 The coming of the 1998 Winter Olympics saw important changes to the transportation systems.Nagano Station and the smaller Shinonoi Station were expanded, and with the construction of the Athletes village for the Games in the Kawanakajima area, Imai Station was opened.Finally, the Hokuriku Shinkansen, initially named the "Nagano Shinkansen", connecting Nagano to Takasaki, Gunma where it merges with the Jōetsu Shinkansen and continues to Ōmiya Station and Tokyo Station, opened in 1997 to accommodate the expected increase in travelers to Nagano.