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1 Role of High Speed Transportation Networks
High speed transportation networks, as comprised of Shinkansen and airlines,
shorten drastically the time taken for movement between regions. Such shortening
of time enlarges life-space, production, sales, homes, attainment of education
and work, travel opportunities etc., in fact, every possibility in human activity.
Just as the airplane invented by the Wright brothers at the beginning of the
century has come to span the world like a net, the ceaseless demands mankind
has put upon high speed transport have been realized thanks to ingenuity and
hardwork. And the shortening of travel time has brought about exchanges of people,
goods and culture around the world as well as among the regions in Japan.
Especially recently, because of the ever increasing value of time, the demands
for making even faster the various modes of transportation to shorten travel
time are higher' than ever before.
Domestically, the decentralization of Tokyo has become an important issue.
For the formation of a multi-polar country with dispersed and balanced development,
it is important to develop a nation-wide high-speed transportation network and
advance inter-regional exchange. This comes from our belief that the development
of a high-speed transportation network has an important role in increasing regional
socioeconomic activity by encouraging inter-regional exchange.
And if we take the Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) Line as an example,
with its opening, the transportation performance of the overall Tohoku lines,
which had been on the decline, started improving (Fig.
18). Along with that the region along the railway lines saw its population
and total value of manufactured goods produced increase (Figs.
19, Figs. 20). From this, one
can conclude that the high speed transportation provided by the Tohoku Shinkansen
Line has greatly contributed to the increasing of this region's socioeconomic
activity.
From the progress in the development of a nation-wide high-speed transportation
network, it is possible within three hours, to reach 64% and 59% of all regions
from Tokyo and Osaka respectively (Fig.
21).
2 Construction of the Trunk-Line Railway Network
(1) Present Situation of the Trunk-Line Railway Network
As for the nation-wide trunk-line railway network, the basic sections were
more or less completed by 1955. Mean while the Tokaido, Sanyo Shinkansen and
Tohoku, Joetsu Shinkansen lines were starting up, If these are excluded, speeding
up hasn't been always taken forward, nor has the achieving of shorter travel
time between the regions been nearly enough.
As for the Shinkansen, besides having started three new Shinkansen lines
over four sections, with the boarding of the Tohoku, Joetsu Shinkansen at Tokyo
station since June 1991, the introduction of the new type carriage (Nozomi)
in March 1992, that runs at a highest in-operation speed of 270km efforts at
improving the network has been continuing steadily. In addition, making use
of JR pre-existing lines, with relatively lower investment cost and shorter
construction work time, the through operation of Shinkansen can expand the high-speed
transportation network. This has been implemented between the Fukushima and
Yamagata districts since July 1992 with great success
(Fig. 22), and work has been in progress for between the Morioka and Akita
districts since March 1992.
(2) Developmental Policy for the Trunk-Line Railway Network
(a) Improving the quality of the Trunk-line railway network
Henceforth, the aims of railway development to be, in the field with railway
characteristics the improving of the trunk-line railway network, and coupled
with airline and highway networks, raising the state of the high-speed transportation
network of Japan (Fig. 23). Especially,
in the midst of the growing attention towards global environmental problems
such as global warming, we believe the role of the low carbon dioxide emission,
easy on the environment: railways are is more important than ever. For this,
while paying attention to safety and the environment, and utilizing pre-existing
railway lines as much as possible, we think it appropriate to go ahead with
such development of railway-lines such as the following.
① Railways that link urban cities and provincial core cities (cities and prefectural
capitals with a population above 200 thousand) within the effective distance
of railways that is 100 to 800km.
② Sections with transportation requirement always at or above the level where
the high transportation capacity characteristic of railway transport will be
fully made use of.
And as for definite developments, besides carrying out the amount of investment
suited to transportation demands, such as the appropriate combination of railway
routes and carriage development etc., it is necessary to raise the overall quality
of the trunk-line railway network with the policy of promoting through operation
of Shinkansen and pre-existing lines.
As for New Shinkansen Lines, for the time being, while going ahead steadily
with construction over the four sections (Hokuriku Shinkansen between Takasaki-Nagano
and between Tsurugi-Kanazawa, Tohoku Shinkansen between Morioka-Aomori, Kyushu
Shinkansen between Yatsushiro-Nishikagoshima) out of the basic scheme of three
lines-five sections. Following the basic scheme, it would be wise to appropriately
deal with the remaining Hokuriku shinkansen Uotsu-Itoigawa section.
As for the Tokaid Shinkansen, while transportation capacity has risen gradually,
the situation is that demand has been increasing at an even higher rate, so
overcrowding has not been solved (Fig.24),
and demand is expected to rise still further.
Therefore there is a need to quickly push forward effective measures to
increase transportation capacity such as an extra number of trains etc. based
on the implementation of double-decker carriages and plans for the new Shinagawa
station.
The greater part of the present narrow gauge trunk-line railway network
consists of tracks with standard speeds (average speed including stationary
time) of 60-90km/h. For this, from the basis of user requirements and effective
investment, by improving track form and developing type carriages, it is expected
that user convenience will be increased and transportation demand will be transfered
from personal cars to railway.
(b) Stronger Incentives for the Development of Trunk-Line Railway.
From the point of view of business, railway operators are expected to invest
so as to maintain their competitiveness on the market in the long run.
