On March 29, JR Tokai announced its decision to abandon its plan to open the Shinagawa-Nagoya section of the Linear Central Shinkansen Line in 2027 at the 2nd Shizuoka section monitoring meeting held by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo.
The monitoring meeting is an ongoing effort to confirm from a scientific and objective standpoint the status of the measures taken by the expert panel to protect water resources and the environment in the Shizuoka Linear Zone (the first meeting was held on February 29, 2012).
The South Alps Tunnel is one of the most difficult construction sections of the entire line, with the most difficult construction schedule, and it needs to be started as soon as possible. While construction of the Yamanashi and Nagano sections had already begun in December 2015 and November 2016, respectively, the Shizuoka section had not yet been started; the plan was to sign a construction contract in November 2017 and begin work as soon as possible after signing, with the aim of opening in 2027.
Shunsuke Niwa, President and Representative Director of Central Japan Railway Company, who attended the meeting as the person in charge of explaining the situation of the Shizuoka construction section, said, “Six years and four months have already passed since the construction contract was signed without the start of tunnel excavation work, despite the extremely high degree of difficulty and long excavation distance involved in tunnel construction that is subject to uncertainty.
He also explained that although there are some difficult construction projects outside of Shizuoka and some areas are on a tight schedule, “there is no place like the Shizuoka construction area where work has not yet started, and the Shizuoka construction area is directly related to the delay in the opening of the Shinagawa-Nagoya line.
Unfortunately, the opening by Nagoya in 2027 is not feasible, and a new opening date is not expected because the tunnel excavation work in the Shizuoka construction zone is not expected to begin,” he said, adding, “We will continue to hold dialogues with Shizuoka Prefecture with the aim of starting the Shizuoka construction zone as soon as possible.
In order to start construction, the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture and JR Tokai will need to sign an agreement based on the “Shizuoka Prefecture Ordinance on Conservation of the Natural Environment,” and permission from the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture based on the “Shizuoka Prefecture Ordinance on Regulation of Embankment, etc.” will be required for the construction of the yard. In addition, as the tunnel excavation progresses, the Shizuoka Prefecture Governor’s permission under the “River Law” will be required before the river and tunnel intersect underground.
Currently, “high-speed long-distance advanced boring” (long-distance boring of approximately 1 km in the horizontal direction prior to tunnel excavation in order to quickly determine the geological conditions and water inflow) is being conducted on the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures, and the results will be reflected in the tunnel excavation plan. The results will be reflected in the tunnel excavation plan.
© Source travel watch
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