Sixty years after the Shinkansen first transported passengers between Tokyo and Osaka, Japanese authorities are planning to do the same for cargo with the construction of a “conveyor belt road.”
The automated freight corridor linking the capital, 320 miles (515 kilometers) away, to Osaka is seen as part of a solution to surging demand for delivery services in the world's fourth-largest economy.
Planners also hope the road will ease pressure on delivery drivers at a time when chronic labor shortages are affecting everything from catering and retail to transport and public transport. .
The road will also help reduce carbon emissions, said Yuri Endo, a senior Transport Ministry official overseeing the project.
“We need to be innovative in how we approach roads,” Endo told The Associated Press. “The key concept of Autoflow Road is to utilize 24-hour automation and unmanned transportation systems to create dedicated space for logistics within the road network.”
computer graphics video In documents released by the government last month, large palletized containers (each capable of carrying up to 1 tonne of produce) were moved in three abreast along an “autoflow road” in the center of the expressway, while vehicles It is shown running in opposite directions on both sides.
Automated forklifts load goods into containers as part of a network connecting airports, railways and ports.
Test drives are expected to begin in 2027 or early 2028, with the road fully open to traffic in the middle of next decade.
Although no official estimates have been released, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the road connecting Tokyo and Osaka could cost up to 3.7 trillion yen. [£18.6bn] Given the huge number of tunnels required.
If this project is successful, it could be expanded to other parts of Japan. But humans won't be completely eliminated, and door-to-door deliveries will still need to be made until self-driving cars can be introduced.
According to Yomiuri, the ministry estimates that the logistics expressway could fill the jobs of 25,000 truck drivers per day.
The shortage of truck drivers, who transport around 90% of Japan's cargo, is expected to further accelerate following the introduction of legislation this year restricting overtime in a bid to combat overwork and reduce the number of accidents.
While some have welcomed the changes in an industry notorious for long working hours and harsh working conditions, the “2024 problem'' will leave a gaping hole in the logistics workforce.
If current trends continue, the country's transport capacity will fall by 34% by the end of 2010, according to government estimates.
Demand for delivery has surged in Japan during the coronavirus pandemic, with usage increasing from about 40% of households to 60%, according to government data.
