Japan Railway Construction,
Transport and Technology Agency

Outline of Hokkaido Shinkansen
Between Shin-Aomori andShin-Hakodate-Hokuto stations

SectionBetween Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto andSapporo stations

149 kmLine length

212 kmAomori, Yomogita, Sotogahama, Imabetsu,
Nakadomari, Fukushima, Shiriuchi, Kikonai, Hokuto,
Nanae

Municipalities
along the line

Hokuto, Assabu, Yakumo, Oshamambe,
Kuromatsunai, Rankoshi, Toyoura, Niseko, Kutchan,
Niki, Akaigawa, Yoichi, Otaru, Sapporo

Shin-Aomori, Okutsugaru-Imabetsu, Kikonai,
Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto
Maximum design speed:
260km/hMinimum curve radius:
4,000m(2,500 m in some sections)
Maximum gradient:
20.8‰
Track spacing:
4.3m
Electricity of overhead line:
AC 25,000V⚫ Tunnel
Tsugaru Yomogida tunnel
Satsukari tunnel
Koren tunnel
Izumisawa tunnel
Oshima Tobetsu tunnel
Shin-Moheji tunnel⚫ Bridge
Oyachi railway bridge
Kikonai river bridge
Moheji river bridge
Hekirichi river bridge
Onogawa river bridge

Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, Shin-Yakumo (name TBD),
Oshamambe, Kutchan, Shin-Otaru (name TBD),
SapporoStation

6,190m
1,235m
1,410m
1,720m8,073m
3,345mConstruction
criteria

Major
structures

185m
164m
186m
198m
164m

Maximum design speed:
Minimum curve radius:

260km/h
4,000m(600m in some sections)
Maximum gradient:
30‰
Track spacing:
4.3m
Electricity of overhead line:
AC 25,000V⚫ Tunnel
Oshima tunnel
Nodaoi tunnel
Tateiwa tunnel
Uchiura tunnel
Kombu tunnel
Yotei tunnel
Futatsumori tunnel
Shiribeshi tunnel
Sasson tunnel

32,675m
8,165m
17,035m
15,565m
10,410m
9,750m
12,630m
17,990m
26,230m⚫ Bridge
Yurappu river bridge
Shiribetsu river bridge
Minami Kutosan river bridge

245m
340m
210m

Outline of Shared Section with Conventional Line
Although conventional freight trains have been running through the Seikan Tunnel, additional rail for wider
gauge was laid to share the tunnel section with Shinkansen high speed rail.

Tunnel Cross Section

Three-rail Dual Gauge
Rail forconventional line
Conventional
line

Shared rail
60kg rail

1,067 mm

1,435 mm(Conventional line)(Shinkansen)

8m

Shinkansen

Rail for Shinkansen (newlyinstalled)

Rail fastener

Concretedowel
Track slab
10m

Hokkaido Shinkansen Schematic View

Otaru

LegendIn service

IwamizawaShin-Otaru

Underconstruction(Name TBD)

SapporoKutchan

ChitoseLakeShikotsu

Tomakomai

Lake Toya

Sapporo to
Shin-HakodateHokuto

Oshamambe
Noboribetsu

212 kmHigashi-MuroranShin-Yakumo

MuroranYakumo(Name TBD)

Mori

Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto

Onuma
Goryokaku
Hakodate

Kikonai

Seikan Tunnel

Shared section withconventional freight line
82 km

Tsugaru Strait

54 km
OminatoShin-Hakodate-Hokuto to
Shin-Aomori
149 kmOkutsugaru-Imabetsu

AomoriShin-Aomori

Shichinohe-Towada
Hachinohe
Lake Towada

Length of Structures by Type

Cut & embankment 7%

Viaduct24%149km

Cross Section of ViaductShin-Hakodate-Hokuto toSapporo
Cut & embankment 5%8m

Shin-Aomori toShin-Hakodate-Hokuto

Cross Section of Tunnel

Viaduct
13%

212km
12m

Tunnel 65%

Tunnel 80%

Bridge 4%

Bridge 2%

10m

Nationwide Shinkansen Network

SectionTokaido (Tokyo to Shin-Osaka)

