Tohoku Shinkansen
| Status | Operational |
|---|---|
| Termini | Central South Fuka Anda Touhou Metropolis |
| Stations | 8 |
| Type | High-speed rail |
|---|---|
| Operator(s) | KCR |
| Rolling stock | Adtranz-CAF |
| Former Rolling Stock | Rotem EMU |
| Opened | July 7, 2001 |
|---|
| Line Length | 35km |
|---|---|
| Track gauge | 1,435mm |
| Electrification | 3 kV DC |
| Operating speed | 200km/h-300km/h |
The Tohoku Shinkansen (Chinese: 東北新幹線) is a High Speed Rail operated by KCR.
The route has a total of 8 Stations.
List of Stations and service
| ● | Stop |
|---|---|
| N/A | Not via |
| ｜ | Pass |
| Station Name | Station Name (English) | Azuma | Asama | Komachi | Hayate | Hayabusa | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 中環南 | Central South | N/A | N/A | N/A | ● | ● | Joestu Line Tsz Kiu Line Shuntien Line North South Line Central Light Rail Fuka Lightrail Rigel Line Airport Express Seiyo Shinkansen |
| 湘南 | Shonan | N/A | N/A | N/A | ｜ | ● | Tsz Kiu Line North South Line Central Light Rail |
| 光石 | Lightstone | N/A | N/A | N/A | ● | ｜ | Rigel Line Metropolis Line |
| 負荷 | Fuka | N/A | ● | ● | ● | ｜ | Joestu Line Rigel Line Airport Express Fuka Lightrail |
| 都心 | Metropolis | N/A | ● | ｜ | N/A | ● | Watson Station |
| 瑟里石礦場 | Surry Quays | N/A | ● | ｜ | N/A | N/A | Kansai APM |
| 安達 | Anda | ● | ● | ｜ | N/A | N/A | |
| 東方 | Touhou | N/A | ● | ● | N/A | N/A | Joestu Line Aozora Line |
| 喬斯圖 | Joestu | ● | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Joestu Line |
Route Map
Rolling stock
As of March 2023, the following types are used on Tohoku Shinkansen services.
- E7 series: Asama services
- 802 series: Azuma services
- K3-900 series: Komachi Services
- K5 series: Hayate services
- K5N series: Hayabusa services
Former Rolling Stock
- K5S series
History
The Tohoku Shinkansen has a complex history to how it formed the only Shinkansen in Joban.
By the early 2000s, the government started planning for a new express service parallel to the Joestu Line which would relieve the stress of the line and offer a more comfortable, fast and direct service towards Fuka from the eastern regions of Joban.
Joestu Express (East West Express)
Joestu Express (A merger between the Adobe Line and Aberdeen Line) is what came from the government's plan and was built and operated by Victoria Railway up until the early 2010s. Starting at Sheung Wan and ending at Adobe. In 2003, the line was extended to Central South with Sheung Wan station closing. However the line proved unpopular with commuters due to how far stations were from their KCR Counterparts and with decreasing ridership, the stretch of the line from Central South to Fuka would be closed for refurbishment.
The original allignment of the line from Fuka to Central South would be abandoned and later partially used by Rigel Corporation to build the Joban Light Rail, however several stations still lay abandoned at haven't been touched since closure, examples being Kinstead South and Shonan (The Tohoku Shinkansen did not reuse the original platforms)
| Station Name | Station Name (English) | Connections | Opening Date |
| 上環 | Sheung Wan | 7 July 2001 | |
| 中環南 | Central South | Joestu Line | 15 October 2005 |
| 湘南 | Shonan | Joestu Line Central Light Rail | 7 July 2001 |
| 鐵錠山 | Iron Hill | 7 July 2001 | |
| 鴨巴甸 | Aberdeen | 7 July 2001 | |
| 金斯特德南 | Kinstead South | 7 July 2001 | |
| 負荷 | Fuka | Joestu Line, Fuka Lightrail | 7 July 2001 |
| 華生東 | Watson East | Watson Station | 7 July 2001 |
| 奧運 | Olympic | 7 July 2001 | |
| 阿豆比 | Adobe | Surry Quays | 7 July 2001 |
Mixed Fleet Operation
Platforms used by Joestu Express at Fuka were designed for only 4 cars, but Watson East and Adobe had platforms reserved for 6 car trains, with Joestu Express running 4 and 6 car trains. 6 car trains due to the limited platform space at Fuka will terminate at Shenshui and turn back to Adobe.
Merger with Joestu Express
Victoria Railway, the operator of Joestu Express had been considered to be merged with KCRC since the early 2010s, with VR's limited resources and with fierce competition from KCRC and nearing bankruptcy, approached the Government in 2011 requesting for a merger with KCRC with the KCRC being granted a service concession to operate the VR network for an initial period of 11 years. The decision was passed by the Executive Council on 11 April 2012, and was later approved by the Legislative Council and the minority shareholders of VR (the government, which had a 75% stake in VR, did not vote).
Sleigh Liner
In 2013, KCRC would start it's redevelopment scheme of the East West Express, with a new allignment between Adobe to Aomori and connections with the Joestu Line that could allow for express services from Fuka to Touhou, shortening travels times by 3-4 times. It would be decided to run a limited time service in Christmas 2014 to test if services in the long-run could be viable. The service would commence in Decemember of 2014 and was named the Sleigh Liner. Plans were also made to rename the service to Tsubasa once Christmas ended. It would be concluded that services were viable and soon this new line would be renamed to the Tohoku Shinkansen with connections to the Joestu Line removed and a new line extending from Aomori to Touhou.
| Station Name | Station Name (English) | Connections | Opening Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 負荷 | Fuka | Joestu Line, Fuka Lightrail
Rigel Line,Airport Express,Joestu Express |
16 December 2015 |
| 阿豆比 | Adobe | Joestu Express | 16 December 2015 |
| 東方 | Touhou | Joestu Line,Aozora Line | 16 December 2015 |