KYOTO –

The decision by the ruling parties to support a Hokuriku Shinkansen Line route from Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, to Kyoto via the town of Obama has sparked relief, hope and disappointment in the Kansai region and western Japan.

While supporters of the so-called Obama route hailed the decision, opponents were obviously let down, saying it would bypass a major Kyoto city and likely mean no link with a separate shinkansen route planned for the Chugoku region.

A host of issues need resolving before the route opens, starting with how to secure stable funding for the project. In addition, the question of how passengers arriving in Kyoto on the Hokuriku shinkansen would continue on to Osaka is still under discussion.

The final route for the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line had long been one of the Kansai region's most important political battles, with national and local politicians from Kyoto, Shiga, and Fukui prefectures all pushing separate routes that would most benefit their constituencies.

Exactly where in Fukui the final route might pass through had been the subject of particularly intense discussion.

The Obama-Kyoto route, which actually runs from the city of Tsuruga to Kyoto via Obama, means that northeastern Fukui — including the district of Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, a favorite of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — will get Hokuriku bullet train service. The southwestern part — where 11 aging nuclear power plants sit — will not.

After reaching Obama from Tsuruga, the bullet train will turn south and head through Kyoto Prefecture. Where it might stop has yet to be decided, but the transport ministry estimates the construction costs at just over ¥2 trillion.

Another option — the Obama-Maizuru route — would have taken the Hokuriku bullet train farther west, past the nuclear power plant towns of Oi, Mihama and Takahama and right across the Fukui border to Maizuru in Kyoto. It would then have turned southeast toward Kyoto.

Heavy lobbying for this route had been done by Kyoto Prefecture and Diet members from the Chugoku region who are pushing a separate shin-kansen project along the coast of the Sea of Japan. They envisioned Hokuriku Shinkansen Line passengers pulling into Maizuru, then possibly changing platforms to board the Sanin Shinkansen Line for Tottori, Shimane and Yamaguchi prefectures.

However, the huge amounts of money and time such a project demands, plus JR West's strong support for the Obama-Kyoto route, led to the judgment that the Maizuru route was not the most appropriate.

The current plan is to complete the Obama-Kyoto route by around mid-century. That assumes funding can be secured and construction can proceed smoothly.

Because much of the route would require tunneling through the mountains and hills of northern Kyoto and Fukui prefectures, there are also concerns, especially in the Kansai business community, about whether the schedule can be met.

It seems that while the basic route to Kyoto may have been decided, the political, financial and technical challenges of the train keep chugging along.