515.4km

Sanyo (Shin-Osaka to Hakata)553.7km

Tohoku (Tokyo to Morioka)

496.5km

Tohoku (Morioka to Hachinohe)

96.6kmTohoku (Hachinohe to Shin-Aomori)81.8kmShinkansen
in service Joetsu (Omiya to Niigata)269.5km

Hokuriku (Takasaki to Nagano)117.4km

Hokuriku (Nagano to Kanazawa)

228.0kmKyushu (Hakata to Shin-Yatsushiro)

130.0kmKyushu (Shin-Yatsushiro to Kagoshima-Chuo)

126.8km

Hokkaido (Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto)

148.8km

Shinkansen Hokkaido (Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Sapporo)under
Hokuriku (Kanazawa to Tsuruga)
construction

212. 0km

Kyushu (Takeo-Onsen to Nagasaki)

as of 1st April 2017

Total

Line length

2,764.5 km,
among them,
929.4 km(yellow parts)
wasconstructedunder theShinkansen
scheme after
1991.

Shin-Otaru(name TBD)
SapporoOshamambe
Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto

Shin-Aomori
Hachinohe404.2 km125.2km
67.0kmMorioka

Sendai
Niigata
Fukushima
Joetsu-MyokoToyama
Kanazawa

NaganoFukui

Takasaki

Karuizawa

Omiya

TokyoTsuruga
NagoyaOkayama
Hiroshima

Shin-Osaka

Shin-Shimonoseki

HakataTakeo-Onsen
NagasakiIsahaya
Kumamoto
Shin-Yatsushiro

Tokaido Shinkansen
Sanyo Shinkansen

Kagoshima-Chuo
Tohoku Shinkansen

Joetsu Shinkansen
Hokuriku
Shinkansen
Kyushu Shinkansen
Hokkaido Shinkansen

Tokyo to Shin-Osaka

Opened on 1 Oct, 1964

Shin-Osaka to Okayama

Opened on 15 Mar, 1972

Okayama to HakataOpened on 10 Mar, 1975

Omiya to Morioka

Opened on 23 Jun, 1982

Ueno to Omiya

Opened on 14 Mar, 1985

Tokyo to Ueno

Opened on 20 Jun, 1991

Morioka to Hachinohe

Opened on 1 Dec, 2002

Hachinohe to Shin-Aomori

Opened on 4 Dec, 2010

Omiya to Niigata

Opened on 15 Nov, 1982

Takasaki to Nagano

Opened on 1 Oct, 1997

Nagano to Kanazawa

Opened on 14 Mar, 2015

Shin-Yatsushiro to Kagoshima-Chuo Opened on 13 Mar, 2004

Hakata to Shin-Yatsushiro

Opened on 12 Mar 12, 2011

Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto

Opened on 26 Mar, 2016

Effects of Development for Hokkaido Shinkansen(Between Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and Sapporo stations)Tokyo and Tohoku will be closer to Hokkaido.
9 hrs 7 min

Sapporo to Tokyo

7 hrs 44 min
5 hrs 1 min
 The maximum speed in the sharedsection of the Seikan Tunnel is set at 140km/h.
 The required time after the opening of
Shinkansen is calculated based on thetimetable as of April 2016 and material for
the Shinkansen Subcommittee of theTransport Policy Council.
 The required time before the opening of
Shinkansen is calculated based on thetimetable as of March 2016.
 The current required time is calculated
based on the timetable as of April 2016.

6 hrs 55 min

Sapporo to Morioka

5 hrs 32 min
2 hrs 49 min
5 hrs 28 min
5 hrs 6 min

Sapporo to Aomori
2 hrs 18 min
3 hrs 30 min

Sapporo to Hakodate

1 hour 13 min
Upper line: before theopening of Hokkaido
Shinkansen

Middle line: after the opening between
Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto(current)

Lower line: after the opening between
Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Sapporo

Travel time of each mode of transportation
SectionShinkansen

AirplaneSapporo to Tokyo

5 hrs 1 min

3 hrs 30 min

Sapporo to Morioka

2 hrs 49 min

2 hrs 30 min

Sapporo to Aomori

2 hrs 18 min

2 hrs 50 min

Sapporo to Hakodate

1 hour 13 min

2 hrs 30 min

 The required time after the opening is calculated based on thetimetable in April 2016 and the material by the Shinkansen
Subcommittee of the Council for Transport Policy.
 The required time for airplane includes the times of movement frommain stations to airports and from airports to main stations.

