Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 14

A History of Railway Tunnels in Japan
Shigeru Onoda

Introduction

Techniques for mining ore also advanced in the Edo
period, and specialist miners performed excavation workat mines.

Only about 30% of Japan’s land area is flat with theremaining 70% being mountainous. The cities on the flattunnels. As of 2013, 3813 km of Japan’s 27,497 km of railway

Introduction of modern tunnelling technologies (1870s to
1900s)

lines (approximately 14%) is in tunnel.

Railway tunnels were the starting point for modern tunnelling

land have well-developed subway systems with many railway

The three main methods for constructing railway tunnels

technologies in Japan. The first railway line built in Japan inare mountain tunnelling, shield tunnelling, and open cut (cut-1872 between Shimbashi and Yokohama had no tunnels,

and-cover) tunnelling. Other methods include immersed-

and the first tunnels were built on a section of track between

tube tunnelling and caisson tunnelling. Early railway tunnels

Osaka and Kobe opened in 1874 passing under a high-in Japan used technologies from abroad, but eventually thebedded river flowing from Mt Rokko. Three short tunnels—

nation developed its own technologies. Tunnel construction

the 111-m long Ashiyagawa Tunnel, 50-m Sumiyoshigawa

in Japan often faced difficulties due to the complex geology,

Tunnel, and 61-m Ishiyagawa Tunnel—were constructed

but technical improvements were made by using feedback

by the cut-and-cover method under the supervision of afrom each tunnelling experience. This article looks back at

British engineer. All were later changed to aqueduct bridges

the advancement in railways and the progress in Japan’saround 1920, so the tunnels are no longer used.
This was followed by the 665-m Osakayama Tunnel

tunnel technologies.

constructed from 1878 to 1880 between Kyoto and Otsu.

History of Railway Mountain TunnellingThis tunnel was built by Japanese engineers alone, without

Japanese tunnels before railways (prior to 1870s)

Director of the Railway Board to promote domestic railway

It is unknown when the first tunnels were dug in Japan—

technologies. Miners were called from Ikuno silver mine

the same is true for tunnel history worldwide. Tunnelling

and traditional mining techniques and stonemasons wereusing foreign advisors due to the intention of Masaru Inouein earnest as civil engineering started during
the Edo period (1603–1868) with a record of
a tunnel for the Tatsumi Aqueduct (Ishikawa
Prefecture) excavated in 1632. This 3.3-km
long, 1.5 to 2.1-m wide, 1.8-m high tunnel was
dug through easy geology, so it was completed
in just 9 months. Drifts were dug during
construction to confirm the tunnel positionand secure ventilation, and lighting was by oillamps. In 1666, the 1.3-km long, 2-m high, and2-m wide Hakone Aqueduct Tunnel (locatedbetween Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures)
was dug over a span of 4 years.
The 180-m long Aonodomon (blue tunnel)
at Yabakei Gorge (Oita Prefecture) wascompleted in 30 years from 1720 to 1750. It
was Japan’s first tunnel for transport purposes
and was purportedly dug by the monk Zenkai(1691-1774).
Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

Ishiyagawa Tunnel (1874) (Japan’s first railway tunnel)

38(Author)Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 14

Osakayama Tunnel built solely by Japanese engineers (1880) (now preserved as railway memorial)

(Author)used. With the completion of Osakayama Tunnel, tunnelling

Progress in tunnel construction (1910s to 1920s)

in Japan made an early departure from the techniques ofLittle progress in tunnelling technologies was made forforeign engineers. In 1884, the 1352-m Yanagase Tunnel

some period after the Sasago Tunnel, until the age of longon the Hokuriku Line was completed as Japan’s first tunnel

tunnels arrived in the 1910s because construction of trunk

longer than 1 km. An overview of its construction is reportedlines had eased off with construction of mountain routes

in the Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil

and improvement to grades.

Engineers by Kinsuke Hasegawa.

