Central Japan Railway Co. said Friday it has given up its plan to launch a new high-speed maglev train between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027 amid long-running environmental opposition in Shizuoka Prefecture, pushing back the schedule possibly to 2034 or later.
“While we cannot project a new opening date, we will continue to do everything we can toward launching as soon as possible,” JR Central President Shunsuke Niwa said at a panel meeting at the transport ministry.
Another JR Central senior executive at the meeting suggested the delays mean the project may not open until 2034 or later, citing the original plans that required 10 years for construction. The executive said there are few prospects of shortening the process.
The Linear Chuo Shinkansen project is intended to link Tokyo and Osaka with trains traveling up to 500 kilometers per hour. But a small area on the section between the capital and Nagoya has proved a stumbling block for the project, due mostly to opposition by the central prefecture of Shizuoka.
Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu has cited environmental impact concerns in opposing the project, which requires extensive tunnels for the vast majority of its 286-km route to Nagoya. Construction of the around 8.9 km of tunnels through Shizuoka Prefecture has yet to begin.
In a statement issued Friday after JR Central’s decision, Kawakatsu said he “will as quickly as possible make progress in talks with JR (Central) toward balancing the promotion of the Linear Shinkansen project and environmental preservation.” Source: Kyodo News