The number of users in previously opened sections has been steadily increasing.
Hokuriku Shinkansen

Hokuriku Shinkansen(Opened on 1 October 1997)(Opened on 14 March 2015)(Takasaki to Nagano)

Increasedby 15%
Increasedby 26%

27,700 people/day

24,000 people/day

19,000 people/day(Nagano to Kanazawa)

10 years
after
Just after opening
opening

23,500 people/day
Increasedby 173%

Just after
opening

8,600 people/day

Beforeopening

Beforeopening

Tohoku Shinkansen

Kyushu Shinkansen(Opened on 4 December 2010)(Opened on 12 March 2011)(Hachinohe to Shin-Aomori)

Increasedby 60%

12,300 people/day

25,700 people/day
Increasedby 44%

7,700 people/day

Just after
opening

Beforeopening*Source:(Hakata to Shin-Yatsushiro)

Hokuriku Shinkansen (Takasaki to Nagano):
Hokuriku Shinkansen (Nagano to Kanazawa):
Tohoku Shinkansen (Hachinohe to Shin-Aomori):
Kyushu Shinkansen (Hakata to Shin-Yatsushiro):

17,900 people/day

Just after
opening

Beforeopening

Before and just after opening: Edited “JR East News” by East Japan Railway Company
10 years after opening:
Edited “Annual Statistics on Railways and Transportation” by MLIT.
Edited “News Release” by West Japan Railway Company (*The number of users is based on the data between
Joetsu-Myoko and Itoigawa).
Edited “Press Release” by East Japan Railway Company
Edited “Press Release” by Kyushu Railway Company (*The number of passengers is based on the data between
Hakata and Kumamoto).

Environmental Measures

Most eco-friendly transportation mode
Energy efficiency

CO2 emissions

Energy consumed to transport a person for 1km.

CO2 emitted to transport a person for 1km.

The energy consumption of railway is a quarter of
airplane and one-sixth of car.

The CO2 emissions of railway is a quarter of airplaneand one-sixth of car.

Railway

Railway

Airplane (domestic flight)

Airplane (domestic flight)

BusBusCarCar(KJ/person, kilo)* The amount of railway is the total of JR companies and private(g･CO2/person･kilo)(FY2014)* Source: Website of MLIT

railways* Source: “Transportation-related energy directory (2009 version)”

Environmental measures for Shinkansen
Noise Mitigation Measures
The noise from Shinkansen is strictly regulated by the“Environmental Standard for Shinkansen Noise”. To mitigate
the noise to the required level, the height and shape of thesound-proof wall is analytically designed with several factorssuch as train speed, height of civil structure and so forth. Inaddition, welded rail without joints is also one of the effective
measures.

Micro-pressure Wave Mitigation Measures
When the train enters a tunnel in high speed, disgusting noiseis heard around the opposite side of the tunnel. This is causedby the micro-pressure wave, also called as the piston effect,
generated by air pressure in the tunnel.
Entrance hood at the portal is effective to mitigate the noise.
The shape and size of the hood is analytically designed
according to the surrounding situation and train speed.

Anti-vibration Measures
Track padVibration from Shinkansen is also environmentally problematic,
and the Government encourages to take measures as it should
be urgently solved. To mitigate the vibration, rubber pad with
soft elasticity between the rail and sleeper is developed andapplied in Shinkansen track.