The first Tokaido main line route between Otsu andEarly tunnels were built mainly using a construction

Kyoto constructed in 1880 bypassed Mt Osaka to the south

method called ‘Japanese excavation’ where tunnels were

where the Osakayama Tunnel was constructed; the 1865-m

advanced at a top heading first. Construction was easy

Higashiyama Tunnel and 2325-m Shin-Osakayama Tunnel

using this method, so it was employed for most railway

were completed subsequently in 1921 to relieve the steep

tunnels constructed until around 1920. Attempts to shorten

grade and shorten the route.

the construction period by using vertical shafts were madeThe steep grade on the Tokaido main line between

at an early stage in works such as the 928-m Kabuto Tunnel

Kozu and Numazu going over Mt Hakone led to the 1918

on the Kansei Railway (Kansai Line today) completed inconstruction of the 7804-m Tanna Tunnel at the ‘neck’ of the1889, the 1629-m No. 2 Itayatoge Tunnel on the Ou Line

Izu Peninsula. Construction also started in 1922 on the 9702-

completed in 1894, and the 2656-m Kamuriki Tunnel on them Shimizu tunnel, passing under the approximately 2000-

Shinonoi Line completed in 1896. The Kamuriki Tunnel wasm high Mikuni mountain range and shortening the route

Japan’s first railway tunnel longer than 2 km.

between Takasaki and Niigata.

The 4656-m Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Line completedThese long tunnels could be constructed thanks toin 1903 became Japan’s longest tunnel until completion of theadvances in construction technologies (such as switching

Shimizu Tunnel on the Joetsu Line in 1931. The Sasago Tunnel

from the Japanese excavation method where a top heading

excavation used electric locomotives to remove spoil and it

is advanced first to the New Austrian Method where awas the pinnacle of tunnel construction in the Meiji periodbottom heading is advanced first). The spread of electric(1868–1912). A hydroelectric power plant was built near the

railways also helped because electric trains eliminated theworksite, providing power for electric locomotives, lighting,need to ventilate smoke from steam locomotives. Building

and fans and contributing to more efficient construction and along tunnels also changed design considerations inbetter construction site.

selecting routes, marking a departure from the old concept

39Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

Figure 1 Ikoma Tunnel Excavation Cress Sections (1914)(Tokyo Institute of Technology)

of climbing with steep grades and sharp curves and building

Electric Railroad (Kintetsu Corporation today). Construction

tunnels only when absolutely necessary.

on this tunnel between Osaka and Nara started in 1911 andAn important controversy arose in tunnelling technology

its 3388-m length was second only to the Sasago Tunnel.

at this time: the issue of whether to build two parallel single-

It is a double-track tunnel using standard gauge and wastrack tunnels or one double-track tunnel when constructing

completed in 1914 despite a collapse and flooding, proving

double-track lines. Most railway tunnels up to that time werethat long double-track tunnels could be constructed.

single-track, and a new adjacent parallel single-track tunnel

Meanwhile, the New Austrian Method was being

was excavated when doubling track. With more opportunities

introduced from Europe as a replacement to the prevalent

to construct double-track tunnels in this era, opinion was

top-heading (Japanese) method. It enabled efficient

split on which design was best. With parallel single-track

construction of long tunnels in shorter times. With the switch

tunnels, the excavated cross section is smaller so excavationfrom brick and stone linings to concrete, most tunnels

speed is faster and a more stable tunnel face is secured

starting from the 1252-m Nokogiriyama Tunnel on the Boso

when digging in weak ground. However, this design is notWest Line in 1915 embraced cast-in-place concrete andideal for ventilating smoke from steam locomotives andconcrete blocks as lining, and most tunnel linings wereoverall construction costs tended to be higher.

concrete by the 1920s.

For this reason, although the Shin-Osakayama andHigashiyama tunnels between Otsu and Kyoto and 2457-m

Attempts at difficult construction (1920s to 1930s)

Izumigoe Tunnel between Kozu and Atami on the Tokaido

Work on the Tanna Tunnel (Fig. 2), a Japanese tunnel

main line were constructed as parallel single-track tunnels,

project that became world famous, started in 1918 tomost of the tunnels between Kozu and Numazu, including

improve the steep route over Mt Hakone. The construction

the Tanna Tunnel, used a double-track cross section.

was hindered by weak geology with spring water, a large

The turning point was the Ikoma Tunnel (Fig. 1) on Osaka

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

fault fracture zone, and altered rock exhibiting swelling;40Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 14

Figure 2 Tanna Tunnel Excavation Cross Sections (1934)(RTRI)

Shimizu Tunnel breakthrough (1929) (celebrated with rice wine and completed in 1931)

