By Anthony Robins
from 'Bullet-in' #51 July - September 2004
New Releases The Japan Times/ Tetsudo Fan/ Tetsudo Journal/ www.aikan.info
Third-sector Aizu
Tetsudo's new AT-500 and AT550 cars will comprise seven cars by
the end of the 2005 financial year. The AT-500 has a capacity of
115 (52 seated) while the AT-550 has a capacity of 110 (47
seated). The lower capacity of the latter is the result of it
including a wheelchair accessible toilet. The first two cars are
in a light green livery liberally covered with 'hiragana' script
and the branding 'furusato ressha' (hometown train). Similar but
brighter is Hisatsu Orenji (orange) Tetsudo's HSOR-100-150 type
'event car'. The type started operation on 13th March for this
company which took over the Kagoshima Main Line section after the
opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen, capacity in cross-seat layout
is 105 (37 seated).
Also starting
operation on 13th March was a four-car Kiha 183-1000 set for JR
Kyushu's 'Yufu Deluxe'. It is the fourth incarnation of a set
which initially as a 3-car set has previously been the 'Oranda
Miura Tokyuu' (Holland Village Limited Express)' from 1988, and
as a 4-car set, the 'Yufuin no Mori II' (from 1992) and the
'Siebold' (from 1999). In a smart maroon livery, the set features
widespread use of wood in the interior. Another new branding is a
2-car set 'Hayato no kaze' (Hayato Wind), formed of Kiha 140 2066
and Kiha 147 1045 in 'royal black' livery. Conversion work was
carried out at Kokura Works.
Tokyu's type 5050
is a version of its 5000 type for Toyoko Line services. Odakyu
has been testing one of its type 3000 sets, 3263, with noise
reducing 'skirts'. Its formation is also different,
Tc+M+M+T+M+Tc, rather than others of this type, which are
Tc+M+M+M+M+Tc.
5th and 6th April
saw the arrival of the first new stock for the third-sector
Aonami Line (Blue Wave Line) serving the south west of Nagoya.
Two 4-car type 1000 sets were hauled using a DE10 on each day
(overnight stop at Inazawa) from Nippon Sharyo at Toyokawa to
Nagoya freight terminal. The line opened on 6th October.
Meitetsu's new
stock for the 2004 financial year sees ten 3-car type 2000 sets
for services to the new offshore Chubu International Airport
which opens in Spring 2005. The first were delivered in mid-May
and are in white and blue livery with 'Centrair' logos. A similar
external design but in limited-express white and red livery are
six 4-car type 2200 sets. Completing the new orders is one 4-car
type 3300 and four 2-car type 3150. Similar to the type 300 used
on its Komaki Line, they will be the first unpainted types to
operate on the Nagoya Main Line.
Fukuoka City's type
3000 for its new Nanakuma Line between Tenjin Minami and
Hashimoto is an attractive four-car (all motored) type in light
grey and light green livery. The Nanakuma Line uses a linear
motor system and is physically isolated from Fukuoka's other two
underground lines. While they feature an inner tunnel
circumference of 6.1 metres, its small profile is 4.7 metres. The
line is due to open in February 2005.
Izu Kyuko is now
operating one of its 7-car type 2100 'Resort 21' sets in a mainly
black livery, albeit with a narrow white and a broader red stripe
around its lower edge. This 'Kurofune' (Black Ships) train
commemorates the 150 years since the arrival of the US ships
commanded by Admiral Perry. It is operating for a year until the
end of March 2005.
On 25th May, the
first set for the Taiwan Shinkansen arrived at Kaohsiung after
being shipped from Kobe. The line between Taipei and Kaohsiung
has cost 502 billion New Taiwan dollars (15 billion US dollars)
and will be served by 30 train sets.
Media releases in
late May showed the planned N700 Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen
looking like an elongated 700. A prototype is due to enter
service in March 2005 with series operation following in Spring
2007. With a top speed of 300 kms/hr, the N700 is aimed at
increasing speeds on Tokaido Line curves from 250 to 270 kms/hr.
