Sources reveal that problems have arisen in the plans to introduce Free Gauge Trains (FGT) into the JR Kyushu Nagasaki Shinkansen line due to open in 2020. It has been estimated that implementing FGTs might cost up to three times more than standard shinkansen trains, meaning that securing a return on investment might be difficult. The FGTs they had been planning to use would be able to run on a conventional railroad track, as well as the shinkansen line, which are different in width. But the combination of damage discovered on the axle of the train used in the test run and cost underestimation raised serious doubts about the project. Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, 6/15/2017
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