(RTRI)

it required 16 years to complete and took the lives of 67

build and expressed his respect for the bravery of Japan’s

workers. Supplementary construction methods such as

tunnel workers. He also expressed criticism, saying thatdrainage boring, drainage and detour drift drilling, shield

the difficulty was a result of the engineers failing to conduct

tunnelling, and pneumatic tunnelling were adopted and thegeological surveys.

experience was applied to later tunnel construction. Robert

Furthermore, the 1922 construction of the Shimizu Tunnel

Ridgway, the Chief Engineer for the New York subway visitedon the Joetsu Line experienced rock burst due to the highthe Tanna Tunnel construction site when he was in Japan toground pressure caused by more than 1000 m of overheadattend the World Engineering Congress in Tokyo in 1930,

burden and construction was plagued by large volumes ofand said that he knew of no other more difficult tunnel tospring water. Emphasis was placed on mechanized work to

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

excavate the hard bedrock and equipment imported fromfor the project. The idea of a railway link between Honshu

the USA was introduced to complete the tunnelling in 1929.

and Kyushu was proposed first in 1896 with comparison

Due to the experience of these difficult constructions,of bridge and tunnel proposals. The decision to dig anengineers grew more interested in geological surveys

undersea tunnel was taken from the defence perspective.

and their results, so the Ministry of Railways Geotechnical

The Kanmon Tunnel was to be built for more than justCommittee was established in 1930. The Committee, along

hauling coal and other ores extracted in Kyushu to industrial

with outside experts, researched geological surveying

areas on Honshu. It was also important as a supply route

methods and soil-testing methods. It prompted systemization

to expand Japan’s might as the military advanced intoof engineering geology, bordering civil engineering andmainland Asia. Geological surveys such as boring surveys

geology and playing a pioneering role in the field.

at sea were performed from 1919 onwards.

Other advances included use of reinforced concrete

Construction used mountain tunnelling on the Honshu

linings to handle expansive ground pressure in the 2919-m

side and caisson and shield tunnelling on the Kyushu side.

Usami Tunnel on the Ito Line completed in 1933; use of small

The Kanmon Tunnel was the first example of using shield

drill jumbos in the 5361-m Senzan Tunnel on the Senzan

tunnelling in earnest, and extensive preparations wereLine completed in 1934; and adoption of wooden-prop

made, such as dispatching engineers to New York to survey

shoring and blasting with electric delay caps in the 3125-m

riverbed tunnels on the Hudson River. Other techniques

Manaitayama Tunnel on the Oito Line completed in 1936.

were pneumatic tunnelling and cement grouting, and efforts

In the 1930s, subways were constructed in urban areas

were made to shorten the construction period by confirming

using the cut-and-cover method, with mountain tunnelling

the geology by advancing test headers and increasing theused on some sections of Tokyo Underground Railway

number of tunnel faces. Construction started in 1936 with(today’s Tokyo Metro) opened in 1927, and Keisei Electric

excavation of vertical shafts, and work continued at a rushed

Railway’s underground line opened in 1933.

pace in the difficult times under a war footing. The down-line
tunnel (3614 m) was completed in 1942 followed by the up-

Tunnels during WWII (1930s to 1940s)

line tunnel (3605 m) in 1944.

The world’s first undersea tunnel was planned for theConstruction started on various other tunnels including

Kanmon Strait between Honshu and Kyushu, and all Japan’s

the Tanna Tunnel in 1942 (Fig 3) for the so-called ‘Bullet

abilities in tunnelling technology were brought together

Train’ project with the goal of running high-speed trains
on standard gauge. Work, such as
geological surveys, went forward on aplan to build a railway tunnel under the
Korea Straight, but all these projects

Figure 3 Bullet Train Tunnel Cross Section (1942)

were suspended as the war intensified.
The tunnel cross section and otherdesign standards along with route plans
for the Bullet Train were reflected in postwar shinkansen plans.
Due to wartime shortages, tunnel
designs in this period saved materials
by means such as omitting concrete
linings, substituting stone once again
for concrete linings, and leaving the
bedrock exposed. Also, many engineers
involved in tunnel construction weremoved to construction of undergroundair-raid shelters, bunkers, bases, andmunitions factories until the war’s end
in 1945.

