Ruling Bloc Decides on Hokuriku Shinkansen Route in Kyoto

(The second sentence of the fifth paragraph should have read, “…, allowing Hokuriku Shinkansen trains to utilize the Tokaido Shinkansen Line tracks from Maibara to reach Shin-Osaka,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) Ruling Bloc Decides on Hokuriku Shinkansen Route in Kyoto Tokyo, July 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling coalition Wednesday decided on the proposed Katsuragawa route in Kyoto for the planned extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train line between Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture and Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka Prefecture. The Katsuragawa option, which would pass near Katsuragawa Station, about 5 kilometers west of Kyoto Station, was one of the two proposed for the so-called Obama-Kyoto extension route linking the central and western Japan stations via the Fukui city of Obama and the city of Kyoto. The decision was made at a joint committee meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party. The other option would run beneath Kyoto Station in a north-south direction. The committee requested an expansion of fees to be paid by the Hokuriku Shinkansen operators to alleviate the financial burden on local governments related to construction costs. The LDP and the JIP will draw up the Katsuragawa plan at a project team meeting and ask the central government to adopt it. At the previous joint committee meeting Friday, the LDP proposed the two options, while the JIP supported the Katsuragawa plan and the Maibara route. The Maibara route would connect Tsuruga with Maibara Station in Shiga Prefecture, east of Kyoto, allowing Hokuriku Shinkansen trains to utilize the Tokaido Shinkansen Line tracks from Maibara to reach Shin-Osaka. Local governments along the Obama-Kyoto route have raised concerns about the potential impact of construction on groundwater. Although the JIP initially opposed the route, it concluded that the Katsuragawa option would have a smaller impact than the north-south plan and therefore would be more likely to gain local support. In December 2016, the LDP and its then coalition partner, Komeito, selected the Obama-Kyoto route for the extension between Tsuruga and Shin-Osaka. However, detailed route planning was postponed amid concerns raised by the Kyoto prefectural and municipal governments over costs and environmental effects. After the LDP-JIP coalition government was formed in October 2025, the JIP called for a fresh examination of eight possible routes, including the Obama-Kyoto and Maibara routes, a proposal that the LDP accepted. The transport ministry assessed last month the cost effectiveness and other factors related to the competing routes. The Katsuragawa option is expected to connect Fukui and Kyoto in about 53 minutes. The project is forecast to cost 5.5 trillion yen, including expected future cost increases, and take 26 years to complete. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]