Toyama Train Station transfer - 8 mins

Hi all,

We have purchased a JR Pass and are travelling from Kanazawa to Takayama on 4 August. Best route as per hyperdia is Kanazawa to Toyama by Shinkansen Hakutaka, then transfer in Toyama to Ltd Exp (Wide View) Hida to Takayama.

Hyperdia shows that there is 8 mins to get from track 13 to track 3 in Toyama train station...is this possible? I have tried to get a map of Toyama train station tracks but can't seem to find any - is it a big station?

Many thanks!

No. Take an earlier shinkensan or later Wide View Hida.

Without luggage and some running, yes. Otherwise, no - it is too far and there are two ticket gates to get through.

Hyperdia shows that there is 8 mins to get from track 13 to track 3 in Toyama train station.

Hyperdia always shows "minimum-time transfer". You don't need to follow its' choice. I think there are not so many Wide View Hida from Toyama to Takayama but there should be many Shinkansen trains from Kanazawa to Toyama.

This is the pdf file of Toyama station.

https://www.jr-odekake.net/eki/img/premises/0541465.pdf

This is in Japanese, but you can see the truck number 13 (2nd fl) and 3 (3rd fl). I have not been there, but for me, 8 min should be OK. The conductor of Hida express will know some people will coming from Shinkansen, and will be watching for you.

If you still worry, this is the timetable of Kanazawa station, 4th Aug.

http://www.hyperdia.com/en/cgi/en/deptime.html?dep_node=KANAZAWA&arv_n...

You can take 30 min earlier Shinkansen and more than enough time at Toyama.

Many thanks for the responses. Yes it does seem very tight timing so we will get an earlier Shinkansen from Kanazawa as you say frog1954. This will leave us with 45 mins in Toyama station.

Thanks again!

Although OP already decided against it, I'll just add little information from my trip in April. Over three days I took total five different Hida Wide View Ltd Expresses and if I remember correctly all of them were 3-10 minutes behind the schedule. I don't know if it was some temporary problem but that particular train certainly did not live up to reputation of Japanese trains being punctual. I also made connection to Shinkansen in Toyama and there was a bit of a walk but I don't think it was more than five minutes. Anyways, better schedule more time.

Sorry, I didn't notice the transfer was other way around. Well, maybe someone will find it useful.

I have done the transfer at Toyama several times in the last six months (both directions), getting people from one train to another. For a first time with luggage, eight minutes is tight.

As for the comment about conductors waiting - no, only for people physically entering the train. Some of the express trains like the Hida or Thunderbird are delayed slightly (for example, because 50 people with luggage are trying to get through the same small door at Kyoto). The one I find doesn't run to time is the Shinano from Nagoya and my friends in Nagoya confirmed this as common local knowledge.