Post-war restart (1950s to 1960s)
C o nstructio n of new tunnels was
suspended for a time after the war but(RTRI)

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

42

an unofficial committee was formed inBreakthrough in Japanese Railways 14

Tokaido Shinkansen Shin-Tanna Tunnel (1964) (parallel to conventional-line Tanna Tunnel on north side)

(RTRI)

1946 to study a railway link under the Tsugaru Strait between

tracking). The track improvements between Tsuruga andHonshu and Hokkaido and surveying started for an undersea

Imajo on the Hokuriku Line including the 13,780-m Hokuriku

tunnel—today’s Seikan Tunnel.

Tunnel used work drifts such as inclined and vertical shafts

The first post-war tunnel was the 5063-m Ohara Tunnel

to cut construction time. Steel supports secured wider workon the Iida Line, built to relocate the line away from aspaces and new construction methods, such as double-

section being flooded by construction of the Sakuma Dam.

track, full-face tunnelling were attempted; the bottom

Construction of the Sakuma Dam was hastened to make-up

heading method was adopted as the standard excavation

post-war electricity shortages, so the Ohara Tunnel also had

method matching Japan’s complex geology. The Hokuriku

to be constructed quickly. The latest tunnelling machinery

Tunnel took 4.5 years to build and was completed in 1962.

was imported from the USA and construction was completed

Tunnelling technologies for long double-track tunnels

in 1957, 2 years after the start. Full-face excavation wasestablished by construction of the Hokuriku Tunnel wereused for the Ohara Tunnel, with equipment such as drill

adopted later for shinkansen tunnels.

jumbos, mobile lining frames (steel forms), and electricmuck loaders. To secure a wider work space, steel supports

From shinkansen tunnels to Seikan Tunnel (1970s to 1980s)

were introduced as an alternative to general-purpose

The Tokaido Shinkansen opened in 1964 with straightwooden-prop shoring. Steel supports were embedded in the

tracks, gradual grades, and gentle curves supporting high-concrete lining and not removed, eliminating the dangerous

speed operations in excess of 200 km/h. Approximately

work of removing wooden-prop shoring, and making work

13% (68.5 km) of the 515 km between Tokyo and Shin-

more efficient and safer. Steel supports came into common

Osaka was in tunnel. This compares to the 5% (27 km) ofuse with the opportunity provided by this construction

the 556-km Tokaido main line running almost parallel. The

project. Installation of concrete lining, which had been done

17-year planned construction period for the 7959-m Shin-manually until this time, was made more efficient and lessTanna Tunnel, the longest tunnel on the Tokaido Shinkansen,

labour intensive using steel forms and concrete pumps.

reflected expected construction difficulties, but it was

The huge shortage in transport capacity during thecompleted in 5.5 years, demonstrating advances in Japan’s

post-war reconstruction required intensive construction totunnelling technologies at that time.

lower steep grades and increase track capacity (by double

Tunnels tended to be much longer on the San’yo

43Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

Seikan Tunnel Breakthrough (1983) (opened in 1988 as world’s longest tunnel)
(Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT))

Shinkansen built after the Tokaido Shinkansen, focusingbolts from mining were conducted in the 2534-m Okamizaka

interest on faster construction methods, especially tunnel

Tunnel and the 2933-m Sone Tunnel in 1956. After a long

boring machines (TBM) entering commercial use inperiod of non-use, they were finally used to cut the cost ofEurope. A Swiss TBM with a cutting diameter of 3.6 m wasconstructing the 10,700-m Saisho Tunnel, 5305-m Takeharaused to excavate the survey shaft for the Seikan Tunnel

Tunnel, and 18,713-m Shinkanmon Tunnel on the San’yo

in 1966. This was followed by a domestically built TBM

Shinkansen in 1972.

licensed from overseas; it had a cutting-head diameter

Shotcrete was also used to prevent ground looseningof 2.3 m and was used to bore the bottom heading ofduring the 1967 construction of the 2640-m Shintokawa

the 1570-m Kinoura Tunnel on the Hokuriku Line in 1967.

