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MONTHLY NEWS November 1997 New Shinkansen Route to Serve Olympic Visitors |
A new Shinkansen ("bullet train") line linking Tokyo and Nagano opened on October 1, cutting travel time between the two cities in half, to about 90 minutes. The fastest service is the nonstop Asama No. 3 that covers the 222.4 kilometers (138.1 miles) between Tokyo and Nagano Stations in just 79 minutes.
The Nagano Shinkansen was built partly to transport passengers from Tokyo to Nagano for the Olympic Winter Games in February next year. Construction of the new line began eight years ago, and construction costs reached approximately 8.4 trillion yen ($70 billion at 125 yen to the dollar). Running at the top speed of 260 kilometers (161 miles) per hour, the Asama makes 24 round trips between Tokyo and Nagano everyday. Four daily round trips are also made between Tokyo and Karuizawa, a popular summer resort about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Nagano. 
Between Tokyo and Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture, the Asama shares the tracks used by the Joetsu Shinkansen linking Tokyo with Niigata. It runs on newly built tracks on the 117-kilometer (73-mile) stretch from Takasaki to Nagano.
The Asama has eight passenger cars and is capable of transporting 630 passengers. The train is designed to accommodate passengers on wheelchairs, and there is extra luggage space in almost every car for ski and other large items.
Photos: (Top) New body; (above) cokpit. (East Japan Railway Company) 
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