The is a line of the Japanese

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

network, connecting Shin-Osaka in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

with

Hakata Station is a major railway station in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest railway terminal in Kyushu, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyushu for travelers coming from Honshu by rail travel. The San'yō Shinkansen from Osaka end ...

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

, the two largest cities in western Japan. Operated by the

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

(JR West), it is a westward continuation of the

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opened in 19 ...

and also serves other major cities in between on

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island s ...

and

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

islands such as

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whi ...

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui ...

, and

Kitakyushu is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fukuoka. It is one o ...

. The Kyushu Shinkansen continues south of Hakata to

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

. The San'yō Shinkansen connects Hakata with Osaka in two and a half hours, with trains operating at a maximum operating speed of for most of the journey Some '' Nozomi'' trains operate continuously on San'yō and Tōkaidō Shinkansen lines, connecting Tokyo and Hakata in five hours.

Rolling stock

As of March 2020, the following types are used on San'yō Shinkansen services. * 500 series: '' Kodama'' services * 700–7000 series: '' Hikari'' / '' Kodama'' services *

N700 series The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train with tilting capability developed jointly by JR Central and JR West for use on the Tokaido and San'yō Shinkansen lines since 2007, and also operated by JR Kyushu on the Kyushu Shinkansen line. N7 ...

: '' Nozomi'' / '' Hikari'' / '' Kodama'' services * N700-7000/8000 series: ''

Mizuho Mizuho () literally means "abundant rice" in Japanese and "harvest" in the figurative sense. It was also an ancient name of Japan. It might refer to: Places * Mizuho, Gifu, a city in Gifu * Mizuho, Tokyo, a town in Tokyo * Mizuho Plateau in An ...

'' / ''

Sakura A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...

'' / '' Kodama'' services File:Shinkansen 500 (8086233447).jpg, JR West 500 series ''Kodama'', August 2010 File:JRW-700-hikari-railstar.jpg, 700 series ''Hikari Rail Star'', April 2009 File:JRW N700 series N3.jpg, JR West N700 series, April 2009 File:JRW N700-7000series S1.jpg, A JR West N700-7000 series trainset

Former rolling stock

* 0 series: '' Hikari'' / '' Kodama'' services * 100 series: '' Hikari'' / '' Kodama'' services * 300 series: '' Nozomi'' / '' Hikari'' / '' Kodama'' services * 700-0 series: '' Nozomi'' / '' Hikari'' / '' Kodama'' services * 700–3000 series: '' Nozomi'' / '' Hikari'' / '' Kodama'' services File:R61 Kodama 635 Higashi-Hiroshima 20030719.JPG, 0 series ''Kodama'' in July 2003 File:JRW Shinkansen Series 100 K55.jpg, JR West 100 Series on a Sanyō Shinkansen ''Kodama'' service in October 2008 File:JRW Shinkansen Series 300 F6.jpg, JR West 300 series on 8 October 2008 File:JRC 700 series C37.jpg, JR Central 700 series, April 2009

Stations

All stations on the San'yō Shinkansen are owned and operated by JR West, with the exception of Shin-Osaka which is run by

Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as JR Tōkai ( ja, JR東海, links=no). ''Tōkai'' is a reference to the geographical ...

(JR central). ''Kodama'' trains stop at all stations; other services have varying stopping patterns. All trains stop at Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kokura, and Hakata. The

Japan Rail Pass The , also called the JR Pass, is a rail pass for overseas visitors sold by the Japan Railways Group, and is valid for travel on all major forms of transportation provided by the JR Group in Japan, with a few exceptions. The Rail Pass is designed ...

is not valid for travel on the ''Nozomi'' or ''Mizuho'' trains. Legend: As of 2012, the maximum line speed is, West-bound between Shin-Ōsaka and Shin-Kobe, between Shin-Kobe and Nishi-Akashi, and between Nishi-Akashi and Hakata. East-bound it is between Hakata and Himeji, between Himeji and Shin-Kobe and between Shin-Kobe and Shin-Ōsaka.

History

Construction of the San'yō Shinkansen between Shin-Ōsaka and

was authorized on 9 September 1965, and commenced on March 16, 1967. Construction between

and

Hakata is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location o ...

commenced on 10 February 1970. The Shin-Ōsaka to Okayama segment opened on March 15, 1972; the remainder of the line opened on March 10, 1975. The first Hikari trains, using 0 series trains, made the Shin-Ōsaka to Hakata run in 3 hours 44 minutes. This was shortened to 2 hours 59 minutes in 1986 with an increase in maximum speed to . 100 series trains, introduced in 1989, boosted maximum speed to and reduced travel time to 2 hours 49 minutes. Tokyo to Hakata '' Nozomi'' services began on 18 March 1993, using 300 series trains. The Shin-Ōsaka to Hakata run was reduced to 2 hours 32 minutes, at a maximum speed of . On 22 March 1997, the 500 series entered service on ''Nozomi'' services between Shin-Ōsaka and Hakata, reducing that run to 2 hours 17 minutes at a maximum speed of . The 700 series was introduced on Tokyo-Hakata ''Nozomi'' services on 13 March 1999, coinciding with the opening of Asa Station, and on 11 March 2000, 700 series trains were introduced on '' Hikari Rail Star'' services. Ogori Station was renamed Shin-Yamaguchi Station on 1 October 2003. The

was launched on ''Nozomi'' services on 1 July 2007, with a top speed of (compared to for the 700 series). From the start of the revised timetable on 12 March 2011, new ''

'' and ''

'' inter-running services commenced between Shin-Ōsaka and Kagoshima on the Kyushu Shinkansen using new N700-7000 and N700-8000 series 8-car trainsets. This boosted JR West's market share in the Osaka-Kagoshima passenger market from 13% in March 2011 to 35% in March 2012. JR West began offering discounted advance purchase fares on this route in July 2013 in an effort to compete for market share with new

low-cost airlines A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline (occasionally referred to as '' no-frills'', ''budget'' or '' discount carrier'' or ''airline'', and abbreviated as ''LCC'') is an airline that is operated with an especially high emphasis on minimizing op ...

such as

Peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, n ...

. With the launch of ''Mizuho'' and ''Sakura'' services, nearly all of the ''Hikari'' services operating solely on the San'yō Shinkansen (mostly ''Rail Star'' services) were discontinued as it was deemed redundant.

Ridership

In fiscal 2005, the Sanyo Shinkansen line ridership was 58 million passengers/year, or about 159,000 daily.

References

External links

JR West website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanyo Shinkansen Lines of West Japan Railway Company High-speed railway lines in Japan Railway lines opened in 1972 Standard gauge railways in Japan 1972 establishments in Japan