Tunnel project to begin for Japan's maglev line

Construction workers will launch a project on Friday to bore a tunnel through a mountain range in central Japan.The tunnel is to be used for a new high-speed train line that employs magnetic levitation, or maglev, technology.Central Japan Railway Company is planning to start service on the roughly 286-kilometer line between the cities of Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027.

The company first plans to construct the tunnel's 7.7-kilometer section through Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. The tunnel will eventually extend 25 kilometers to Nagano Prefecture. The construction work is regarded as a major challenge due to intricately layered strata and unclear locations of subterranean water veins. Central Japan Railway officials say the construction project will begin by creating an escape route. They say tunnel building will start in the second half of next year.