Tag - trains

 
 

TRAINS

JR Tokai President Shunsuke Niwa speaks to reporters after meeting with transport ministry officials on Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2024
JR Tokai gives up on 2027 maglev target date for opening
JR Tokai gave up the 2027 goal as the Shizuoka Prefectural Government has declined to approve tunnel drilling work due to environmental concerns.
An extended section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line will open on Saturday to connect the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, and the city of Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2024
Hokuriku Shinkansen's Kanazawa-Tsuruga extension set to open Saturday
The opening of the new section is expected to contribute to reconstruction efforts in the Hokuriku region in central Japan.
The maglev shinkansen line was originally scheduled for opening in 2027.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2023
JR Central changes opening date of maglev shinkansen line
The line will open "no earlier than 2027" due to uncertainties over when drilling works for a tunnel in Shizuoka Prefecture can commence.
A Tokaido Shinkansen Line bullet train
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 2, 2023
Tokaido Shinkansen train halted after apparent bear spray release
At least five passengers fell ill as the bullet train was halted at JR Hamamatsu Station in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Tunnel construction for the Hokkaido Shinkansen has proved slow in some areas due to geological reasons and the difficulty of blasting through the earth.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Nov 20, 2023
Tight labor market puts Hokkaido Shinkansen 2030 goal in doubt
The 212-kilometer route now under construction will link cities between Hakodate, at the southern tip of the prefecture, and Sapporo.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Travelers wait for the resumption of shinkansen services at Tokyo Station on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2023
Scores injured as Typhoon Lan passes through Japan
At least 64 people in eight prefectures in central to western Japan were reported to have sustained injuries, and 34 houses were damaged by the storm.
Passengers queue to board a shinkansen bullet train at Tokyo Station in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2023
Typhoon Lan set to crash Japan holiday week
Typhoon Lan is expected to make landfall Tuesday in central Japan, with warnings of heavy rain and flooding during the annual Bon summer holidays.
Onboard snack carts on shinkansen services between Tokyo and Osaka will end on Oct. 31, Central Japan Railway has said.
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2023
End of the line for snack carts on Tokyo-Osaka shinkansen
End of popular service comes amid a looming labor shortage and the trend of more people buying food before boarding.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 8, 2023
Golden Week express train passengers at 94% of pre-pandemic level
All six Japan Railways Group companies saw their figures increase from the previous year, sending the total to the seventh-highest level since the start of the data in 1990.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / ZERO GRAVITY
Jan 28, 2023
Roger Dahl on bullet train hairstyles
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2023
Yamagata pins hopes on shinkansen tunnel, but faces roadblocks
Looming over the move are the harsh conditions of Itaya Pass straddling Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures, which is battered by heavy snow in winter.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 11, 2022
How California’s bullet train went off the rails
The state has accelerated the pace of construction on starter rails, but at the current spending rate of $1.8 million a day, the train could not be completed in this century.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?