On February 1, JR West held a press test-ride of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line extension (Kanazawa to Tsuruga), which will open this spring. The Hokuriku Shinkansen Kanazawa-Tsuruga section extends approximately 125 km, straddles two prefectures, Ishikawa and Fukui, and stops at seven stations (Kanazawa, Komatsu, Kaga Onsen, Ashihara Onsen, Fukui, Echizen Takefu, Tsuruga). Preparations in each area and station are now in the final stages before the opening on March 16. In this press test-ride event, a W7 Series train will actually run between Tsuruga and Kanazawa. At Tsuruga Station, the immediate terminus of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line, a huge new station building was unveiled, as well as a connecting passageway that connects the station to conventional lines.
The time required from Tokyo and Osaka will be dramatically shortened. Traveling in Hokuriku will be smoother. After the opening, the Hokuriku Shinkansen “Kagayaki” (express) and “Hakutaka” (local train) will operate 14 round trips per day directly from the Tokyo metropolitan area and Shinetsu area to Tsuruga. In addition, if you are traveling to the Hokuriku area from the Osaka, Nagoya, or Maibara areas, first take the limited express “Thunderbird” or “Shirasagi” to Tsuruga. Then, transfer to the Hokuriku Shinkansen “Tsurugi” (express and local trains), which connects at the new station building in Tsuruga, to reach Kanazawa and Toyama smoothly. This extension will provide smooth access from east to west, bringing Hokuriku even closer to the people of Japan. Required times for the main sections (for the fastest trains) are as follows. Fastest journey time from Tokyo to Fukui: 2 hours 51 minutes (36 minutes shorter)
Tokyo – Tsuruga: 3 hours 8 minutes (50 minutes shorter)
*Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Osaka to Fukui: 1 hour 44 minutes (3 minutes shorter)
Osaka – Kanazawa: 2 hours 9 minutes (22 minutes shorter)
Osaka – Toyama: 2 hours 35 minutes (29 minutes shorter)
*Use Express Thunderbird → Hokuriku Shinkansen Nagoya – Fukui: 1 hour 33 minutes (3 minutes shorter)
Nagoya – Kanazawa: 2 hours 9 minutes (16 minutes shorter)
Nagoya – Toyama: 2 hours 35 minutes (23 minutes shorter)
The Tokaido Shinkansen, Limited Express Shirasagi, and Hokuriku Shinkansen will be used. With the opening of the new station, the Thunderbird and Shirasagi limited express trains will no longer operate between Tsuruga and Kanazawa, and from March 16, all seats will be reserved and the trains will stop at Tsuruga Station. As mentioned above, limited express trains will depart from and arrive at the platform for limited express trains on the first floor of the new station building, where it will be easier to transfer to the Shinkansen (standard transfer time is 8 minutes), instead of the current platform for conventional trains.
© Source travel watch