JAPAN
Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen
On September 23 JR Kyushu inaugurated the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, between Takao Onsen and Nagasaki. This is the first stretch of high speed line in Japan to be brought into use since the 228 km between Nagano and Kanazawa of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, on March 14 2015. At 66 km, the NishiKyushu (West Kyushu) Shinkansen is one of the shortest stretches of high speed line in the world, and at present is also completely isolated from the rest of Japan's 1 435 mm gauge network.
Services, branded ‘Kamome’ (Seagull’) are operated by a fleet of four six-car, 396-passenger Series N700S-8000 trains, formations Y1 to Y4, built at Hitachi's Kasado works. The first of these was delivered by sea to the new depot and
