123,059 views
It seems that there are increasing voices calling for the use of the Kosei Line and the Kosei Route on the unopened section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tsuruga and Shin-Osaka. This is due to the opposition of local governments along the Obama-Kyoto route, such as Kyoto City. The Kosei Line, on which the Thunderbird Express runs, is a conventional line, but it is a high-standard railway line with no level crossings. Because it has a straight linear shape, there are endless voices saying that it should be commercialized as a "mini-shinkansen" or "super express". The national government and JR West have shown a negative attitude towards this. There is also the issue of what to do with the Kyoto-Shin-Osaka section. However, there is also talk of going underground near Otsukyo Station and building a tunnel. As with the Obama-Kyoto route, it seems that the project cost would be cheaper since it would utilize the Kosei Line. #HokurikuShinkansen <Image source> ・Geospatial Information Authority of Japan Map, https://maps.gsi.go.jp/ (partially edited and posted)