JR Tokai to build maglev train system at own expense

that should read at your expense, all said and done
is this maglev train (while cool, the one in shanghai is a smooth ride) necessary? not for your average tanaka-san that's for sure
but a very small number of people are going to profit very handsomely from this, so it's necessary for them

 

its COOL! <--- That is what is important. Futuristic and stylish too. :O

 

Mind boggling that JR Tokai has this kind of cash lying around for a project of this size.

 

5.1 trillion yen is a huge number! With Japan's population is 40.000Yen per head.
With that money they can make 1000 Concorde air plains!

 

they should have this thing go to narita. that would solve all problems.

ultimately it would be very cool to have it connect major cities and airports along the east coast.

 

How much is 5.1 trillion in USD? Is that something like $50 Billion ?

They'll need some major bond issues to pay for that.

You can almost hear the local politicians and tunneling companies rubbing their hands already...

 

You are absolutely right - a maglev between Narita, central Tokyo and Haneda (journey time 15-20 minutes?) would make far more sense than competing with airlines between Tokyo and Osaka.

 

This is a bet with the future.
2025 is pretty far. I should say 2035...
We don't know what will happen to aerial transportations the next few decades.
An another point of JR is that if the Tokai region disappears, Japan will be cut in two.

 

JR is already thinking the same...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JR-Maglev

and the Shanghai Maglev was far from being a smooth ride... it was noisy, bumpy (shakey) and the seats are not comfortable. N700 is by far a great place to fall asleep.

 

They do make a ton of cash off the Tokkaido Shinkansen.



Pretty sure demand for domestic travel between Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka far outstrips central Tokyo to Narita/Haneda.

Besides, you've got the Narita Express and the Keisei.

Keep in mind, $50 billion isn't exactly ridiculous when you consider how much just regular highways cost to build and maintain.

 

can almost smell the bacon sizzling - the construction companies must be rubbing their hands with glee at the opportunity to concrete even more of Japan, bigger kickbacks for the politicians, and nice fat jobs for the approving bureaucrats when they retire...

and of course no environmental impact study...

 

I assume you are familiar with Narita and its 'proximity' to Tokyo?

You could instantly remove the complaints about travel time by running a full speed maglev there. The cost of a Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka maglev would be so high as to make it not viable

 

Presumably JR ran the numbers and it is viable, at least from Tokyo to Nagoya.

 

Since when has economic viability, genuinely calculated, been a factor in deciding whether or not to go ahead with massively expensive infrastructure projects in Japan? The first example that springs to mind is the Tokyo Bay Aqualine, but there are without doubt many, many others we could come up with

 

Since when has economic viability, genuinely calculated, been a factor in deciding whether or not to go ahead with massively expensive infrastructure projects in Japan? The first example that springs to mind is the Tokyo Bay Aqualine, but there are without doubt many, many others we could come up with

Don't forget the Seikan Tunnel between Honshu and Hokkaido, and most of the highways in Hokkaido.