Central Japan Railway, or JR Central, will launch a pilot service to let pet dogs ride bullet trains with their owners, JR Central President Shunsuke Niwa said in a recent interview.
As part of the service, shinkansen cars will be chartered to allow passengers to release their dogs from cages and move around inside the cars with the pets.
"We'd like to create new demand through measures like this," Niwa said.
The operator of the Tokaido Shinkansen line also plans a same-day luggage delivery service for guests at Mitsui Fudosan group hotels in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto using Kodama shinkansen trains, which have already been utilized to meet corporate demand for same-day package delivery. Sagawa Express will take charge of picking up and dropping off luggage at hotels and stations.
Niwa expressed willingness to "continue to cooperate with areas and businesses along the Shinkansen line."
As for the Linear Chuo Shinkansen maglev line, Niwa said JR Central aims to introduce a new middle train car that is more environmentally friendly than the current one on the test track in Yamanashi Prefecture around this summer.
However, he said he cannot give a specific date for the introduction, citing uncertainties over when tunnel work in Shizuoka Prefecture can get started, as talks between the operator and the Shizuoka Prefectural Government on the construction's environmental impact are still under way.
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