Hokkaido Shinkansen Extension to Be Delayed until End of FY ’38

Tokyo, March 10 (Jiji Press)--Japan’s transport ministry expects that the Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train line’s extension to Sapporo will open at the end of fiscal 2038, eight years later than previously thought, sources said Monday.

The delay results mainly from difficulties in tunnel construction.

The ministry plans to present a draft report, including the new opening schedule, to a panel of experts at an upcoming meeting, the sources said.

Large rocks and unfavorable geological conditions have made it difficult to build tunnels, which account for about 80 pct of the 212-kilometer new section between Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in Hokkaido and Sapporo Station in the capital of the northernmost prefecture.

The Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency, which operates the extension project, said in May last year that the opening of the new section at the end of fiscal 2030 was no longer likely.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]