北陸新幹線延伸で「復興後押し」　予定通り３月開業―ＪＲ西社長

　ＪＲ西日本の長谷川一明社長は１８日、東京都内で記者会見し、北陸新幹線の金沢―敦賀間延伸について「３月１６日の開業を予定通り確実な形で迎えていく」と明言した。能登半島地震に伴う問題がないことを点検で確認したとして、「復興を力強く後押しできるよう、地域の皆さまと連携し開業に向けた準備を加速する」と述べた。
　北陸新幹線延伸で、東京―敦賀間は最短３時間８分で結ばれ、首都圏などからの誘客に期待が集まっている。長谷川氏は「多くのお客さまに復旧、復興した北陸エリアに訪れていただくことを強く願う」と訴えた。
　一方、能登半島地震で被災したＪＲ七尾線やのと鉄道については「引き続き早期復旧に全力を尽くす」と改めて強調した。（2024/01/18-16:28）

A Shinkansen bullet train line extension scheduled for March will hopefully help accelerate the reconstruction of areas damaged by the Jan. 1 major earthquake, Kazuaki Hasegawa, president of West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, said Thursday.
   "We will surely open" the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line section between Kanazawa Station in Ishikawa Prefecture and Tsuruga Station in neighboring Fukui Prefecture on March 16 as scheduled, he told a press conference in Tokyo.
   An inspection by the company has confirmed no problems on the tracks and other facilities on the section from the 7.6-magnitude temblor, which mainly struck Ishikawa, part of the Hokuriku central Japan region, Hasegawa said.
   "We will speed up preparations for the opening (of the section) in cooperation with local people so that we can strongly support the rebuilding (of areas afflicted by the earthquake)," he said.
   The fastest train on the Shinkansen line will connect Tokyo and Tsuruga in three hours and eight minutes, raising hopes that the extension will help increase visitors to Hokuriku, including from the Tokyo metropolitan area.