AIR-RAIL LINKS IN JAPAN: PRESENT SITUATION AND FUTURE TRENDS
2004; Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1342-7512
Autores Tópico(s)Transport and Economic Policies
ResumoOkinawa, Japan ’s sou thernmos t prefecture, got its first rail transport system in nearly 60 years when Yui-rail—an Alweg (straddle-beam) monorail—started operations to link the capital of Naha with Naha Airport. Heavy ground fighting during the last days of WWII had destroyed the old prefectural railway, leaving Okinawa as the only prefecture in Japan without a railway. The opening of this latest Japanese air– rail link (ARL) came almost 40 years after Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) was linked in 1964 to Tokyo via the Tokyo Monorail, becoming the world’s fourth airport with an ARL after Brussels (1955), London Gatwick (1958), and Berlin Schonefeld (1962). Following Tokyo, eight Japanese cities now have rail links to their airports: New Tokyo International Airport (Narita) serving Tokyo and Kansai International Airport serving Osaka—the two international gateways; Haneda Airport—the super-hub for domestic flights; Shin Chitose Airport serving Sapporo, Itami Airport serving Osaka, Fukuoka Airport, and Naha Airport—the domestic hubs; and Miyazaki Airport—a local airport (Table 1). Narita, Kansai International, and Haneda have more than one ARL to their city centres. Most links are urban or suburban commuter railways, although Haneda, Itami and Naha are noteworthy for their monorails. Through operations from these airports to the rail network operated by the six JR passenger companies are only possible at Shin Chitose, Narita, Kansai International and Miyazaki. In fact, only the Shin Chitose ARL could be described as very convenient for rail and air travellers. Moreover, even after 40 years of operations, the 2130-km shinkansen network still does not stop directly at any airport. In other words, Japan has still not taken full advantage of the high speeds of air and shinkansen by linking them. Recently Constructed and Planned ARLs
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