Transportation tunnels are amongst the largest, most expensive and most critical infrastructure projects in existence, requiring dedicated machinery, a network of well-maintained conveyor belts and a clear future-proof plan in place.

Because of the expense, tunnel projects can sometimes bear the brunt of somewhat unfair criticism whilst they are being built, even if they are almost always vindicated by their clear benefits in the end.

Whilst heavily criticised during its construction, the Channel Tunnel has ultimately been vindicated for the incredible achievement it is and the benefits it has brought to the United Kingdom.

The only undersea tunnel longer than it faced a very similar route to respectability, from being considered a “quagmire” of a tunnel to a vital artery that serves the northernmost parts of Japan.

Hokkaido To Honshu

The Seikan Tunnel was designed to connect Honshu, the main island of Japan, with Hokkaido, the northernmost part of the country.

Much like the Channel Tunnel, it had been seen as a necessity to avoid the problems that can come from a reliance on ferries, which could be heavily disrupted by adverse weather conditions. 

The political catalyst for the tunnel was the sinking of the Toya Maru alongside four other ferries after being hit by a typhoon, causing the loss of over 1000 lives. This, alongside an economic miracle and increasing traffic between the two islands made the tunnel seem to be the best solution.

However, unlike the Channel Tunnel, it took so long to make that an alternative solution threatened to make the tunnel obsolete before it was even created.

Excavation work did not begin until 1964, and it was not until 1971 that the decision to build the tunnel at all was finally agreed as part of plans to expand the Shinkansen network of bullet trains.

This delay would almost scupper the entire project.

Three Great Follies Of The Showa Era

On 23rd December 1987, amidst economic turmoil in Japan and several months before the tunnel was completed, the Chief Budget Officer for Transport And Public Services described it as one of the “three greatest follies” of the Showa Period (1926 – 1989).

The Chief Budget Officer for Transport and Public Services at the time, in comments meant to justify the discontinuation of a planned extension of the Shinkansen to Hokkaido, described the proposal as comparable to the Battleships Yamato and Musashi, the Reclamation of Ise Bay and the Seikan Tunnel.

The Yamato was one of the single largest battleships ever built, but by the time of the Battle of Okinawa where it was sunk, it was an expensive relic of a previous age of warfare.

The reclamation of Ise Bay following the 1959 Typhoon that devastated it involved the construction of a huge sea wall to protect people but its location ultimately forced the reconstruction of Ise Bay to take place outside of its relative safety.

The argument at the time was that the Seikan Tunnel was proposed before the age of air, meaning that by the time it would actually be open for rail transport, it would ultimately prove to be a white elephant.

The officer in question, Mr Hiroaki Taya, made these comments whilst drunk and was censured for it, but they reflected the complicated views surrounding the tunnel and similar major works, even if the assessment that it was an outright folly turned out to be misguided.

Folly No More

Besides the achievement of being the world’s longest railway tunnel at the time, only superseded in recent years by the Gotthard Base Tunnel and the longest undersea railway tunnel in terms of total length, the Seikan Tunnel turned out to be far more important than any critics realised.

Whilst passenger numbers only increased modestly, as whilst it was faster than the commuter ferry service it was still slower and more expensive than travelling between Tokyo and Sapporo by air, it did become crucial for freight transportation.

Having the ability to transport goods in all weathers and at all times of the year turned out to be vital, and as the Hokkaido Shinkansen has explored ways to increase the speed of bullet trains through the tunnel, passenger travel times are increasingly competitive with flights.

Hokkaido is hugely dependent on its agricultural industry so stable transportation in all weathers is essential, and at least 21 round trips are made per day as a result.

As the Hokkaido Shinkansen expands towards Sapporo and innovative technology is used to shield freight trains against the shockwave caused by full-speed bullet trains, this vindication for an innovative tunnel appears to only increase.