JR Tokai resolved to open maglev line in 2027 as planned

January 3, 2018

Nagoya- Koei Tsuge, president of Central Japan Railway Co. , better known as JR Tokai, has voiced his resolve to open the company's magnetic levitation ultrahigh-speed train line linking Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027 as scheduled.

"We'll keep placing top priority on carrying out construction work for the maglev line to put it into service in 2027," he said in an interview, stressing that suspected bid-rigging among major general contractors related to the project will not affect the schedule. The alleged misconduct is now under investigation by public prosecutors.

"This year, JR Tokai will put full-fledged maglev construction work on track," Tsuge said.

"We'll vigorously promote work at areas that will take time," including a tunnel to be constructed deep under the Minami Alps mountain range in central Japan, and Nagoya and Tokyo stations, the two terminals of the line, he said.

JR Tokai will also accelerate the acquisition of land needed for the train line project, he added.

The fastest maglev train is expected to travel between Nagoya Station in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, and Shinagawa Station in Tokyo in only 40 minutes. The maglev line is slated to be extended to Osaka, western Japan, after the completion of the Shinagawa-Nagoya section.

As to the suspected bid-rigging, Tsuge said JR Tokai is not considering a full-fledged review of its current method for making contracts while noting that the company may revise some points in the current format if needed.

"I don't think at all that a possible review in the contract method will affect the construction period" for the maglev project, Tsuge said.

On a recent incident in which a crack was found on the undercarriage of a car of an N700 series Shinkansen bullet train owned by West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, Tsuge said, "It's true that this has raised doubts about the safety reputation of Japan's Shinkansen."

"We have to take this incident seriously," he added.

JR Tokai needs to study measures to ensure the safety of its Shinkansen trains after the cause of the crack is identified, Tsuge said. "We have to work on the issue with a sense of tension."

The cracked undercarriage case was designated by the Japan Transport Safety Board as a serious incident that could have led to an accident. This was the first such designation for Shinkansen by the board affiliated with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Jiji Press