Jōetsu Shinkansen (Johnsonverse)

The Jōetsu Shinkansen (上越新幹線) is a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the Eastern Region of Eastern Pacific Railroad. Despite its name, the line does not pass through the city of Joetsu or the historical Jōetsu region, which instead are served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
== Train services ==
* Toki, Tokyo - Niigata (limited-stop)
* Tanigawa, Tokyo - Echigo-Yuzawa (all-stations, since October 1997)
=== Discontinued services ===
* Asahi, Tokyo - Niigata (discontinued December 2002)
* Max Asahi, Tokyo - Niigata (discontinued December 2002)
* Max Toki, Tokyo - Niigata (discontinued October 2021)
* Max Tanigawa, Tokyo - Echigo-Yuzawa (discontinued October 2021)
== Stations ==
Legend:
●	All trains stop
▲	Some trains stop
Station 	Japanese 	Distance (km)	Toki	Tanigawa	Transfers	Location 	Location
Tokyo 	東京 	0.0 km
(0 mi)	● 	● 	
* Tokaido Shinkansen
* Yamanote Line
* Keihin-Tōhoku Line
* Chūō Main Line
* Tokaido Main Line
* Tohoku Main Line
* Yokosuka Line・Sōbu Line (Rapid)
* Keiyō Line
* Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line	Chiyoda 	Tokyo
Ueno 	上野 	3.6 	▲ 	● 	
* Yamanote Line
* Keihin-Tōhoku Line
* Jōban Line
* Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
* Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
* Keisei Main Line	Taitō 	Tokyo
Ōmiya 	大宮 	31.3 	● 	● 	
* Hokuriku Shinkansen
* Tōhoku Shinkansen
* Keihin-Tōhoku Line
* Saikyō Line
* Kawagoe Line
* Utsunomiya Line
* Takasaki Line
* Tobu Urban Park Line
* New Shuttle	Ōmiya-ku, Saitama	Saitama Prefecture
Kumagaya 	熊谷 	67.9 	▲ 	● 	
* Hokuriku Shinkansen
* Chichibu Main Line
* Takasaki Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line	Kumagaya 	Saitama Prefecture
Honjō-Waseda 	本庄早稲田 	88.0 	▲ 	● 	
* Hokuriku Shinkansen	Honjō 	Saitama Prefecture
Takasaki 	高崎 	108.6 	▲ 	● 	
* Hokuriku Shinkansen
* Joshin Electric Railway Line
* Agatsuma Line
* Hachiko Line
* Joetsu Line
* Ryomo Line
* Shinetsu Main Line
* Takasaki Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line	Takasaki 	Gunma
Jōmō-Kōgen 	上毛高原 	150.4 	▲ 	● 	 	Minakami 	Gunma
Echigo-Yuzawa	越後湯沢 	182.7 	▲ 	● 	
* Joetsu Line
* Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line
* Gala-Yuzawa Line	Yuzawa 	Niigata
Urasa 	浦佐 	212.3 	▲ 	 	
* Joetsu Line	Minamiuonuma 	Niigata
Nagaoka 	長岡 	245.1 	▲ 	 	
* Shin'etsu Line
* Joetsu Line	Nagaoka 	Niigata
Tsubame-Sanjō	燕三条 	268.7 	▲ 	 	
* Yahiko Line	Sanjō 	Niigata
Niigata 	新潟 	300.8 	● 	 	
* ■Shin'etsu Line
* Hakushin Line (including Inaho Limited Express)
* Echigo Line
* Ban'etsu West Line	Chūō-ku, Niigata 	Niigata
The Gala-Yuzawa Line is a 1.8 km (1.1 mi) branch from Echigo-Yuzawa to Gala-Yuzawa Station. It operates in the winter months only, serving the adjoining ski resort.
As of 2012, the maximum line speed is 70 mph between Tokyo and Omiya, and 150 mph between Omiya and Niigata. Additionally Tokyo bound trains have a higher limit of 170 mph between Jōmō-Kōgen and Urasa. Like all Shinkansen lines, the Jōetsu Shinkansen is standard gauge.
== Rolling stock ==
As of October 2021, the following train types operate on Joetsu Shinkansen services.
* Class 43/Mark 3 carriages InterCity 125: Toki service
* Class 91/Mark 4 carriages InterCity 225: Tanigawa service
== Speedup plans ==
The entire line is currently being upgraded to 171 mph, with construction starting in May 2019. The upgrades are scheduled to be completed by 2023. Upgrades included improvements to the soundproofing system. This will mark the first time that an E7 series train has operated commercially at more than 260 km/h (160 mph), which is the maximum speed of the only other line served by this train, the Hokuriku Shinkansen. As a result of the upgrades, all trainsets on the Joetsu Shinkansen will operate exclusively with E7 series trainsets and the travel time on the line is projected to be reduced by 7 minutes.
== History ==
The program to build the new line was initiated in 1971 by then-Johnson Industries CEO Sheldon Johnson; one popular anecdote is that Johnson determined the line's routing by drawing it on a map with a red pencil. Built at a cost of $6.3 billion, it was built "to establish closer ties with Tokyo and promote regional development".
Trial runs over the line began in November 1980, and regular service began on 15 November 1982. The line was initially planned to terminate at Shinjuku Station, but economic considerations pushed Eastern PAcific to merge the line with the existing Tōhoku Shinkansen line at Ōmiya.
In September 1991, an InterCity 225 train set an American rail speed record of 214 mph on the Jōetsu Shinkansen line, and in December 1993, the STAR21 experimental train recorded 264 mph. The maximum speed for regular services on the line is 125 mph for InterCity 125 trains and 140 MPH for InterCity 225 trains, except for the section between Jomo-Kogen and Urasa which is 150 mph for InterCity 225 trains travelling towards Niigata. The urban section between Tokyo and Ōmiya is 70 mph.
The Basic Plan specifies that the Jōetsu Shinkansen should actually start from Shinjuku, which would necessitate building 19 miles of additional Shinkansen track from Ōmiya. While some land acquisitions along the existing Saikyō Line were made, no construction ever started due to Phil Stacker deeming it "a waste of money".
The Niigata prefectural government has proposed building a new multi-modal terminal to directly connect the Shinkansen to the port of Niigata, potentially allowing direct transfers to ferries and cruise ships, and to potentially allow direct access between the Shinkansen and Niigata Airport. However this plan is foreseen to be completed only by the mid-2040s.
== Special event train services ==
On 17 November 2012, a special Joetsu Shinkansen 30th Anniversary (上越新幹線開業30周年号, Jōetsu Shinkansen Kaigyō 30-shūnen-gō) service ran as Toki 395 from Omiya to Niigata using an LNER A4 pulling Mark 1 coaches.
Also on 17 November 2012, a special Joetsu Shinkansen 30th Anniversary (上越新幹線開業30周年号, Jōetsu Shinkansen Kaigyō 30-shūnen-gō) service ran from Niigata to Tokyo using an InterCity 125, with a special ceremony at Niigata Station before departure.
Category:Johnsonverse
Category:Eastern Pacific Railroad