Central Japan Railway Company

JR Central President Shunsuke Niwa met with Transport Minister Yasushi Kaneko on the 24th and conveyed the company's intention to present an outlook for the opening timeline of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen between Shinagawa and Nagoya within this year. The company had not previously disclosed an opening date, but following the signing of a natural environment conservation agreement with Shizuoka Prefecture, a prerequisite for starting construction on the Shizuoka section, it will now begin full-scale consideration. President Niwa noted that the construction period for the Shizuoka section will be examined based on environmental conservation measures and progress on the Yamanashi and Nagano sections, and stated that assessing the construction timeline will require a reasonable amount of time.

Shizuoka Prefecture and JR Central signed a nature conservation agreement on the 18th, based on a prefectural ordinance, clearing the way for construction to begin on the Shizuoka section of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen. The signing ceremony took place that afternoon at the Shizuoka Prefectural Government Office, attended by Governor Yasutomo Suzuki and President Shunsuke Niwa.

Central Japan Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company will begin offering top-class private rooms called 'Supreme Class' on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines starting in October. This marks the first introduction of private rooms on the Tokaido Shinkansen since the retirement of the 100 Series trains 23 years ago, aiming to provide a premium service that surpasses Green Car. Two-person private rooms will be installed in Car 7, featuring reclining seats and a sofa, with a space equivalent to three Green Car seats. A one-way fare between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka will be 60,790 yen per adult, which is 41,400 yen more than Green Car. Fully private single rooms will be set up in Car 10, equipped with an electronic lock door and offering drinks and snacks from along the railway line. The former 100 Series private rooms lacked adjustable lighting and air conditioning, but as travel demand diversifies in the wake of the pandemic, semi-private rooms are also planned for the next fiscal year. Senior researcher Kazuhiro Fukushima of the private think tank Sompo Institute Plus analyzes that this is an experiment to explore new roles for the Shinkansen as high-speed customers shift to the maglev Chuo Shinkansen after its opening. East Japan Railway Company is also moving to propose travel where the journey itself is the purpose, with plans to operate the limited express train 'Luna Azure' including nighttime runs from the next fiscal year.