JR Central is preparing to raise its cost estimate for the Tokyo–Nagoya section of the linear Chuo Shinkansen above the ¥11 trillion it has been citing, people involved in the matter said on the 4th. The company is working on a fresh estimate as it prepares to state when the line will open, and is still working through the figure. It aims to publish the new number by the end of the year.
It would be the third increase since construction began and the second since last October. In about a year, the company has been forced to raise its estimate again. Rising prices for materials and labor are behind the increase.
The maglev line is meant to run between Tokyo's Shinagawa Station and Nagoya, cutting the journey to roughly 40 minutes. Construction has stretched on for years, and the opening date has yet to be fixed.
On the Shizuoka section, JR Central has said construction will not begin before March 2027, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on Oct. 29. The company said the delay would not affect the project as a whole.