Hokkaido Shinkansen Extension to Be Delayed Beyond FY 2030

   Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)--The planned extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train line to Sapporo, the capital of the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, will be delayed until after fiscal 2030, it was learned Wednesday.
   The Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency, or JRTT, has decided to abandon the plan to open the extended section by the end of fiscal 2030, informed sources said.
   The decision is expected to be announced in early May, after the country's Golden Week holiday period.
   According to the sources, tunnel construction for the section has proven challenging, forcing JRTT to accept a delay. The agency will seek to set a new schedule for the opening.
   The Hokkaido Shinkansen section between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto was opened in March 2016. The section between Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and Sapporo was originally scheduled to open in fiscal 2035, but the Japanese government and ruling parties agreed in 2015 to advance the extension to fiscal 2030.

(2024/04/24-20:21)