Seat reservations for JR trains in Golden Week holiday at record low
Seat reservations for shinkansen and limited express services for the upcoming Golden Week holidays have plunged 90 percent to a record low in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, data by six major railway companies showed Tuesday. Total seat reservations as of Monday at East ...
Shinkansen commutes increase as more firms and local governments support flexible work styles
The number of people who commute using shinkansen bullet trains from rural areas to central Tokyo is said to be on the rise. Local governments suffering a loss of working generations in their communities to urban areas are providing assistance to such commuters to encourage ...
Sanriku Railway, icon of 3/11 recovery, back to full service after typhoon
All sections of Sanriku Railway Co.'s Rias Line in Iwate Prefecture resumed operations Friday, about five months after the regional train line was hit hard by a powerful typhoon. Last October, Typhoon Hagibis caused damage — including a mudslide that flowed into a tunnel — ...
Tokyo's Takanawa Gateway Station opens to public as Shinagawa development marks milestone
Takanawa Gateway Station opened its doors to the public on Saturday, becoming the latest addition to Tokyo's Yamanote and Keihin Tohoku lines and marking a major milestone in a decadeslong project to transform a large part of the Shinagawa district into a global transportation ...
JR East's Joban Line fully reopens after nine long years following Fukushima disaster
The reopening of a section near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant means that all Tohoku lines have completely resumed operations following the 2011 disaster.
Media get peek at Tokyo's new high-tech Takanawa Gateway Station
The Yamanote Line's first new station since 1971 was unveiled to the media on Monday, with East Japan Railway Co. showcasing robots and other "futuristic" features to help people find their way around. Takanawa Gateway Station, situated in Minato Ward's Konan district between Shinagawa and ...
Tokyo Metro remembers Hibiya Line subway crash victims on 20th anniversary
Three top executives at Tokyo Metro Co. on Sunday visited the site of the deadly Hibiya Line subway crash in 2000 to remember the victims. The officials, including Tokyo Metro President Yamamura, laid flowers at a memorial to the accident victims. Yamamura and the officials observed ...
Virus countermeasures easing congestion on Japan's famed rush hour trains
Those packed commutes are getting easier to bear thanks school closures, telecommuting and staggered working hours.
All shinkansen to have spaces for wheelchairs, Japan ministry says
The transport ministry said Tuesday that all of the country's shinkansen trains would create spaces for wheelchair users. The ministry will conduct tests by summer and work out the details, such as the size required for such spaces. It unveiled the plan as part of a ...
JR East sees drop in revenue due to coronavirus, with worse to come
East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday that a decline in passenger traffic due to the spread of the novel coronavirus is projected to have pushed down its revenue from railway operations by some ¥11 billion in February. The number of passengers on its shinkansen fell ...
Discovering who's behind Japan's English rail announcements
Tokyo’s train system is considered to be one of the most expansive and most reliable in the world, but it can be pretty intimidating for anglophones trying to navigate the city. Thankfully, announcements in English can be heard on many railway lines, with narrators providing ...
Japanese dad tackles train etiquette with a badge to show he's willing to give up his seat
Scenario: You are congratulating yourself on having snagged a seat on a crowded, early morning Tokyo train, when out of the corner of your eye you spot a woman standing nearby who appears to be pregnant. You know you should offer her your seat, but ...
