East Japan Railway (JR East) said Tuesday that it now aims to open a new train line connecting Tokyo Station and the capital's Haneda Airport in fiscal 2031, two years later than the initially planned fiscal 2029.

The new line will allow passengers to travel between the station and the airport without changing trains in around 18 minutes, compared with about 30 minutes on existing lines.

Construction for the new airport line will begin in earnest in June. A tunnel will be built for the 12.4-kilometer section between the airport and an area near Tamachi Station, while existing facilities such as elevated tracks will be renovated.

A new station will be built in an underground area between the airport's Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.

The project is estimated to cost about ¥280 billion.