>>1081296Not him, but I'm quite curious the specifications for some of the current variable gauge systems for comparison purposes.
http://tabiris.com/archives/nagasaki-shinkansen-4/From the link (which takes quite a bit from the Nikkei article) there's a few things we know about the Nagasaki Shinkansen and the FGT projects:
- It would open using the "Relay System" in Takeo-Onsen Station similar to the arrangement in Shin-Yatsushiro Station had (Shinkansen and conventional limited express in the same island platform) in 2022
- When the project began it was slated a single FGT set would operate in 2022 and the rest (number unknown) would enter service by 2025
- In a press conference in late May this year, JR Kyushu's President (?) Aoyagi Toshihiko mentioned that the technology with the FGT is sound but the cost of the trainsets and their maintenance (2~3x compared to a conventional Shinkansen set) are uneconomical.
The official announcement happens in July, and there seems to be 3 options
1) The Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki section will be built in narrow gauge
2) Keep the relay system
3) Full standard gauge configuration (re-gauge tracks between Shin-Tosu and Takeo-Onsen?)
>>1081297Most of them don't stop in Himeji in the middle of the day bar a few for some reason
