Hokuriku Shinkansen line opens between Kanazawa and Tsuruga, first train from Tokyo Station arrives

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Tsuruga Station 6:11 a.m. “Departure progress”

At the departure ceremony held at the Shinkansen platform of Tsuruga Station, the starting station on the Fukui Prefecture side, after the departure melody was played, at 6:11 a.m., the stationmaster of Tsuruga Station and actor Aya Nakajo, who participated as a special guest, Mi-san said in unison, “Departure progress.”

As the first train, “Kagayaki 502,” headed towards Tokyo Station, slowly departed, the crowd applauded as the first train headed for Tokyo Station, waving flags and pointing cameras at the crowd.

Passengers at Tsuruga Station are “excited”

A woman who came from Kyoto Prefecture with her son to board the No. 1 train departing for Tokyo from Tsuruga Station, the starting station on the Fukui Prefecture side, said, “My son really fell in love with Kagayaki during the test ride, so… I’ve definitely wanted to give her a ride.I’m really excited.”

A man visiting from Gifu Prefecture said, “I finally got my ticket after waiting for three hours.Today I left the inn early because I was looking forward to going to the final destination, Tokyo.”

9:34am Train 1 arrives from Tokyo

At 9:34 a.m., the first train from Tokyo Station, Kagayaki No. 501, arrived at Tsuruga Station, connecting Tokyo and Tsuruga in just over three hours with no transfers.

A man in his 30s who boarded the train from Tokyo Station said, “I took the No. 1 train when Kanazawa opened, so I thought, “I’ll definitely do it this time, too.” Tsuruga Station is located high up and the scenery is beautiful.” I really feel that,” he said.

A man in his 20s who was riding with his wife said, “I’ve been to Fukui many times before, but I was really excited to see a different scenery.I’m looking forward to visiting the Red Brick Warehouse in Tsuruga.” I’m going to go now,” he said.

Depart for Tsuruga from Kanazawa Station

At Kanazawa Station’s concourse, people lined up from early in the morning to board the first train bound for Tsuruga Station, waiting for the ticket gates to open.

When the ticket gates opened at 5:30 a.m., a large number of passengers went to the platform all at once and took commemorative photos of the destination, “Tsuruga,” displayed on the side of the Shinkansen.

A ceremony to celebrate the opening was held on the platform, and after the ribbon cutting was held by Ishikawa Prefecture Governor Hase and others, Risako Kinjo, who is from Tsubata and won a gold medal in women’s wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics, and her younger sister Yukako Tsunemura. appeared in front of the train.

At 6 a.m., I lined up with the station master and raised my hand to signal departure, and the first train headed for Tsuruga Station, Tsurugi No. 1, departed.

A parent and child from Toyama Prefecture said, “I wanted to ride the No. 1 train with my child, so I lined up at the ticket window and got the ticket on the first day it went on sale a month ago.I was looking forward to seeing Mt. Hakusan from inside the train.” “I’ll do it,” he said.

Departure ceremony at Komatsu Station

At Komatsu Station in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, which opened as a station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, a departure ceremony was held to coincide with the first train heading to Tokyo.

The first train from Komatsu to Tokyo was the Kagayaki, which departed at 6:49 a.m., and departed for Tokyo at the stationmaster’s signal.

After the departure ceremony, Komatsu City Mayor Katsuei Miyahashi said, “I feel that this is what everyone feels.”We have always said, “Once in 100 years,” but this is the start of a history in which Komatsu will further develop. I want to do that,” he said.

At the completed observation deck

At Kibagata Park in Komatsu City, an approximately 6 meter high observation deck was completed on the 8th of this month to coincide with the park’s opening. From the observation deck, you can get a panoramic view of the Hokuriku Shinkansen running across the water’s edge.

Those who visited immediately enjoyed watching the Hokuriku Shinkansen run through the majestic scenery of Kibagata.

A local person who visited said, “I was impressed because the view from the observation deck was much better than from the house.I’m very happy that it opened.I definitely want to use the Shinkansen.”

The observation deck is open at all times, and during the cherry blossom viewing season you can enjoy the sight of the Shinkansen running through the cherry blossom trees.