Seikan Tunnel

Seikan Tunnel Overview
Total length
Sea portion

TappiYoshioka

BlowerchamberLand
portion

Shaft entrance

Smoke exhaustroom

Vertical shaft

Cable shaft

Drainage baseBlower room

Smoke exhaustroom

Tsugaru Strait
Cable shaft

Vertical shaft

Hamana,Imabetsu-machi

Land
portionHokkaido side

Yunosato
Shiriuchi Town

Honshu sideConnecting
shaft

Service tunnel portal

Servicetunnel

Drainage area

Drainage base
Breakthrough point of main tunnel

OutlineThe Seikan Tunnel is a 53.85km -long undersea tunnel andconnects Japan’s two largest islands, Honshu and Hokkaido. It wasconstructed by JRCC, predecessor agency of JRTT, and revenue
service started in 1988. The tunnel consists of three tubes, namely
pilot tunnel, service tunnel and main tunnel for train operation. The
size of the main tunnel is designed for Shinkansen trainset, which iswider than conventional trainsets in Japan.
To overcome tough undersea geological conditions includingexcessive softness, fissures, and high-pressure water seepages
and flooding, JRCC had exerted various geotechnical measures
such as advanced boring, grouting, shotcrete, etc. during
construction. Now JRTT owns the tunnel and leases it to the railway
operator, JR Hokkaido.

Standard cross sectionof under sea(Unit: meter)Sea

140 at a maximum

Ground100 at a minimum

Service tunnel

Main tunnelTunnel Renovation Project
The Seikan Tunnel is equipped with various facilities formaintenance and security such as drainage controllers and firedetectors. These facilities are especially vulnerable underexcessive humidity and floating salt in undersea tunnel.
Therefore, continuous check and maintenance are required.
Severely deteriorated parts are thoroughly renovated under thegovernmental disaster prevention program.

Tunnel Maintenance
Based on the knowledge obtained through construction of the
Seikan Tunnel, JRTT has inspected structures of the tunnel atundersea section to preserve tunnel soundness and being
conducted renovation work since its starting operation.

Pilot tunnel

Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT)
JRTT was established in 2003 by merger of two transport-related agencies to realize soundeconomic growth and people’s prosperity through the development of transportation in Japan.
JRCC, one of the predecessor agencies, used to be responsible for railway construction before
the merger and thus JRTT succeeded this function as the only public agency to build
mass-transit network for regional development and enhancement of urban function in Japan.
JRTT, including era of JRCC, has constructed various railways including the Seikan Undersea
Tunnel, Shinkansen high speed rail (Joetsu, Hokuriku, Tohoku, and Kyushu Shinkansen line),urban railways (Keiyo line, Rinkai line, Minatomirai line, Tsukuba Express line, Sendai Airport
access line, Narita Airport access line, etc.) and plenty of regional rails. Recently opened lines
are, Tohoku Shinkansen in 2010, Kyushu Shinkansen in 2011, and Hokkaido Shinkansen in2016.

History of the Hokkaido Shinkansen Construction Project18 May 1970

▌ Enacted the Nationwide Shinkansen Railway Development Act

13 Mar 1988

▌ Started operation of the Seikan Tunnel

3 Feb 1998

▌ Determined station locations and route outline (Okutsugaru (name TBD), Kikonai,Shin-Hakodate (name TBD), Shin-Yakumo (name TBD), Oshamambe, Kutchan,
Shin-Otaru (name TBD), Sapporo)

8 Jan 2002

▌ Applied for approval of the 1st construction plan from Shin-Aomori to Sapporo.
Announced environmental impacts assessment for the section from Shin-Aomori toSapporo.

27 Apr 2005

▌ Approved the 1st construction plan for the section from Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate(name TBD).

19 May 2010

▌ Approved the 2nd construction plan for the section from Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate(name TBD)

29 Jun 2012

▌ Approved the 1st construction plan for the section from Shin-Hakodate (name TBD) toSapporo

26 Mar 2016

▌ Inaugurated the line between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto

Hokkaido Shinkansen Construction Bureau

Japan Railway Construction, Transport
and Technology Agency
Maruito Sapporo Building, Kita 2, Nishi 1, Chuo-ku,
Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0002
Phone: 011-231-3456
Fax: 011-251-6841

This publication uses recycled paperthat contains 70% wastepaper pulp.

Prepared in December 2018.