Railway Herald
Hakata is the terminus of the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen, at the moment. Work is in hand to extend the route to Kagoshima in Kyushu and the southern end is already in use. On the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen three levels of service exist. Kodama make all stops, Hikari could perhaps be classed as "semi fast" and Nozomi are the expresses. Despite the fact that the trains can travel at the same speeds the fact that the Shinkansen is a two track railway with passing at stations means that Tokyo to Shin Osaka takes 3hr 57min by Kodama 2hr 39min by Nozomi.
Graham Harrison
