Due to the opposition, only a 9 km stretch of trackbed and the airport station shell had been constructed before the project was halted.
After the passage of the groundbreaking Railway Business Act in 1986, Keisei acquired the rights to operate as a "third type" (第3種) railway company that leases tracks from JR, and starting in 1991 both Keisei and JR have operated direct airport services to the terminal built for the Shinkansen.