Reiwa's first opening is also ... "Unconnected" West Kyushu Shinkansen September 21, 20:22

On September 23rd, the West Kyushu Shinkansen will be born.

Half a century has passed since the project began.

Municipalities along the line have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the line.

But this Shinkansen.

It has been pointed out as "Japan's shortest Shinkansen" and "unconnected Shinkansen", and it is difficult to say that it is attracting a lot of attention nationwide.

What kind of Shinkansen is it?

I took a test drive ahead of time and considered the effect.

(Fukuoka Broadcasting Station reporter Shuntaro Hayakawa Saga Broadcasting Station reporter Koichi Mano)

Shinkansen that does not connect

The 66-kilometer section between Takeo Onsen Station and Nagasaki Station in Saga, shown in red, will open.

If you look at the route map of the whole country, you can immediately see the peculiarity.

The Shinkansen lines all over the country are connected, just like the Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto line at the northernmost point and the Kagoshima-Chuo line at the southernmost point.

However, the newly opened Nishikyushu Shinkansen will not connect to any Shinkansen lines nationwide.

This is the reason why it is called "Unconnected Shinkansen".

Long-distance direct movement can be realized by being connected.

For example, the Kyushu Shinkansen between Hakata and Kagoshima-Chuo, which is also operated by JR Kyushu, is connected to JR West's Sanyo Shinkansen.

Therefore, being able to ride the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Kagoshima-Chuo is a great advantage for passengers.

However, in the case of the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, even a route has not yet been decided on a route that will connect with other Shinkansen lines to Hakata.

"Transfer problem" seen in the test drive

On September 10, a little earlier than the start of service, a test-ride event for the press was held for the West Kyushu Shinkansen.

I (Hayakawa) work for the Fukuoka Broadcasting Station, so I decided to take this opportunity to examine the effects of traveling from Hakata to Nagasaki.

Currently, there is a direct local express train running between Hakata and Nagasaki, with a maximum boarding time of 1 hour and 50 minutes.

With the opening of the Shinkansen, this will be shortened to 1 hour and 20 minutes at the fastest.

Shortening the time is beneficial for passengers, but the opening of the "unconnected Shinkansen" creates new troubles.

When I arrived at Takeo Onsen Station, the Shinkansen departure and arrival point, on a conventional line limited express, I was faced with the hassle.

A "transfer" is required here.

The Shinkansen stopped at the platform where I got off the limited express train, so the transfer itself was smooth.

However, I have a 3 year old child.

Considering family trips, the real intention of parents is that it is preferable not to change trains.

Children take off their shoes when they get on the train, and eat sweets at the table.

Sometimes I take a good night's sleep.

The fastest transfer between Hakata and Takeo Onsen is 54 minutes.

When it comes to changing trains, it's a mess.

It will be a heavy burden for the elderly as well.

When I talk to my co-workers about having to change trains due to the opening of the Shinkansen, some of them say, "I want to go to bed on my way home after a business trip," or, "If it's only a 30-minute change, I'd like to take a leisurely direct train while eating an ekiben with my family." asked.

If that is the case, it seems that some people would like to continue using the direct conventional limited express trains instead of the Shinkansen, but unfortunately that is not possible.

With the opening of the Shinkansen, JR will no longer operate direct trains between Hakata and Nagasaki.

If we take the principle that the value of the Shinkansen opening, which requires huge construction costs, is the improvement of convenience, it would seem an indescribably complicated situation that there would be transfers that were not necessary until now.

increase in tourists

With that in mind, I rode a brand-new Shinkansen train from Takeo Onsen to Nagasaki (23 minutes at the fastest), and it was a pleasant time with little shaking.

When we arrived at Nagasaki Station, despite the fact that it was a test-ride event, the staff of the station opened a banner and welcomed us reporters.

The redevelopment of the station is also progressing at a rapid pace, and I witnessed the high expectations of the locals for the long-awaited opening of the Shinkansen.

How much will tourism demand increase?

In order to increase the number of tourists, it is essential to attract tourists from Honshu, but when traveling from Osaka or Hiroshima to Nagasaki, instead of going "Shinkansen → Limited Express", you will have to transfer twice, "Shinkansen → Limited Express → Shinkansen". will increase to

Haruo Kondo, a professor at Seinan Gakuin University who analyzes the economic effects of the Shinkansen, was harsh, saying, "Honestly, we can't expect much of an effect in attracting customers until the line is connected."

The fact that the first train in the early morning of the opening day was sold out in just 10 seconds from the start of reservations also attracted a lot of attention.

However, most of the demand for this is so-called Tetsu-chan = railway fans.

In a speech at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in September, JR Kyushu President Komiya said that the issue is whether he can secure a steady stream of passengers.

will it ever connect

When this happens, the next concern is how to develop the section to Hakata to make it a "connected Shinkansen".

However, it is Saga Prefecture that has been waiting for this maintenance for a long time.

The reason is that we believe that the burden of construction costs and the effect of opening the business are not balanced.

Even now, you can reach between Saga and Hakata in less than 40 minutes by local express train.

If Shinkansen trains are connected in the manner envisioned by the government, there is a possibility that this limited express train will disappear, and the impact on the lives of residents living along the lines will be unavoidable.

Nevertheless, the construction of the Shinkansen would cost Saga Prefecture 66 billion yen, which is not worth the cost.

Since all the routes in Nagasaki Prefecture have been completed, the rest of the burden will be on Saga Prefecture.

Munehito Yamashita, director of the Saga Prefectural Government's Regional Exchange Department, who is in talks with the national government, complained, "The merits are overwhelmingly in Nagasaki Prefecture. If you look only at the burden, Saga Prefecture has more. What do you think about that?" .

Governor Yamaguchi of Saga Prefecture has indicated that he intends to discuss the state's Shinkansen development with "new ideas."

This is attracting attention, but even if the talks are finalized, it is said that it will take more than 10 years to be "connected" considering the route determination and land acquisition, so the future is uncertain.

How infrastructure should be in a society with a declining population

Regarding the Shinkansen nationwide, the following plans are planned in the future.

・Hokuriku Shinkansen Kanazawa-Tsuruga Scheduled to open at the end of FY2023

・

Linear Chuo Shinkansen Shinagawa-Nagoya Scheduled to open in 2027

It was after 1973 that these plans and concepts were put together.

Half a century later, high economic growth and the bubble economy are long gone, and Japan is entering a depopulation society.

The finances of the national and local governments continue to deteriorate, partly due to the increase in social security costs associated with the declining birthrate and aging population.

In terms of railways, the problem of serious deficit routes in rural areas is being highlighted.

The Shinkansen is a convenient thing to have.

However, just as the construction of the 66-kilometer Nishikyushu Shinkansen alone cost 620 billion yen, the construction will bear a corresponding cost burden.

If the Shinkansen is completed, the number of passengers on conventional lines in the surrounding area will decrease, and in some cases, the burden on local residents will become heavier.

In Hokkaido, there are places where parallel conventional lines have been discontinued.

How will Japan position the Shinkansen infrastructure in the new era?

The opening of the Shinkansen for the first time in Reiwa seemed to pose such questions to the national government, local governments, operators, and us, the people.

Fukuoka Broadcasting Station Reporter

Shuntaro Hayakawa After working at the Nagoya Station and the Economic Department, he will be

in charge of reporting on the regional economy and consumer life at

the Fukuoka Station from 2021 .

Saga Broadcasting Station Reporter

Koichi Mano Joined the station

in 2018

Experienced in police department and Karatsu branch office, currently covering mainly the West Kyushu Shinkansen