Hokkaidō Shinkansen

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The Hokkaido Shinkansen (北海道新幹線) is a high-speed rail line currently under construction between Aomori (Honshū) and Hokkaido through the Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May 2005, and the initial Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate section is projected to open in 2015. There are long-term plans to extend the line to Sapporo. The line will be operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido).

Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen will run at speeds of up to 360 km/h. Journey time from Tokyo to Sapporo will be 4 hours or less.

At the present time the Seikan Tunnel can only carry narrow-gauge traffic (Kaikyo Line), but it will be upgraded to dual gauge, with both standard and narrow-gauge tracks.

In the early 1970s, two other Shinkansen routes were proposed for Hokkaido: Sapporo - Asahikawa and Oshamanbe - Sapporo (South Route). Plans have been indefinitely shelved at the present time.