Hokkaido Shinkansen

The dual-gauge Kaikyo Line near Kikonai Station in March 2016

In preparation for the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, the Seikan Tunnel (Kaikyō Line) and associated approaches (approximately 82 km or 51 mi in total)[5] were converted to dual gauge, with both the Shinkansen 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard and 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge tracks.[6]

Upon the opening of the Shinkansen line the section of the conventional (narrow gauge) Esashi Line approximately paralleling the same route between Goryōkaku and Kikonai was transferred from the control of JR Hokkaido to a newly established third-sector railway operating company, South Hokkaido Railway Company, becoming the Isaribi Line.[7]

Operating in areas that see significant snowfall during the winter months, accumulation of snow has effects on various train operations. It can cause damage to equipment or can cause a moving train to miss a switch. In particular, accretion of snow in the bogies of the train has been shown to be significant, causing damage or causing schedule delays. Methods have been used to estimate snow accumulation on trains running up to 130 km/h (81 mph), and newer estimates based on weather data can predict accumulation of up to 3 cm (1.2 in) in bogies upon arrival at a station.[11]

The winter season also adversely impacts the occupancy rates of the rail line, with recorded occupancy reaching a low of 19% in the months of January and February.[12]

Legend:

Station	Japanese	Distance from Shin-Aomori (km)	Distance from Tokyo (km)	Hayabusa	Hayate	Transfers	Location
Opened 26 March 2016
↑ Through services towards Tokyo via the Tohoku Shinkansen ↑
Shin-Aomori	新青森	0.0	674.9	●	●	Tōhoku Shinkansen (through-service)      Ōu Main Line	Aomori	Aomori
Okutsugaru-Imabetsu	奥津軽いまべつ	38.5	713.4	▲	●	Tsugaru (Tsugaru-Futamata)	Imabetsu
Seikan Tunnel
Kikonai	木古内	113.3	788.2	▲	●	South Hokkaido Railway	Kikonai	Hokkaido
Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto	新函館北斗	148.9	823.8	●	●	Hakodate Main Line	Hokuto
Under construction (Scheduled to open during fiscal year 2030)
Shin-Yakumo[* 1]	新八雲	203.0	877.9				Yakumo	Hokkaido
Oshamambe	長万部	236.1	911.0			Hakodate Main Line      Muroran Main Line	Oshamambe
Kutchan	倶知安	290.2	965.1			Hakodate Main Line	Kutchan
Shin-Otaru[* 1]	新小樽	328.2	1003.1				Otaru
Sapporo	札幌	360.2	1035.1			Hakodate Main Line (for Teine, Otaru)   Hakodate Main Line (for Asahikawa)      Chitose Line      Sasshō Line Namboku Line Tōhō Line	Kita-ku, Sapporo

All services are formed of 10-car JR East E5 or JR Hokkaido H5 series trainsets.[8]

In February 2014, JR Hokkaido placed an order for four 10-car H5 Series Shinkansen trainsets for use on Hokkaido Shinkansen services from March 2016.[13] Based on the E5 series trainsets operated by JR East since 2011, the order for 40 vehicles cost approximately 18 billion yen.[13] The first two sets of the order are scheduled to be delivered to Hakodate Depot by road from Hakodate Port in October 2014, with test running commencing before the end of the year.[14] The remaining two sets on order were scheduled to be delivered in 2015.[14] The vehicles feature the usual upper green and lower white livery, with a purple stripe in the middle. The color purple was chosen to represent the purple flowers of Hokkaido: lilacs, lupine and lavender. Inside, the ordinary-class cars feature wood paneling and carpet with a snowflake motif. Green class features cream-colored walls representing the local dairy industry and carpet with a drift-ice motif. Gran class features dark blue carpets, said to be modeled after the shimmering lakes and bodies of water along the route.[15]

• 
  A JR East E5 series train in May 2022
• 
  A JR Hokkaido H5 series train in June 2022

A chart showing proposed journey times between Tokyo and Sapporo as the Hokkaido Shinkansen is extended.

In the early 1970s, two other Shinkansen routes were proposed for Hokkaido: Sapporo – Asahikawa (Hokkaido Shinkansen extension) and Oshamambe – Muroran – Sapporo (Hokkaido South Route). There were also further unofficial plans to connect to Abashiri, Kushiro and Nayoro/Wakkanai. These plans have been indefinitely shelved.

On 1 November 2014, a ceremony was held at Kikonai Station to mark the completion of track-laying for the line between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.[16] Test-running on the Hokkaido Shinkansen tracks within Hokkaido commenced from 1 December 2014, initially at low speeds, with the speed raised to the maximum of 260 km/h (160 mph) later that month.[17] Test-running was extended through the Seikan Tunnel to Oku-Tsugaru-Imabetsu in December 2014.[18] Test-running south of Oku-Tsugaru-Imabetsu commenced on 21 April 2015, with the first train reaching Shin-Aomori Station from the north in the early hours of 24 May.[18]

JR Hokkaido is extending the Hokkaido Shinkansen from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Sapporo, planned to open by 2030.[3] Tunneling work on the 5,265 m (3.272 mi) Murayama Tunnel, situated about 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) north of Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station commenced in March 2015; it is scheduled to be completed by March 2021. The 211.3 km (131.3 mi) extension will be approximately 76% in tunnels, including major tunnels such as Oshima (26.5 km or 16.5 mi), Teine (18.8 km or 11.7 mi) and Shiribeshi (18 km or 11 mi).[19] When the section to Sapporo opens, the estimated journey time from Tokyo to Sapporo will be at most 5 hours and 1 minute, but the goal is for it to be below 4 hours.[20]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hokkaido Shinkansen.

• JR Hokkaido: Hokkaido Shinkansen (in Japanese)
• Federation of Hokkaido Chamber of Commerce and Industry (in Japanese)
• Overview of the waystations by the Yakumo City council
• Shinkansen related links poseted by the Yakumo city council