Tunnel on the Momijiyama Line (later Sekisho Line) and theBased on these tests, domestic TBMs with a cutting

53,800-m undersea Seikan Tunnel started with a survey

diameter of 4.5 m and a ‘Big John’ boom-type full-faceshaft in 1964 and now the world’s longest railway tunnel.

excavation machine imported from the USA were used to

Boring of the Seikan Tunnel main shaft started in 1972,

excavate tunnels on the San’yo Shinkansen from 1968.

followed by the pilot tunnel breakthrough in 1983, andHowever, Japan’s complex geology proved difficult andstart of railway operations in 1988. New techniques wereuse of TBMs and full-face excavation machines for railway

developed, including pilot boring to characterize the geology

tunnels was halted after trials on a few tunnels.

ahead of the cutting face, chemical grouting to improve

Partial-face excavation machines were used for thethe ground around the tunnel and stop water ingress, and798-m Shiroyama Tunnel on the Kagoshima Line in 1969,

shotcreting to control ground loosening at the early stage.

and became popular as excavation machines with broad

Committees such as one to investigate technologies for theapplication to complex geology. Their use was expanded

Seikan Tunnel (1967 to 1985) and one on earth pressure

after introduction of the New Austrian Tunnelling Methodon the lining of the Seikan Tunnel (1971 to 1981) were

(NATM) covered later. These partial-face excavation

established to support construction work.

machines were improved road-headers introduced by

NATM Introduction

the USSR in 1961 for mining, and caught on in tunnel
construction.
Steel supports introduced with the Ohara Tunnel

NATM, the standard method for mountain tunnelling today,

construction were the main supports, but trials using rockwas developed by Austria’s Ladislaus von Rabcewicz inJapan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 201544

Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 14

Figure 4 NATM on Nakayama Tunnel (1976)
Cross-sectional locations ofrock bolts added due todesign change(RTRI)

1964. It features supports consisting mainlyof rock bolts and shotcrete, and construction
is performed according to ground conditions
thanks to measurement control.
NATM was first introduced in Japan
by Yukitoshi Oka of Kyoto University in
1974, and representatives of the Japan
Tunnelling Association participating in theInternational Tunnelling And UndergroundSpace Association (ITA) general assembly
i n M u n i c h i n 1975 o b s e r ve d N AT M
construction sites in Switzerland andAustria. Against this background, Japanese
National Railways (JNR) and the Japan
Railway Construction Public Corporation

NATM on No. 1 Awazu Tunnel (1978)(foreign engineers like Leopold Müller were brought in for early advice)

(RTRI)(JRCC) were motivated to try NATM and it
was used in 1976 on a trial basis by JRCC
on a section with squeezing in the 14,857m Nakayama Tunnel (Fig. 5) on the Joetsu Shinkansen. JNRJapan’s complex geology. NATM was used in all tunnels built

selected four tunnels including the 255-m No. 1 Hiraishi

by JNR from 1979 and a proposal for design and construction

Tunnel on the Tohoku Shinkansen in 1978 as test NATM

guidelines was established in 1982, positioning NATM as theconstruction sites, and difficult conditions of decomposed

standard mountain tunnelling method for railways.
Experts from other countries were invited to provide

granitic soil with little overburden were overcome totechnical instruction when NATM was introduced, withcomplete the construction.
The combinations of NATM support materials can be

Austrian Professor Leopold Müller from Karlsruhe Institutechanged easily to match geological conditions, so NATM

of Technology in Germany invited to the construction sitecaught on quickly as a tunnelling method with adaptability tofor the No. 1 Hiraishi Tunnel on the Tohoku Shinkansen in

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

1978. Professor Müller also provided technical instruction

tunnelling was mainly used, such as the Negishi Tunnel on

for the 245-m No. 2 Hiraishi Tunnel and the 190-m No. 1

Yokohama Municipal Subway Line 3 completed in 1980 and

Awazu Tunnel.

Mitsuzawashimocho and Mitsuzawakamicho stations with

Along with introduction of NATM, the Finite Element

large cross sections of 146 m2. Its ability to cut construction

Method (FEM) and other design methods using numericalcosts plus easy adaptability to large cross sections led toanalysis were developed and came into common use thanks

increasing adoption.

to the greater processing capacity and speed of computers.

The application of NATM to urban tunnels grew due toWith introduction of NATM, construction management

its small impact at the ground surface and NATM was usedtechnologies using measuring instruments such as inner

for the large-cross-section, 72-m section at the east tunnel

space displacement gauges, underground displacement

approach of the Keiyo Line to Tokyo Station completed

meters, and earth pressure gauges advanced, and logicalin 1990.

approaches were taken based on rock dynamics.

