Tag - rail

 
 

RAIL

A smoking room aboard a Tokaido Shinkansen train
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2023
Bullet train lines to nix smoking rooms as health consciousness grows
As of next spring, the smoking rooms will be replaced with areas to store drinking water to be distributed in times of emergency.
The U.K.'s decision to cut back on its HS2 high-speed rail network runs contrary to the path taken by Japan, which stuck to a long-term infrastructure plan.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2023
U.K. effort to imitate Japan's shinkansen falls short
There is value of sticking to a long-term infrastructure plan, as Japan has done for almost 50 years with its high-speed rail system.
Firefighters arrive at Sendai Station following the report of a possible chemical leak inside a train on Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2023
Chemical leak injures four passengers on Tohoku Shinkansen
JR East staff confirmed something like smoke was rising from one of the cars and passengers were asked to evacuate.
A Hokkaido Shinkansen line bullet train travels through Hokuto, Hokkaido, in September.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2023
Japan to postpone plan to extend Hokkaido Shinkansen line by 2031
A new deadline has yet to be set, but the 212-kilometer extension also faces a labor shortage in the construction sector that is expected to worsen.
Passengers line up to board a bullet train at Tokyo Station in August.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2023
Shinkansen rail pass prices soar 70% for tourists
Even with the big increase, demand is likely to stay strong thanks to a cheaper yen and steady flow of inbound visitors.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo launches the China-backed high-speed railway connecting Jakarta and Bandung called "Whoosh," at Halim station in Jakarta, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 2, 2023
Indonesia launches Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail
Indonesian President Joko Widodo hailed the bullet train "Whoosh" as "a symbol of our modernization."
A cross-section illustration of the second Seikan Tunnel proposed by the Japan Project-Industry Council
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Sep 25, 2023
Is the plan to build a second Seikan Tunnel realistic?
Advocates suggest shorter travel times and revitalized communities, while critics worry about the price tag.
Fans of Japan's Brave Blossoms ahead of the team's Rugby World Cup opener against Chile on Sept. 10 in Toulouse, France
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 22, 2023
World Cup travel chaos leaves Japanese fans longing for 2019
Cancellations of transport services have forced fans to find alternative ways to the host cities and grounds.
The Japanese conglomerate put in its offer to the European Commission on Thursday, the same day it requested EU clearance for the deal, an EU regulatory filing showed Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 16, 2023
Hitachi offers to sell assets to win EU okay for Thales rail deal
Hitachi has offered to sell assets in France and Germany as well as its core train control tech to gain EU approval for the railway signaling deal.
Passengers wait to board a shinkansen at Kyoto Station.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023
Nozomi shinkansen to halt nonreserved seats during peak periods
The restriction will apply between Dec. 28 this year and Jan. 4 as well as the Golden Week and Bon holiday periods.
The typical priority seat section on a Japanese train will be well marked in numerous languages.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 8, 2023
The priority seats: Are they fair game on an empty train?
Japan is a society with many unspoken rules. Are you aware of the norms that govern your place of business?
Japan railways are rapidly approaching a future of unmanned stations from one side of the country to the other.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 3, 2023
Trouble sometimes pulls into Japan’s unmanned train stations
Nearly 60% of the 4,368 stations operated by the six Japan Railways Group passenger companies now run without staff.
Staff put up posters about the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line at JR Fukui Station on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023
Hokuriku Shinkansen to link Kanazawa with Tsuruga from next March
The fastest travel time between Tokyo and Fukui will be two hours and 51 minutes — down 36 minutes from the time required on the current shortest route.
Mount Fuji has seen a large increase in the number of hikers, prompting a local government to devise new ways to control visitor numbers.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2023
Yamanashi governor proposes light rail system for Mount Fuji
The rail system, intended to address over-tourism, would replace the Fuji Subaru highway, which leads to one of the Mount Fuji’s fifth stations.
Passengers board Utsunomiya's new tram system near Utsunomiya Station on Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2023
Japan's first new tram system in 75 years begins operations
The so-called next-generation tram system in Tochigi Prefecture runs between the east side of Utsunomiya Station and the nearby town of Haga.
A women-only passenger train in Tokyo
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 18, 2023
DJ Soda incident spotlights prevalence of groping in Japan
The groping of the South Korean DJ at a festival spurred online conversations about the issue, with a term translating as "groping country" trending on X.
Shin-Osaka Station is crowded with travelers as services resume on Thursday morning.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 17, 2023
Shinkansen lines resume, but travelers may still face long delays
Central Japan Railway is urging people to refrain from using the train service until stations become less crowded.
Children hold baseball bats made with aluminum from scrapped bullet trains on Thursday in Tokyo.
BASEBALL
Aug 17, 2023
Bats made from scrapped bullet train metal to go on sale in October
The bats are scheduled to go on sale on Railway Day and come in three designs.
Officials of the Meteorological Agency ask people to be vigilant about Typhoon Lan, during a news conference at the agency in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2023
Japan braces for another typhoon as trains and flights canceled
Typhoon Lan is poised to make landfall in central Japan on Tuesday, with the storm set to bring a month’s worth of rain in just a few days.
Sendai Station is one of the train stations to see the biggest gains in foot traffic compared to pre-pandemic levels.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2023
30% of Japan prefectures see crowds surpass pre-COVID levels
Based on an analysis of major train stations, 13 locations, or 28%, recorded more people than during the same period in 2019.

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