What comes to your mind when you hear the year "2022"? Of course, 2022 is the year of sports festivals, including the Winter Olympics/Paralympics in Beijing and the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, but it’s also a very special year for the #Shinkansen!
First, it’s the year of the opening of a new Shinkansen line. JR Kyushu recently announced that the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, which will run between Takeo-onsen station and Nagasaki station (66km), will begin operation on September 23rd, 2022. With the opening of this new line, Hakata station, the Shinkansen terminal in Kyushu island, and Nagasaki station will be connected in one hour and 20 minutes, which is 30 minutes shorter than now. In the nineteenth century, Nagasaki contributed to the modernization of Japan through the steel, shipbuilding, and coal industries, and the city now boasts numerous world heritage sites commemorating Japan's industrial revolution. Although this opening is a short section, it is expected to expand movement and exchange not only within Kyushu, but also between Kyushu and western Japan, playing an important role in business and tourism. We will share more about the opening of the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen in a future post, so please stay tuned!
In addition to the opening of the Nish-Kyushu Shinkansen line, the year 2022 marks the anniversaries for many Shinkansen lines already in operation!
<Japan: JR East >
Akita Shinkansen (between Morioka station and Akita station): ★25th anniversary
Tohoku Shinkansen (between Omiya station and Morioka station): ★40th anniversary
Yamagata Shinkansen (between Fukushima station and Yamagata station): ★30th anniversary
Hokuriku Shinkansen (between Takasaki station and Nagano station): ★25th anniversary
Joetsu Shinkansen (between Omiya station and Niigata station): ★40th anniversary
Tohoku Shinkansen (between Morioka station and Hachinohe station): ★20th anniversary
"Shinkansen Year 2022"
https://www.jreast.co.jp/shinkansenyear2022/
<Japan: JR West>
Sanyo Shinkansen (between Shin-Osaka station and Okayama station): ★50th anniversary
<Taiwan: Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corporation>
Taiwan High Speed Rail (between Taipei station and Zuoying station): ★15th anniversary
The Shinkansen lines noted above have contributed to the country both as a whole and to the regions as core infrastructure. In the years and decades since they began operation, these Shinkansen lines have engaged in continuous technological innovation, made great strides in terms of disaster countermeasures, and conducted constant maintenance and upgrade of both facilities and rolling stock. The Shinkansen has developed into a transportation system that anyone and everyone can use in comfort. While opening new lines such as the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, the Shinkansen will continue its challenge of constant improving and supporting people's lifestyles.
JR East, whose Shinkansen lines will mark many anniversaries this year, is planning to hold various events to celebrate this special year. A specially created website, entitled "Shinkansen Year 2022" (<https://www.jreast.co.jp/shinkansenyear2022/>) is now open. Under the catchphrase Next New*, an original concept movie, Shinkansen Remix**, and various announcements on related events will be released.
* To the Next New with JR East (IHRA tentative translation)
The Japanese Shinkansen continues to advance. Moving beyond time, and charting new paths. Its design, speed, comfort, and safety will continue to evolve. Riding Shinkansen trains has become smarter and easier with your handy devices. While connecting people, towns, and cities, the Shinkansen will go beyond people's imaginations and create the Next New. Where should we go next? What shall we do? TravelingBeing transported on the Shinkansen, you will always find a new horizon in front of you. Today, the Shinkansen will continue to rush ahead to the future. And you? Please sit back and relax.
**Shinkansen Remix is a remix of sounds related to Shinkansen, such as the tapping sound of ticket gates at stations.
The year 2022 is a special year for the Shinkansen. However, the impacts of Covid-19 remain in the world and the full movement of people is still restricted. We hope that this situation will ease as soon as possible and the day will come when people can travel freely again. Until then, the Shinkansen will continue to reliably run.