A Shinkansen service arrives in Tokyo. Picture: www.upmain.com

Work on Japan’s Chuo Shinkansen, a maglev rail route between Tokyo and Nagoya, is set to commence in 2014 or 2015 according to Central Japan Railway Company president Masayuki Matsumoto.

The rail company plans to negotiate, without delay, with local governments along the route regarding the exact route the line will take and where stations will be located. It is planned to drive the line through the Southern Japanese Alps using the fastest, cheapest and most direct route.

The Chuo Shinkansen will allow passengers to travel between Tokyo and Nagoya in as little as 40 minutes. It is estimated that construction costs for the new line, that is scheduled to be open by 2025, will be 5.43 trillion yen.