East Japan Railway Company, or JR East is looking to renovate two Bullet Train lines; Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen that have been in service for more than 30 years. The company revealed its intention to start developing a plan with an aim to begin construction by 2030 as part of its business strategies, referring to a renovation plan announced last year by JR Tokai for Tokyo-Osaka Tokaido Shinkansen.

Tohoku Shinkansen opened in June 1982 running 505km line between Omiya, Saitama Prefecture and Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, followed by extension to Tokyo in 1991 and to Hachinohe, Aomori in 2002. The current operational line reached 714km after it started the service to as far as Shin-Aomori, the northernmost part of the mainland Honshu Japan in 2002. Joetsu Shinkansen service begun in November 1982 from Omiya to Niigata, one of the largest cities on the Japan Sea coast.

JR East is implementing quake resisting works for viaducts and electric poles with total investment of 300 billion yen for both Shinkansen and non-Shinkansen rail lines. JR Tokai, meanwhile, has undertaken 730.8 billion yen upgrading of 240km of the total 515km Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Osaka, which saw the 50th anniversary this year. (2014/11/18)