Cross Diaphragm (CRD) split construction work was

A flexible response to complex geology was possible

undertaken to minimize ground surface subsidence at theusing flexible tunnel design based on results from2367-m Narashinodai Tunnel on the Toyo Rapid Railway Linemeasuring instruments and computer analysis, creatingwith a large 153-m2 cross section completed in 1996.

a revolution in tunnel construction when combined with

A general jumbo was developed to perform shotcreting,designs based on rock type.

steel-support assembly, and rock-bolt placement with

Backed by these advances in NATM and peripheral

one vehicle for the 25,808 -m Iwate Ichinohe Tunnel

technologies, reliable construction methods for sedimentaryon the Tohoku Shinkansen. Such high-level tunnelling

ground were modified with supplementary construction

mechanization combining construction machinery with ITC

methods such as quick construction of hard rock groundtechnologies was systemized as a Tunnel Work Stationand soil stabilization. In a 377-m section of the 2100-m Narita(TWS) used in construction of the 1737-m Yokokabe Tunnel

Airport Tunnel completed in 1979 for the (now abandoned)on the Agatsuma Line and elsewhere.

Narita Shinkansen, sand diluvium with an earth cover ofHistory of Shield Tunnellingless than 10 m was excavated over a large cross section of
145 m2, and ground surface subsidence was successfully
held to a much lower level than earlier construction methods.

Shield tunnelling was first used by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel

NATM was also used for urban tunnels where shield(1769–1849) in the UK on the Thames Tunnel under the

Oriwatari Tunnel shield machine (1920)

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

(Japan’s first shield tunnel)

46

Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 14

River Thames in London and was patented
in 1825. The first tunnel in Japan built using
shield tunnelling was the 1438-m Oriwatari
Tunnel on the Uetsu Line where a 7.4-mdiameter Japanese-built shield machine
was used to breakthrough a section withsqueezing in 1920. However, the shieldmachine proved difficult to control andonly 184 m was excavated using it. Shieldtunnelling was also used for work shafts on
the Tanna Tunnel and in construction of the
Kanmon Tunnel (7.2-m diameter) but these
are the only three pre-war examples ofrailway tunnels using shield tunnelling.
It was a long time before shieldtunnelling was used again for the archof the Nagatacho No. 2 section on the
Eidan Marunouchi Subway in 1957. Thiswas followed in 1960 by construction of a

Kanmon Tunnel excavated using 7.2-m diameter shield machine (1942)
(Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE))

single-track parallel, circular shield tunnel
in the Kakuozan construction section of the
Nagoya Municipal Subway HigashiyamaLine. As a result, shield tunnelling gained areputation as a safe method for excavatingurban tunnels and became popular centredon subway construction.
The first shield machines all used
manual digging, but a single-track crosssection mechanical shield machine wasintroduced in 19 64 for the Tanimachi
construction section of the Osaka
Municipal Subway Tanimachi Line. Manualdigging, double-track cross-section shieldmachines entered practical use in 1965
for the Hoenzaka construction section of
the Osaka Municipal Subway Chuo Line;mechanical, double-track cross-section,
shield machines were used in 1968 for

MF shield machine (1998) (double-O-tube shield machine developed to construct double-tracktunnels with smaller cross section)
(JR East)

construction on Kinki Nippon Railway
between Uehonmachi and Namba.
Open-type shields used pneumatic tunnelling as

in 1991. An OD12.6-m, double-track cross-section semi-

well, but problems such as oxygen-starvation accidents

mechanical large bore shield machine was used for theand ground subsidence occurred, so original Japanese1133-m No. 1 Ueno Tunnel.

technologies were developed for slurry shields and earth-Shield-tunnel construction is more stable for parallelpressure shields. Single-track cross-section slurry shields

single-track cross-section tunnels than for double-track

were used for the first time in 1970 for the undersea part ofcross-section tunnels, but requires acquisition of more

the Haneda Tunnel on the Keiyo Line. A 12.7-m double-track

land. Multi-face (MF) shields with two linked circular-section

cross-section semi-mechanical large bore shield machineboring machines were developed in 1988, and used to

was used for advancing a pilot shield for soil stabilization

excavate a 623-m section in the Kyobashi Tunnel on thein the Kaneijibashi and Shitaya construction sections of the

Keiyo Line.

Tohoku Shinkansen completed in 1985 and for the extension

To reduce shield -tunnelling costs and improveline to Tokyo Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen completed

construction efficiency, the Extruded Concrete Lining

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

ECL on Akima Tunnel (1990) (developed to apply shield tunnelling technology to mountain tunnelling) (JRTT)(ECL) method was developed for mountain tunnelling too.

reinforced-concrete box-frame structure between stations

ECL was first used for a head-race tunnel at JR East’s

with a steel-framed reinforced-concrete structure at stations.