[Video] “Blue Impulse” performs acrobatic flight

In Komatsu City, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Blue Impulse performed an aerobatic flight to commemorate the opening.

Around 1:30 p.m., a row of planes appeared with a loud sound, and one after another they drew a large heart symbol and six rings shaped like cherry blossoms in white smoke against the clear blue sky.

The crowd cheered, clapped, and took photos.

“Chance to rebuild the tourism industry” at Kaga Onsen Station

The departure ceremony was held at Kaga Onsen Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and kimono-clad wives from the local hot spring town also attended.

When the “Kagayaki” bound for Tokyo from Tsuruga arrived just after 8:30 a.m., about 200 people gathered on the platform to catch a glimpse of the Shinkansen, and Yuzo Gucci, Kaga City’s tourism ambassador, and others shouted, “Proceed to depart.” I went to see off the train.

Kaga City Mayor Riku Miyamoto said, “The Noto Peninsula earthquake occurred just as we were about to recover from the long economic slump and the coronavirus pandemic.This is our only chance to rebuild the tourism industry.We can use the Shinkansen as a jump platform to revitalize tourist destinations and regions. “I would like to work on attracting new industries,” he said.

Parents and children cheering at the observation facility

Train Park Hakusan, which just opened on the 13th of this month, is a tourist facility developed by Hakusan City in conjunction with the extension of the Shinkansen.

The facility has an area where you can see the Shinkansen, and on the 16th, more than 50 people, including parents and children, visited from the morning of the day, cheering as the Shinkansen passed by at high speed.

A mother in her 40s who visited with her family of five said, “We were able to take a family photo with the Shinkansen in it just in time for it to pass by.We were so moved to see the Shinkansen passing through our hometown.”

A 6-year-old boy said, “It was really impressive.I like airplanes, but I also love Shinkansen.”

Departure ceremony at Tokyo Station

On the morning of the 16th, a departure ceremony was held at Tokyo Station, and JR East President Yuji Fukasawa said, “I would like to express my deepest sympathies to everyone affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, and pray that they can return to normal life as soon as possible.” We hope that the flow of people from the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Shinetsu region to the Hokuriku region will become even more active, and that exchanges between the Hokuriku regions will deepen,” he said, after which officials cut a ribbon and celebrated the opening. .

Then, the station master gave the departure signal together with Minami Hamabe, an actor from Ishikawa Prefecture, and at 6:16 a.m., the first outbound train, Kagayaki No. 501, departed for Tsuruga Station.

Passengers at Tokyo Station: “Bring Fukui closer” “Hopefully it will encourage you”

A 38-year-old woman from Tokyo, who was heading from Tokyo Station to Tsuruga Station with her husband, said, “The Shinkansen directly connects us to Fukui Prefecture, so I want to travel a lot in the future.I want to enjoy the scenery on the Shinkansen.” I hope that eating local food and sightseeing in various places will help support the recovery from the earthquake.”

A 50-year-old man from Chiba Prefecture, who is sightseeing around Fukui Prefecture, said, “I planned a trip to coincide with the opening of the business.Fukui seems far away, so it’s my first time going there, so I’m a beginner.I wanted to go to places like Tojinbo and Awara Onsen. I’m excited because there are so many places and I’ve been looking forward to today for a long time.”

A 57-year-old woman from Chiba Prefecture who was going sightseeing in Fukui Prefecture for 2 nights and 3 days with her husband said, “We planned the trip with the hope of being an encouragement to the local people,” and her husband said, “We planned the trip with the intention of being an encouragement to the local people.” This is my first time traveling. I haven’t been able to go there easily before, so I’m glad to be able to go there so quickly. I’m looking forward to soaking in the hot springs and eating lots of crab.” Ta.

As of 11 a.m. Operation is almost normal.

According to JR West, when Kagayaki No. 503, which was heading down at Fukui Station, stopped at the station after 10 a.m., station staff noticed that passengers were about to be late getting off the train, and the platform was stopped in an emergency. He pressed a button to stop the train from running.

