | | | Asama | Asama | Asama | | | Location | Location |
| Line | Station | Japanese | | | | | | Tsurugi | Tsurugi | | Location | Location |
| Line | Station | Japanese | | | | | | | Transfers | Location | Location |
| Tōhoku Shinkansen | Tokyo | 東京 | 108.6 | 0.0 | ● | ● | ● | | Tokaido Shinkansen JY Yamanote Line JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line JC Chūō Main Line JT Tokaido Main Line JU Tohoku Main Line JO Yokosuka Line・Sōbu Line (Rapid) JE Keiyō Line M Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line (Ōtemachi) | Chiyoda | Tokyo |
| Tōhoku Shinkansen | Ueno | 上野 | 105.0 | 3.6 | ▲ | ● | ● | | JY Yamanote Line JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line JJ Jōban Line G Tokyo Metro Ginza Line H Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line KS Keisei Main Line (Keisei Ueno) | Taitō | Tokyo |
| Jōetsu Shinkansen | Ōmiya | 大宮 | 77.3 | 31.3 | ● | ● | ● | | Tōhoku Shinkansen Jōetsu Shinkansen JK Keihin-Tōhoku Line JA Saikyō Line ■ Kawagoe Line JU Utsunomiya Line JU Takasaki Line TD Tobu Urban Park Line New Shuttle | Ōmiya-ku, Saitama | Saitama |
| Jōetsu Shinkansen | Kumagaya | 熊谷 | 40.7 | 67.9 | ｜ | ｜ | ● | | Jōetsu Shinkansen ■ Chichibu Main Line ■ Takasaki Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line | Kumagaya | Saitama |
| Jōetsu Shinkansen | Honjō-Waseda | 本庄早稲田 | 19.6 | 89.0 | ｜ | ｜ | ● | | Jōetsu Shinkansen | Honjō | Saitama |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Takasaki | 高崎 | 0.0 | 108.6 | ｜ | ● | ● | | Jōetsu Shinkansen ■ Joshin Electric Railway Line ■ Agatsuma Line ■ Hachiko Line ■ Joetsu Line ■ Ryomo Line ■ Shinetsu Main Line ■ Takasaki Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line | Takasaki | Gunma |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Annaka-Haruna | 安中榛名 | 18.5 | 127.1 | ｜ | ｜ | ▲ | | | Annaka | Gunma |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Karuizawa | 軽井沢 | 41.8 | 150.4 | ｜ | ▲ | ● | | Shinano Railway Line | Karuizawa, Kitasaku | Nagano |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Sakudaira | 佐久平 | 59.4 | 168.0 | ｜ | ▲ | ● | | ■ Koumi Line | Saku | Nagano |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Ueda | 上田 | 84.2 | 192.8 | ｜ | ▲ | ● | | Shinano Railway Line Ueda Electric Railway Bessho Line | Ueda | Nagano |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Nagano | 長野 | 117.4 | 226.0 | ● | ● | ● | | ■ Iiyama Line ■ Shinetsu Main Line Shinano Railway Kita-Shinano Line Nagano Electric Railway Nagano Line | Nagano | Nagano |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Iiyama | 飯山 | 147.3 | 255.9 | ｜ | ▲ | | | ■ Iiyama Line | Iiyama | Nagano |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Jōetsumyōkō | 上越妙高 | 176.9 | 285.5 | ｜ | ● | | | ETR Myōkō Haneuma Line | Jōetsu | Niigata |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Itoigawa | 糸魚川 | 213.9 | 322.5 | ｜ | ● | | | ■ Ōito Line ETR Nihonkai Hisui Line | Itoigawa | Niigata |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Kurobe-Unazukionsen | 黒部宇奈月温泉 | 253.1 | 361.7 | ｜ | ● | | | Toyama Chihō Railway Main Line (Shin-Kurobe) | Kurobe | Toyama |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Toyama | 富山 | 286.9 | 395.5 | ● | ● | | ● | ■ Takayama Main Line Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line Toyama Chihō Railway ■ Main Line ■ Tateyama Line ■ Fujikoshi-Kamidaki Line (3 lines at Dentetsu-Toyama) Toyama City Tram Line ■ Toyama Light Rail Toyamako Line | Toyama | Toyama |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Shin-Takaoka | 新高岡 | 305.8 | 414.4 | ｜ | ● | | ● | ■ Jōhana Line | Takaoka | Toyama |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Kanazawa | 金沢 | 345.5 | 454.1 | ● | ● | | ● | ■ Nanao Line IR Ishikawa Railway Line ■ Hokutetsu Asanogawa Line (Hokutetsu-Kanazawa) | Kanazawa | Ishikawa |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Komatsu | 小松 | 372.6 | 481.2 | ▲ | ● | | ▲ | IR Ishikawa Railway Line | Komatsu | Ishikawa |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Kagaonsen | 加賀温泉 | 387.1 | 495.7 | ▲ | ● | | ▲ | IR Ishikawa Railway Line | Kaga | Ishikawa |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Awaraonsen | 芦原温泉 | 403.5 | 512.0 | ▲ | ● | | ▲ | Hapi-Line Fukui Line | Awara | Fukui |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Fukui | 福井 | 421.5 | 530.0 | ● | ● | | ● | ■ Etsumi-Hoku Line (Kuzuryū Line) Hapi-Line Fukui Line ■ Katsuyama Eiheiji Line ■ Mikuni Awara Line ■ Fukui Railway Fukubu Line (Fukui-eki) | Fukui | Fukui |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Echizen-Takefu | 越前たけふ | 440.5 | 549.0 | ▲ | ● | | ▲ | | Echizen | Fukui |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Tsuruga | 敦賀 | 470.6 | 579.2 | ● | ● | | ● | A  B Hokuriku Main Line ■ Obama Line Hapi-Line Fukui Line | Tsuruga | Fukui |
| Environmental impact assessment is underway. ||||||||||||
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Higashi-Obama | 東小浜 | | | | | | | ■ Obama Line | Obama | Fukui |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Kyōto | 京都 | | | | | | | Tokaido Shinkansen  A Tokaido Main Line  B Kosei Line  D Nara Line  E Sanin Main Line  B Kintetsu Kyoto Line Kyoto City Subway Karasuma Line | Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto | Kyoto |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Matsuiyamate | 松井山手 | | | | | | | Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line) | Kyōtanabe | Kyoto |
| Hokuriku Shinkansen | Shin-Ōsaka | 新大阪 | | | | | | | Tokaido Shinkansen San'yō Shinkansen  A Tokaido Main Line  F Osaka Higashi Line Osaka Metro Midōsuji Line | Yodogawa-ku, Osaka | Osaka |
* The boundary between JR East and JR West lies immediately to the north of Jōetsumyōkō Station.
* Stations in italics are not currently operational.
* 1 2 Although the official terminus of the Ryōmō Line is at Shin-Maebashi and that of the Agatsuma Line is at Shibukawa, trains on both lines run through to Takasaki.
* ↑ Although the official terminus of the Iiyama Line is at Toyono, trains on the line run through to Nagano.