Shinano River hydroelectric power plant in 1987, and was

The Osaka Municipal Railway opened in 1933 used aapplied later in 1990 to the 8310-m Akima Tunnel on thespecial construction method while the country was on a war

Hokuriku Shinkansen. Furthermore, the Shield machine/

footing. Soil retention steel pilings were used directly as part

Extruded concrete lining/NATM/System (SENS) combiningof the wall frame and enclosed in concrete. Subway stations

the benefits of shield machines, ECL, and NATM, wasused reinforced-concrete arch structures to secure large

developed and used on the 4280-m Sanbongihara Tunnel

spaces without columns, and unreinforced-concrete arch

completed in 2010.

cross-section tunnel construction was also used to savesteel. Cut-and-cover tunnels with steel-frame or reinforced-

History of Cut-and-cover Tunnellingconcrete frame structures were also built. These include the

The first cut-and-cover tunnel in Japan was the Ishiyagawa

Kyoto Line) opened in 1931, and the Ueno Underground

Tunnel mentioned previously. It was built directly under aLine of Keisei Electric Railway opened in 1933.

Kyoto Underground Line of Shinkeihan Railway (now Hankyu

raised river bed and completed in 1874. Cut-and-coverTokyo Metro’s Marunouchi Line constructed soon aftertunnelling was later used frequently for raised river-bed

the war was built mainly using cut-and-cover tunnelling withtunnels and tunnels in hilly areas with shallow overburden,

concrete or cast-iron road-bed lining plates. While soldier

but was used most widely for subway tunnels.

piles with wooden lagging were common, the Italian ICOS

Japan’s first subway was the Tokyo Undergroundmethod was introduced for cut-and-cover tunnelling near

Railway opened in 1927. Chief Engineer for the Berlin

Honancho on the Marunouchi Line in 1961, making it an

Subway, Rudolf Briske, was brought in to give instruction

early example of underground continuous-wall construction.

in the construction. In cut-and-cover tunnel construction,

Soil retaining using soldier piles and wooden lagging

I-beams are used for soldier piles and soil is retained bycontinued to be the main method, but boring with earth

wooden lagging while excavating. In the parts with roads or

drills and erecting became more common for driving piles

tracks, I-beams are installed as cross beams and the roadthan striking with hammers, greatly reducing construction

face is lined with timber. The tunnel itself generally had anoise. Large work spaces were secured with greater safety

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 201548

Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 14

Station on Osaka Municipal Railway Midosuji Line (1933) (large cross-section subway station without columns)

(Author)Figure 5 Tokyo Underground Station Built by Cut-and-Cover Tunnelling (1972)
Tokyo Underground Station

Subway Line 4

Sobu Line

Tokaido Line
(JNR)

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015

Figure 6 History of World’s Longest Railway Tunnels (Excluding Subway Tunnels)
1830(Year)

1840

Box (1841 UK/2880 m)

1850
1860
1870
Ishiyagawa (1874/61 m)
1880

Mont Cenis (1871 France & Italy/12,234 m)

Osakayama (1880/665 m)
Yanagase (1884/1352 m)

St. Gotthard (1882 Switzerland & Italy/14,892 m)

1890
Kanayama (1898/1655 m)
Kamurigi (1902/2656 m)
Sasago(1903/4656 m)

1900
1910

Simplon I (1906 Switzerland & Italy/19,803 m)

1920

Simplon II (1922 Switzerland & Italy/19,824 m)

1930

Shimizu(1931/9702 m)

1940
1950
1960

Hokuriku(1962/13,870 m)

1970

Rokko (1972/16,250 m)
Shin-Kanmon (1975/18,713 m)

1980

Daishimizu (1982/22,221 m)

Seikan (1988/53,850 m)

1990

Channel (1994 UK & France/50,450 m)

2000

Iwate-Ichinohe (2002/25,810 m)
0

10

20

30

40

50

60 km
(Author)by changing from wooden-prop shoring to steel supports

started in 1968, partially opened in 1972, and completed in

making frequent use of H-beams. Furthermore, boring could1975) has a rigid-frame structure with steel-frame reinforced

be done safer and deeper under urban areas with existing

concrete five stories underground (Fig. 5). It is a large

complex underground structures by using the well-point,underground station with a maximum width of 43.2 m andtrench cut, and underpinning methods.

height of 24.4 m, and has two island platforms serving the

As shield tunnelling became more common for subway

15-car EMUs. The same construction technologies wereconstruction, cut-and-cover tunnelling was used to build theused later for the underground parts of Ueno Station

work bases from which shield machines advanced.

