(Status of Railway Construction and Equipment)

　 　 Shinkansen line was completed by fiscal 1974 for the distance of 1,069 kilometers between Tokyo and Fukuoka and at present the construction is under way for Tohoku, Joetsu and Narita lines totaling 831 kilometers (Fig. 1-(1)-5).
　 　 Further, the upgrading works on the existing major trunk lines boosted the double tracking ratio from 16.9% to 25.2%, and electrification ratio from 20.4% to 34.9 each from end of fiscal 1965 to the end of fiscal 1974 as shown in (Fig. 1-(1)-6), resulting in 3.7 fold increase of kilometers for special express trains from fiscal 1965 to fiscal 1974 and other speed-uP benefits.
　 　 Also in the area of freight transport, efforts was on for modernization and rationalization, and the rationalization was in progress in the nation-wide expansion of the freight liner network commenced in 1969 (120 lines established at the end of fiscal 1974) to promote the combined and comprehensive transport by increasing its share, and in the promotion of separate and exclusive transport for individual materials by planning to build exclusive terminals for oil, cement, etc., as in (Fig. 1-(1)-7).