RECENT RAILWAY PROJECTS IN OSAKA
1998; International Union of Public Transport; Volume: 46; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1016-796X
Autores Tópico(s)Transport and Economic Policies
ResumoMany rail-based projects have already begun in the Osaka conurbation in Japan, which includes the cities of Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara. The projects cover all types of railway track, ranging from the Tokaido and Sanyo high-speed Shinkansen main lines through inter-regional passenger and freight networks to Osaka's urban metro. The modal split for transport in this Kinki Metropolitan Area (KMA) is rail (50%), car (40%), and bus (10%); almost 86% of work journeys to central Osaka are by rail. There is tough competition between the railway operators in the KMA, which include JR West, five major private companies, three subway authorities, and small local companies. Main-line trains leave Osaka in the eastern and western directions every 10min. The underground railway was completed in March 1997, to relieve rail congestion in central Osaka. Its new section, the JR East-Central line, is 12km long and has 9 stations; it links two other suburban railways, allowing suburban through trains to run for up to 117km through the conurbation. Shinkansen services through the area are being upgraded, and the most advanced train runs on the 1200km Tokyo-Osaka-Hakata line at up to 270kph. From March 1997, new Type 500 rolling stock began to operate in the 620km Osaka-Hakata section, at average speed 243kph.
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