The full track length of the new shinkansen line between Hakata Station and Kagoshima was opened on 12 March 2011.
The Kyushu Shinkansen now makes it possible to travel between Osaka (with connections to Tokyo) to Kagoshima-Chuo Station on the southern coast of Kyushu in much less time.
Hakata-Kagoshima is now 1 hour 20 minutes and Hakata-Kumamoto only 30 minutes. Osaka-Kagoshima travel time has been reduced to 3 hours, 55 minutes.
Two new Kyushu shinkansen trains, the Mizuho and Sakura, have begun service between Osaka and Kagoshima. The quicker Mizuho is equivalent to the Nozomi shinkansen and the Sakura is similar to the Hikari shinkansen.
Both trains are based on the design of the N700 bullet train. The Tsubame shinkansen stops at all stations and is similar to the Kodama shinkansen. The Tsubame runs only between Hakata and Kagoshima-Chuo Stations.
The 257km of new track runs parallel to the Kagoshima main line: the Mizuho stops at Kumamoto and Kagoshima after Hakata; the Sakura stops at Shin-Tosu, Kurume, Kumamoto, Shin-Yatsuhiro, Shin-Minamata, Izumi, Sendai (not to be confused with the Sendai in Tohoku) and Kagoshima, the Tsubame stops at Shin-Tosu, Kurume, Chikugo-Funagoya, Shin-Omuna, Shin-Tamana, Kumamoto, Shin-Yatsuhiro, Shin-Minamata, Izumi, Sendai and Kagoshima.
Hakata Station now connects Fukuoka to Kumamoto and Kagoshima.
Kyushu Connections & Japan Rail Passes
The Japan Rail Pass is valid on Tsubame and Sakura trains but not the Mizuho. The JR West Sanyo Pass is valid for both Sakura and Mizuho trains as is the Kyushu Rail Pass.
Change from the Kyushu shinkansen to the Kagoshima Main Line for connections to other destinations in Kyushu. Tosu Station (close to Shin-Tosu) connects with the Nagasaki Main Line to Nagasaki. Kurume connects with the Kyudai Main Line to Hita, Bungo Nakagawa, Yufuin and Oita.
Kumamoto connects with the Hohi Main Line with train services to Aso and Oita. Yatsuhiro is the start of the Hisatsu Line to Hayato. The Ibusuki Makurazaki Line runs to Makurazaki from Kagoshima-Chuo.
Kyushu Shinkansen
The full track length of the new 