As a result of this, the Hokuriku Shinkansen had to suspend operation for about 5 to 10 minutes on both the up and down lines, but it was soon confirmed that it was safe, and as of 11 a.m., the train was operating almost normally.

Fukui and Tokyo in just 2 hours and 51 minutes

The approximately 125-kilometer section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen connecting Kanazawa Station in Ishikawa Prefecture and Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture opened on the 16th, and commemorative ceremonies were held from early morning at each station along the line.

At Tsuruga Station, the starting station on the Fukui Prefecture side, JR West President Kazuaki Hasegawa said, “Today’s opening will touch the hearts of many domestic and international users, and will lead to moving the future.” I’m looking forward to it,” he greeted.

With this extension, the shortest journey between Fukui and Tokyo will be around 2 hours 51 minutes and 30 minutes, and the shortest time between Kanazawa and Osaka, including limited express connections, will be around 2 hours 9 minutes and 20 minutes, respectively.

The “Hokuriku Support Discount” will begin on the 16th, and is expected to have a ripple effect on the economy, including an increase in the number of tourists to the Hokuriku region.

The Hokuriku Shinkansen section to Kanazawa opened in 2015, but the Kanazawa-Tsuruga section was one year behind schedule due to construction delays, and the project cost was over 1.67 trillion yen.

On the other hand, there is no prospect that construction will begin on the further extension from Tsuruga to Osaka, which is based on the national development plan, due to costs estimated to exceed 2 trillion yen and delays in assessing the environmental impact.

With this opening, six new stations will be established: Komatsu Station and Kaga Onsen Station in Ishikawa Prefecture, Awara Onsen Station, Fukui Station, Echizen Takefu Station, and Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture, providing direct connection between Tokyo Station and Tsuruga Station. “Kagayaki” and “Hakutaka” will operate 14 round trips a day.

The shortest travel time between Tokyo and Tsuruga is 3 hours and 8 minutes, which is 50 minutes shorter than the previous case of connecting to a limited express train on a conventional line at Kanazawa Station.

On the other hand, the Hokuriku Shinkansen is planned to be extended between Tsuruga Station and Shin-Osaka Station in preparation for the opening of the entire line, but the process to assess the environmental impact along the line has been delayed and there is no prospect of starting construction. I am.

JR Hokuriku Main Line will be transferred to the third sector

With the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Kanazawa and Tsuruga, the operation of the JR Hokuriku Main Line ended in this section and was taken over by the third sector, and the section from Daishoji Station in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture to Tsuruga Station was called “Happi Line Fukui”. It has become operational.

When the final Shirasagi departs, the station announces…

At JR Fukui Station, the last train of the limited express “Shirasagi” departed for Kanazawa Station just after 11:50 p.m. on the 15th, and the people who had gathered there took photos and videos and waved to see them off. I did.

The last local train arrived just after midnight on the 16th, and at the ceremony to welcome it, Hisashi Oka, vice president of JR West Kanazawa Branch, said, “I’m surprised that so many people welcomed me. Hokuriku.” “I think it’s the weight of the history of the main line. Thank you very much for everything you’ve done,” he said in greeting.

The JR Hokuriku Main Line between Kanazawa and Tsuruga has come to an end after more than 120 years of history, including the era of Japanese National Railways.

In addition, the section from Kanazawa Station on the Hokuriku Main Line that was operated by JR to Daishoji Station, just before the prefectural border with Fukui, will be taken over by IR Ishikawa Railway, a third sector company funded by the prefecture and others.

On the night of the 15th, after the last train on the Hokuriku Main Line left Kanazawa Station, JR handed IR Ishikawa Railway President Toshiaki Nanano a large ticket with the words “Continuing the history of the Hokuriku Main Line to tomorrow” written on it.

Then, on the morning of the 16th, a departure ceremony was held on the platform of Kanazawa Station, where attendees broke Kusudama balls and a train departed with a sign that read “Congratulations on the opening of all lines within the prefecture.”

With this takeover, IR Ishikawa Railway will be responsible for the approximately 60km line between Kurikara Station in Tsubata Town and Daishoji Station in Kaga City.