*Figure 1 (created by IHCC)
*Figure 2
* Figure 3 (Created by IHCC):
Area with a radius of 500 km centered on Tsushima.
* Figure 4 (Map source: Tsushima Encyclopedia)
Nagasaki Prefecture Tsushima Branch Office, 1999 edition
* Figure 5 (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism data)
* Saga Prefecture Industrial Park (from the Saga Prefectural Government website)
Tosu Junction is known as the Kyushu Cross Highway, where the Kyushu Expressway, which runs north to south, and the Nagasaki-Oita Expressway, which runs east to west, intersect in a cross shape.
As the Nagasaki-Oita Expressway was being developed, traffic volume at this junction gradually increased, leading to noticeable congestion (between Tosu and Chikushino). Therefore, construction was undertaken to build a rampway for traffic heading from Fukuoka towards Nagasaki, spanning an arc above the junction. This project has now been completed and is in use.
Furthermore, preparations are underway to create a distribution business park on approximately 70 hectares of land adjacent to the Tosu Junction.
Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) has decided to launch a new express train linking Nagoya and Kyushu by March 2006. In addition to reducing the number of stops to shorten the travel time, the company will set up a timetable that will allow shipments made in the evening to arrive early the next morning and be delivered to the shipper's factory in the morning. The company aims to capture the transportation demand of the Toyota Motor Group and parts manufacturers, which are expanding their production systems in Kyushu. Strengthening the line to connect the automobile industry clusters will increase profitability.
The express train will consist of 20 cars and will transport a maximum of 500 tons. It is scheduled to depart Nagoya Freight Station in the 6 PM hour, travel via the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kagoshima Main Lines, and arrive at Tosu Freight Station in Saga Prefecture around 7 AM. The current "Nagoya-Kyushu" line, which operates two round trips per day, takes 13-14 hours, leading to complaints from shippers that it is "inconvenient." The new service will use locomotives with a maximum speed of 110 km/h, and will limit stops to major stations in the Kansai region and Kitakyushu Freight Station, reducing the travel time to around 12 hours.
(Nihon Keizai Shimbun, July 4, 2005)
For further details on the above, please see the Industry section of the Saga Prefectural Government's official website.[Click here for the Saga Prefectural Government's official website]
