Hokkaido Shinkansen

Hokkaido Shinkansen
An H5 series Shinkansen
Overview
Native name北海道新幹線
Owner JRTT
LocaleAomori Prefecture and Hokkaido, Japan
Termini
Stations4
Color on map     (Grass)
Service
TypeHigh-speed rail (Shinkansen)
SystemShinkansen
Services
Operator(s) JR Hokkaido
Rolling stockE5/H5
Ridership2.11 million (JFY 2016)
History
Opened26 March 2016 (2016-03-26)
Technical
Line length148.8 km (92.5 mi)
360.6 km (224.1 mi) (2038)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius4,000 m (2.5 mi; 13,000 ft)
ElectrificationOverhead line25 kV 50 Hz AC
Operating speed260 km/h (162 mph)
SignallingCab signalling
Train protection systemDS-ATC
Maximum incline2.08% (current)
3.0% (under construction)
Route map
km
360.6
Sapporo
328.3
Shin-Otaru
290.3
Kutchan
235.9
Oshamambe
203.0
Shin-Yakumo
148.8
Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto
113.3
Kikonai
Seikan Tunnel
38.5
Okutsugaru-Imabetsu
0
Shin-Aomori

The Hokkaido Shinkansen (Japanese: 北海道新幹線, Hepburn: Hokkaidō Shinkansen) is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) that connects with the Tōhoku Shinkansen in northern Aomori Prefecture on Honshu and extends into Hokkaido through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. The line is 148.8 kilometres (92.5 mi) long and has a maximum operating speed of 260 kilometres per hour (160 mph). Construction began in May 2005, and the initial section between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto opened on 26 March 2016.

An extension north to Sapporo, which will add 211.8 kilometres (131.6 mi) of new line, was originally scheduled to open by fiscal year 2030, but in December 2024 the opening was revised to the end of FY2038.