After 10 Years, Key Tunnel for Sapporo Shinkansen Breaks Through

SAPPORO, Apr 09 (News On Japan) - Construction of the Hokkaido Shinkansen extension to Sapporo reached a major milestone on April 8th with the breakthrough of the Nodao Tunnel in Yakumo Town, southern Hokkaido, after 10 years of work.

On April 8th, the 8,225-meter Nodao Tunnel in Yakumo Town was completed. It is the tenth of seventeen tunnels between Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and Sapporo to be fully excavated.

"There were times over the past year when we advanced less than 20 meters a month. It took a great deal of time, so the breakthrough was deeply moving," said one of the workers involved in the project.

"I hope the line will open to Sapporo as soon as possible. It's a very safe mode of transport," said a local resident.

Due to difficulties in tunnel construction, the opening of the Sapporo extension is now projected to be delayed by eight years from the original schedule, likely pushing the start of operations to the end of 2038 or later.

Efforts to speed up the project are ongoing, with Governor Suzuki and others making urgent requests to the national government for support.

Source: 北海道ニュースUHB

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