Central Japan Railway Company broke ground on December 18 to construct the first tunnel for the 286 km Maglev express line connecting Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027. The ceremony took place in Hayakawa Cho, Yamanashi Prefecture with attendance of the contractor Taisei-led joint venture and local stakeholders.

The 25km Southern Alps Tunnel will go through three prefectures of Yamanashi, Shizuoka and Nagano under 3,000m-mountains. Running as deep as 1,400m underground, construction requires advanced engineering technologies and management capabilities. Taisei JV which was awarded the first package will build the 7km section on the eastern side of the tunnel. The contractor is undertaking preparatory works at Hayakawa emergency exit, followed by excavation of the main tunnel in fall 2016. (2015/12/21)