SAPPORO –
Discussions are underway to improve rail access to New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido’s busiest airport, following a record year for both domestic and international passenger arrivals, and amid projected growth in business travel demand linked to the island’s burgeoning semiconductor industry.
Currently, an hourly maximum of six express trains run in each direction between Sapporo and the airport, with the trip taking 37 minutes. Some trains — about two per hour — continue on to Otaru, where passengers can transfer to local trains bound for the Niseko ski resort area. The total travel time between New Chitose Airport and Otaru on the express train is about 80 minutes.
In recent years, however, the combination of a surge in tourism to Hokkaido and the operations of the Rapidus semiconductor plant — located within sight of New Chitose Airport — has led to congestion at the airport’s train station and on express trains.
AloJapan.com