Miscellaneous] The Saikyo Line was an “extra” for the Tohoku Shinkansen! What are the three “lines and stations that were created after much wrangling”?

The JR Keiyo Line has taken the unusual step of allowing some of its rapid trains and commuter rapid trains, which were scheduled to be discontinued in the March timetable revision this year, to remain in service due to local protests. The protests were particularly strong from municipalities in central Chiba Prefecture, such as Chiba City and Ichinomiya Town, where the commuter rapid trains had direct service from Tokyo. This kind of battle between railroad operators and local communities is not limited to the continuation or discontinuation of trains. In some cases, entire railroad lines are created.

The “Saikyo Line” was created during the construction of the Tohoku Shinkansen.

As its name suggests, the JR Saikyo Line is an artery connecting Saitama and Tokyo. This line was built in combination with the Shinkansen from Akabane to Omiya.

On January 23, trouble with overhead wires on the Tohoku Shinkansen between Ueno and Omiya had a major impact on all Shinkansen lines in eastern Japan. On the same night, JR East, in its haste to restore operations, took the step of temporarily suspending operations to the Saikyo Line, which runs parallel to the Shinkansen line at the site.

But why do the Saikyo Line and the Tohoku Shinkansen run parallel to each other? The answer lies in history.

Construction of the Tohoku Shinkansen and Joetsu Shinkansen began in 1971 on a section between Tokyo (Ueno) and Morioka/Niigata. The Tokyo-Omiya section, which runs through the urban area, was initially planned to be excavated underground from Akabane onward due to the difficulty of securing land, but the plan was changed to an elevated line. However, there was fierce opposition to the elevated line.

This was due to the fact that noise from the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines became a social problem in the 1970s. In particular, the Shinkansen noise lawsuit in Nagoya City was fought up to the Supreme Court between the residents and Japan National Railways, and was finally settled with the setting of noise standards for the Shinkansen and the payment of a settlement to the residents. This situation led to a campaign of opposition by residents along the Tohoku Shinkansen line, who were concerned about the noise, and local governments became more aggressive, making it difficult for JNR to acquire land for the line.

JNR then turned its attention to alleviating congestion on the Tohoku Main Line and Takasaki Line in Saitama Prefecture, where murderous rush hours had become the norm. The idea was to build a new line between Omiya and Akabane that would run parallel to the Shinkansen to channel commuters from Saitama to Tokyo. Toda, Yono, and Urawa cities agree to this plan, and the Saikyo Line parallel to the Shinkansen is born.