is the name given to the concept of building new high-speed

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

() railway lines in Japan to extend the

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

network of high-speed lines. No Super Tokkyū routes have actually been built.

Concept

The Super Tokkyū concept involves building new narrow-gauge lines along the routes of planned Shinkansen lines. All infrastructure would be built to high-speed Shinkansen standards, including its wider

loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and k ...

, 4,000 m minimum curve radius, and total

grade separation In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights ( grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tr ...

, with the ability to convert the lines to in the future. Although they would be slower than regular Shinkansen trains, they would have a speed of more than , enabling some reductions in journey times to be achieved, and total construction expenditure could be spread over a longer period, with travel times gradually reduced as more sections are completed. The ultimate goal is eventual conversion to standard-gauge Shinkansen track once the entire line is completed, but with gauge change trains (GCTs), it may be possible in the future to upgrade these sections to full Shinkansen specifications even while inter-operation with conventional lines remains in place.

Proposals

In 1991, the Super Tokkyū concept was formally planned to be used as part of the following three Shinkansen extensions: *

Kyushu Shinkansen The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima (Kagoshima-Chuo Sta ...

southern section between

Yatsushiro 270px, Yatsushiro City Hall 270px, ruins of Yatsushiro Castle is a city located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 120,389 in 57,953 households, and a population density of 300 persons per km2. The total are ...

and Nishi-Kagoshima * Tohoku Shinkansen extension between

Morioka is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of t ...

and

Hakodate is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...

through the Seikan Tunnel *

Hokuriku Shinkansen The Hokuriku Shinkansen () is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo with Tsuruga, Fukui, Tsuruga in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It is jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR ...

extension beyond Nagano These schemes were subsequently constructed to full Shinkansen specification lines. The West Kyushu Shinkansen route to

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

was also initially proposed as a Super Tokkyū line from Takeo-Onsen. However, after construction commenced the proposal changed to incorporate GCTs, resulting in the Takeo Onsen to Nagasaki section (subsequently opened in March 2023) being constructed as standard gauge lines. The service is proposed by GCTs using the

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 ...

to Shin-Tosu section of the

, then the narrow gauge line to Takeo Onsen, then the new West Kyushu Shinkansen line for the final section of the trip.九州新幹線西九州ルート（長崎ルート） (Kyushu Shinkansen West (Nagasaki) Route)
Retrieved on 11 February 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Super Tokkyu Shinkansen

Concept

Proposals

See also

References