(completed in 1985) for the Tohoku Shinkansen.

The underground part of Tokyo Station for throughservices between the Tokaido and Sobu lines (construction

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 201550

Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 14

History of Immersed-Tube Tunnelling

Further Reading
W.F. Potter, ‘Railway Work in Japan’ Minutes of Proceedings of the Institutionof Civil Engineers, Vol. 56 (1879)

Immersed-tube tunnelling is used for underwater tunnels;

T.M. Rymer- Jhones, ‘Imperial Government Railways of Japan-The
Osakayama Tunnel, Otzu, Lake Biwa’, Minutes of Proceedings of theInstitution of Civil Engineers, Vol. 64 (1881)

sections are first prefabricated onshore, floated to theconstruction site, submerged, and connected to complete
the tunnel. This method was first used in 1893 to construct

K. Hasegawa, T.R. Shervinton, ‘The Yanagase Yama Tunnel on the TsurugaNagahama Railway, Japan (Abstract)’, Minutes of Proceedings of theInstitution of Civil Engineers, Vol. 90 (1887)

a sewer under Boston Harbor in the USA. In Japan, it was
first applied to a river-bed tunnel under the Aji River in‘The Ikoma Tunnel, Japan’ Engineering, Vol. 99 (Feb. 19, 1915)

Osaka in 1935.

Japan Tunnelling Association, Tunnel Technology White Paper (2006) [inJapanese]

The first immersed tube railway tunnel in Japan was a
480-m section of the Haneda Tunnel on the Tokyo Monorailcompleted in 1964. The method was used again for tunnels
such as the Haneda Tunnel on the Keiyo Line completed
in 1969 (Tama River section: 48 m/Keihin Canal section:
33 m), and the Dojimagawa Tunnel (72-m section) and
Dotonborigawa Tunnel (25-m section) of Osaka Municipal
Subway, also completed in 1969. There are few examples ofthis special construction method.

Conclusion
Railway tunnels in Japan started with the 61-m Ishiyagawa
Tunnel built in 1870 under the instruction of a British engineer.
At around the same time, the 12,234-m Mont Cenis Tunnel(Fig. 6) was completed in the European Alps in 1871 and thealmost 15,000-m St. Gotthard Tunnel was under construction(completed in 1882), demonstrating an unmistakable gap in
the technology level between the West and Japan. Combining
mining and stonemason techniques from the Edo Periodwith western technology allowed Japan to develop domestic
technologies relatively quickly and wean itself from relianceon foreign tunnelling engineers.
Japan’s complex topography and geology proveda major obstacle to tunnel construction, and difficult
construction was faced from the 1920s such as the Tanna
Tunnel and Shimizu Tunnel. Improvements in excavation
techniques, application of geological surveying, introductionof mechanized construction, and the like, were made andnew technologies were introduced drawing lessons fromoverseas tunnel construction. The world’s first undersea
Kanmon Tunnel was completed as a result in 1932.
Post-war tunnel construction under went a majorchange with geological sur veying and mechanized
construction coming into common use and a switch fromwooden-prop shoring to steel supports. New construction

Shigeru Onoda

methods for shinkansen tunnels allowed longer tunnels

Dr Shigeru Onoda is an associate director in the Information
Management Division at the Railway Technical Research Institute(RTRI). He joined Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1979 after
graduating from Nihon University in 1987, he RTRI as a researcher
in the Geotechnical Engineering and Disaster Prevention Laboratory.
He took charge of development of reinforcement and repair methods
for railway tunnels. He earned his doctorate from the University ofTokyo in 1998. He is now a specialist in the history of a railway civilengineering heritage.

to be completed quickly. Furthermore, NATM introducedin the late 1970s caught on as a construction method
matching Japan’s geology.
Japan’s tunnelling technologies have matured to a point
where they are highly regarded worldwide, but we should
not forget the efforts of earlier tunnelling engineers.

51

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 66 • Oct 2015