Kyushu Shinkansen Inauguration

On March 13, 2004, a revised timetable has become effective on the Japan Railways (JR) network.

By far the biggest item on the list of service changes and improvements is the inauguration of the Kyushu Shinkansen. The new bullet train line connects the cities of Yatsushiro and Kagoshima in Southern Kyushu, and cuts travel time by over one and a half hour.

The northern half of the Kyushu Shinkansen between Shin-Yatsushiro and Fukuoka's Hakata Station is scheduled to be completed by 2013. In the meantime, travelers to Kagoshima will continue to use limited express trains from Hakata to Shin-Yatsushiro, where convenient transfer to the shinkansen is possible.

The trains on the Kyushu Shinkansen are called "Tsubame" (swallow), which is the name formerly used for limited express trains between Fukuoka and Kagoshima. The limited express trains between Fukuoka and Shin-Yatsushiro are now named "Relay Tsubame".

Furthermore, Kagoshima's main station has been renamed from "Nishi-Kagoshima" (West Kagoshima) to "Kagoshima Chuo" (Kagoshima Central).

Other March 13 service changes are less spectacular, and include, among others, the introduction of an additional station, "Honjo Waseda", on the Joetsu/Nagano Shinkansen between Kumagaya and Takasaki and the improvement of service on the Yamaguchi Line between Shin-Yamaguchi Station and Yamaguchi Station.