However, as with urban railway, trunk-line railway, because of the huge
amount of capital required in construction and the long period and difficulty
in recovering the capital, needs to strengthen investment incentives for operators
by giving assistance from public sectors as necessary and easing the burden
of capital costs etc.
(3) Measures for the Development of Technology
While paying attention to safety and the environment, to further the speeding
up of the trunk-line railway, there are quite a few technical problems to solve.
To enable the Shinkansen to achieve a highest operating speed of 300 to
350 km per hour in the future, the improving of aerodynamics and lowering of
noise generation is necessary. As for trunk-line railways, to achieve highest
operating speeds of 160 to 200km per hour, the development of narrow gauge lines
is needed.
Furthermore, as for superconducting magnetically levitated trains, aiming
for a highest operating speed of 500km/h, the construction of new experimental
tracks has been underway since 1990.
3 Construction of an Airline Network
(1) Expectations Toward an Airline Network
The land of Japan stretches out roughly 3000 kilometers South to North,
and geographically too, airline networks are expected to play an important role
in transportation. Towards this, airline networks have been built up around
Tokyo and Osaka. And from the fact that of special movements of more than 1000
kilometers such as Tokyo-Hokkaido and Tokyo-Fukuoka etc., air transport makes
up 90% of the share (Fig. 25),
the growth of air transport with regard to the domestic transport market can
be said to be marked (Fig. 26).
Moreover recently, mutual regional exchanges not including Tokyo and Osaka
have become more active, and with the increased exchange with foreign countries,
the development of domestic and international airline networks is needed more
than ever.
(2) Airline Network Development Policy
(a) Airline Network as for the Two metropolitan Areas.
Besides the development of the domestic airline network linking the two
metropolitan areas to every other region, regarding the New Tokyo International
Airport and the Kansai International Airport, as international hub airports,
a network with all-round convenience in Japan is to go on forming.
For this, as for the New Tokyo International Airport, besides going all
out for the early completion of the second facility by furthering dialogue among
those involved, development toward the shared opening of the west wing terminal
in 1993 that follows the offshore expansion of the Tokyo International Airport,
development aiming for the opening of the first-period planned section of the
Kansai International Airport in 1994 and study as to the possibility of a new
airport for the Tokyo area are to be actually promoted.
(b) Airline Network as for the Locally Based Airports
To develop the domestic airline network from a two concentration point structure
to a multipolar one, the development of the network towards every region is
planned. And responding to demand, the building up an international airline
network based on short and middle distance international routes. And forming
a network appropriate to gateway by-direction considering the geographical situation
of the international network in regard to the Shin-Chitose, Nagoya and Fukuoka
airports.
As for the Fukuoka and Nagoya locally based airports, the development of
the terminal area and studies regarding the Chubu New International Airport
concept are to be taken forward.
(c) Airline Network as for Local Airports
As for the other local airports, the percentage of the population which
may reach an airport within 90 minutes, excluding the two metropolitan areas,
is to be increased from 80% in 1990 to 85% by about the year 2000. And based
on the securing of demand,and the usage situation of the other high-speed transportation
systems and pre-existing airports, the development of new airports and the airline
network is to be planned and pushed ahead. And from the important role the internationalization
of local airports play in international exchanges with the regions, this too
must be pushed forward.
4 Construction of a High-Speed Bus Network
Japan's highways has come to exceed 5000 km in length. With it, the
types of inter-city buses utilizing the highways has increased, their types
numbering 950 by 1990. These highway buses cannot be compared to airplanes and
Shinkansen in speed and carrying capacity, but offer cheaper fares, can respond
flexibly to relatively smaller demand, can begin or end at city centers, can
use time effectively with night services etc., offering a supplementary service
to the various high-speed transportation facilities (Table
2).
For this, there is a continued need for developing more fully highway bus
networks by opening new routes, improving comfort and establishing terminal
facilities.
5 Speeding up Sea Transport
Long and medium haul ferry boats as a means of trunk-line transport
over water has played an important role in inter-regional exchange from the
beginning. As of April 1st 1992, long haul ferry boats (over 300km one way)
are operated over 21 waterways by 12 companies. The speeding up of the vessels
plying these waterways are planned for, and so too their increase in size which
has from an average carrying capacity of 90 truckloads 10 years ago to 134 truckloads.
And by putting into service high speed vessels such as jet-foils and semi-submerged
wing-shaped hydrofoils, sea transport has been speeding up.
And in response to these, harbor development such as of passenger ship terminals
are being carried out.
6 Improving access to high-speed transportation networks
For high-speed transportation networks to realize their potential, access
to the various airports, railway station facilities etc must be developed. Especially
in the case of airports, their geographical constraints mean that they are usually
situated far from cities.
To improve access, direct high-speed railway connection to the New Tokyo
International Airport (March 1991) and Shin-Chitose Airport (July 1992) terminals
is provided, as will good road and rail access be provided for Tokyo International
Airports (Haneda) after the completion of off-shore expansion and Kansai International
Airports.
And to ensure continuous full exploitation of high-speed transportation
networks, measures to be followed up on include development of access means,
strengthening joint functions with roads, drawing up of efficient time-tables,
smooth flow in terminals etc.
And by staggering demand that tends to concentrate in special periods such
as the Golden Week holidays more comfortable usage of high-speed transportation
facilities will become possible, so off-season discounts and their like should
be increased.
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