Jōetsu Shinkansen
The is a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). 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. Stations. Legend: The Gala-Yuzawa Line is a 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 between Tokyo and Omiya, and between Omiya and Niigata. Additionally  Tokyo bound trains have a higher limit of between Jōmō-Kōgen and Urasa. Like all Shinkansen lines, the Jōetsu Shinkansen is standard gauge. Rolling stock. , the following train types operate on Joetsu Shinkansen services. Between fiscal 2018 and 2020, eleven 12-car E7 series train sets are scheduled to be introduced on Joetsu Shinkansen services, replacing the E4 series trains, raising the speed from 240 km/h to 275 km/h. Speedup plans. The entire line is currently being upgraded to 275 km/h, with construction starting in May 2019. The upgrades are scheduled to be completed by 2023. This  will mark the first time that an E7 series train has operated commercially at more than 260 km/h, which is the maximum speed of the only other line served by this train, the Hokuriku Shinkansen. History. The program to build the new line was initiated in 1971 by Niigata-born prime minister Tanaka Kakuei; one popular anecdote is that Tanaka 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 Japanese National Railways (JNR) to merge the line with the existing Tōhoku Shinkansen line at . In September 1991, a 400 Series Shinkansen train set a Japanese rail speed record of on the Jōetsu Shinkansen line, and in December 1993, the STAR21 experimental train recorded . The maximum speed for regular services on the line is except for the section between Jomo-Kogen and Urasa which is for E2 series trains travelling towards Niigata . The urban section between Tokyo and Ōmiya is . The Basic Plan specifies that the Jōetsu Shinkansen should actually start from Shinjuku, which would necessitate building of additional Shinkansen track from Ōmiya. While some land acquisitions along the existing Saikyō Line were made, no construction ever started. 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 service ran as "Toki" 395 from Omiya to Niigata using 10-car 200 series set K47. Also on 17 November 2012, a special service ran from Niigata to Tokyo using E5 series set U8, with a special ceremony at Niigata Station before departure. This was the first revenue-earning service operated on the Joetsu Shinkansen by an E5 series trainset.