Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 26 (pp.68–69)

Topics
July – October 2000


1 JulyJapan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Air Systems started joint shuttle service between Tokyo and Osaka
6 JulyBoeing announced plan to develop 747X ultra-high-capacity passenger aircraft within 6 to 9 months
12 JulyAirbus A310 aircraft belly landed at Vienna International Airport injuring 26 passengers
15 JulyJR West started electrification of 84.3-km Ohama Line between Tsuruga and Higashi Maizuru with completion scheduled for 2003
21 JulySightseeing helicopter owned by Blue Hawaiian Helicopters crashed on Maui in Hawaii killing all 7 passengers and crew
25 JulyAir France Concorde crashed on takeoff from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport killing 107 passengers and crew and 5 people on ground
Sendai Branch of JR East opened new JR Sendai Hospital with attached facility for aged on vacant land adjacent to old hospital
31 JulyFrench National Railways TGV from Paris to Nantes hit cow on line while running at 220 km/h badly damaging lead coach and closing line for 3 hours
9 AugustJapan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, and Japan Air Systems announced joint Domestic Airlines Cooperation Web to open in April 2001 selling domestic air tickets using Internet
15 AugustTerrorist bomb planted on night train exploded in Uttar Pradesh Province, northern India, killing at least 7 people and injuring about 80
16 AugustDomestic flight of São Paulo Airlines hijacked by 8 armed men who robbed passengers and crew of R$6 million carried by bank officials and other valuables
20 AugustFreight train carrying natural gas from Mombasa to Nairobi in Kenya derailed and exploded in Nairobi suburbs killing 18 nearby residents
23 AugustAirbus A320 of Gulf Air crashed into ocean before landing at Bahrain International Airport killing all 143 passengers and crew
25 AugustJapanese Ministry of Transport included approximately ¥70 million in budget for fiscal 2001 to survey Kawasaki Municipal Rapid Transit Rail connecting Shin Yurigaoka on Odakyu Line and Moto-sumiyoshi of Tokyu Toyoko Line
27 AugustCentral span of Kaoping Bridge in southern Taiwan collapsed injuring 16 people
31 AugustJapan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., which manages and operates passenger terminal buildings at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, announced basic plan for East Passenger Terminal Building. Construction including hotel to start in fall 2001 with opening in late 2003 at total cost of about ¥50 billion
9 SeptemberIwate–Ichinohe Tunnel under construction by Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation as part of Tohoku Shinkansen between Morioka and Hachinohe broken through from both sides and now ranked as world’s longest land tunnel (25.81 km)
11 SeptemberTokaido Shinkansen paralyzed by torrential rains stranding 52,000 passengers in 74 trains
16 SeptemberHeavy semi-trailer ran over guardrail of National Route 1 in Shizuoka onto JR Tokaido Line and hit by freight train locomotive bringing southbound line to standstill
18 SeptemberGroundbreaking ceremony to reconnect Kyongui Line (Seoul–Shinuiju) between South Korea and North Korea 50 years after Korean War
21 SeptemberJapanese Ministry of Transport approved construction of 4.2-km Tokoname–Kuko (provisional name) line at Central Japan International Airport with operation scheduled to start in March 2005
26 SeptemberTokyo’s Eidan Namboku Line between Tameike-sanno and Meguro (3.9 km) and Toei Subway Mita Line between Mita and Meguro (3.9 km) connected with direct operations to Musashi-kosugi of Tokyu Meguro Line
Greek ferry sank off Paros in Aegian Sea drowning 62 of 510 passengers and crew
27 SeptemberAttempted hijacker of China Xinhua Airlines Boeing 737 with 143 passengers stabbed to death by security crew member
28 SeptemberLarge Taiwanese container ship stranded on north approach to Okinawa’s Naha Airport obstructed landing of 72 flights
5 OctoberJR Central opened new Doctor Yellow shinkansen test car to public at Hamamatsu Works in Shizuoka
14 OctoberSeventeen metropolitan subways and private railways started operation of joint Passnet railway card allowing passage through automatic gates at any station with shared tracks. However, JR East preparing own IC card and not participating in Passnet
Nagahama Railroad Cultural Hall opened in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture in Japan’s oldest station building built in 1870s
At Tokyo reception, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji mentioned desire to commence work on ¥2 trillion 1310-km highspeed line between Beijing and Shanghai during tenth 5-year plan (2001–05)
Boeing 777 of Saudi Arabian Airlines heading from Jiddah to London hijacked over Egypt and diverted to Baghdad where 103 passengers and crew released safely
17 OctoberTrain bound for Leeds derailed by track fault in London suburbs killing four people and injuring 80
JR East announced JR Going Out Internet site for making train and hotel reservations on Tokaido and San’yo shinkansens
Japan’s Scheduled Airline Association submitted independent plan to expand Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) as third metropolitan airport to Ministry of Transport
18 OctoberUS Amtrak announced new Acela Express train running at 240 km/h between Washington DC, New York, and Boston to compete with airline shuttle services
21 OctoberSpeed of Asia–Europe Land Bridge increased with 10-hour cut in time from Shanghai to Alashankou on China’s western border and 12-hour cut in time from Ürümqi to Beijing
31 OctoberBoeing 747-400 of Singapore Airlines crashed on takeoff from runway under construction at Chiang-Kai Shek International Airport near Taipei killing 82 passengers
Russian Antonov 26 passenger plane exploded in air over Angola killing 48 passengers and 6 crew

Table:Financial Results of JR Companies


Milestones

Hajime Morita
Appointed Minister of Transport in second Mori Cabinet on 4 July. Graduated from Faculty of Law of University of Tokyo in 1957 and joined Ministry of Finance. First elected to House of Representatives in June 1980. Served as State Secretary of Home Affairs, State Secretary of Transport, Chairman of Transport Division in Liberal Democratic Party, etc.

Shinya Izumi
Appointed Senior State Secretary of Transport on 4 July. Graduated from Faculty of Engineering of Kyushu University in 1962 and joined Ministry of Transport. First elected to House of Councillors in July 1972. Served as Chairman of Transport in House of Councillors, and Chairman of National Land and Transport Division in New Conservative Party

Yukio Jitsukawa
Appointed State Secretary of Transport on 4 July. Graduated from Faculty of Law of Hosei University in 1967. First elected to House of Representatives in July 1993

Hitoshi Murata
Appointed Chairman of Transport Council on 6 July. Graduated from Kyoto University in 1956. Served as Superintendent Public Prosecutor of Nagoya High Prosecutor’s Office, etc., and member of Transport Council since 1996

Shuichiro Yamanouchi
Former Chairman of JR East appointed Chairman of National Space Development Agency of Japan on 10 July. Graduated from Faculty of Engineering of University of Tokyo in 1956 and joined former JNR. Served as Director General of Train Operation Depar tment, Managing Director, etc., becoming Vice-President of JR East in 1987 and adviser to JR East board in June 2000

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