Into Service and Out of Service
Flash Magazine/JR East/The Japan Times/Tetsudo Fan/Yomiuri
Shimbun
After a period of
testing, JR Freight's M250 'Super Rail Cargo' freight EMU started
regular operations from 13th March. The daily schedule involves a
down departure from Tokyo Freight Terminal at 2314 arriving at
Aji-Kawaguchi (Osaka) at 0526. The up working departs from
Aji-Kawaguchi at 2309 and arrives at Tokyo Freight Terminal at
0520. Formation is an Mc250 and M251 at each end and six pairs of
T260 and T261 container wagons in Sagawa (cargo company) livery.
The train can carry the equivalent of 28 10-ton trucks.
Also in the freight
area, 'Red Thunder' EF510s based at Toyama started regular
operation of trains along the Japan Sea coast with the start of
the new
timetable from 13th March. Initial services being operated are
3097 and 4058 (Osaka/Suita-Niigata) and 3093 (Suita-Minami
Nagaoka).
Ridership on the
Minato-Mirai Line averaged 151,000 passengers in its first month
after opening on 1st February. Although there has been much media
criticism of the Kyushu Shinkansen, claiming a rapid decline
after an nitial surge, figures released for the first ten days of
operation showed a rise of 120% in passengers travelling between
Kagoshima Chuo (former Nishi-Kagoshima) and Sendai (where the
depot for the line is located). That was almost as great a rise
as in the early days of the Hachinohe extension of the Tohoku
Shinkansen. In particular, ticket sales at Kagoshima-Chuo (former
Nishi Kagoshima) doubled to a value of around 20 million yen a
day. However, some critics feel that the latter's longer-term
success will not be replicated after initial interest declines.
In the meantime though, tourist facilities including sand baths
at Ibusuki are reporting more customers, and intensified
competition between retail outlets in Fukuoka and Kagoshima. Seat
occupancy for flights between the two cities dropped from 71% to
49%. However, there are also the predictable pictures of
facilities such as Shin Yatsuhiro Station (northern terminus of
the existing section) contrasting with bucolic agricultural
scenes just ten minutes away. There is also criticism of the fact
that the Hisatsu Orange Railway, which took over the section of
Kagoshima Main Line between Yatsuhiro and Sendai, is
using DMUs in spite of the fact that the line is electrified.
Changes with the
new timetable on 1st April on Sangi Railway's 2 feet 6 inch
Hokusei Line saw three stations close and a new one open. The new
one at Oizumi features free car and bicycle parking.
Cement trains
between Moji-ko and Kaneda ceased on 31st March. Operated to
serve Mitsui's Kozan's (Mitsui Mines') Ita-Tagawa works,
operation usually consisted of two return journeys daily.
The end of June saw
the end of JR's paging service on shinkansen services. First
introduced in June 1965, a year after the opening of the Tokaido
Shinkansen, to alert passengers to incoming calls to public
phones on the trains, a plethora of mobile phones has meant that
whereas there were 46,000 calls made to or from bullet trains in
1994, that fell to 6,800 in 2003. Public phones for outgoing use
will remain.
Amidst fears of
terrorism, JR East introduced modified wastebins at stations from
11th May. They allow the usual separation of different kinds of
rubbish but have large transparent windows.
Innovative Ads
Yomiuri Shimbun
May saw Kintetsu
introduce a new kind of advertising on about 20 services a day
operating between Namba (Osaka) and Nara. It features transparent
pouches attached to the straphangers. They contain samples of
products such as gum or lipcream as well as coupons. The
advertising fee is 1.82 million yen per week. In contrast, June
saw a veteran invention put to new use for the first time in
Japan when zoetrope/flip book derived advertising was introduced
between Tameike Sanno and Akasaka Mitsuke on Tokyo Metro's Ginza
Line. The first advertisement was one 'lasting' 15 seconds for a
soft drink and the system was developed by U.S.based Submedia
which first introduced it in Atlanta in September 2001.
Rare Appearance
Tetsudo Fan
0-type T3 'Doctor
Yellow' made perhaps its last daytime appearance on 1st March
when it ran from Tokyo (1220) to Mishima and back to Tokyo (1500)
in spite of its top speed of 210 kms/hr being below the present
timetable which is based on operation at a maximum speed of 270
kms/hr.
Further into the Future
Japan Railway and Transport Review/Tetsudo Journal
26th October 2003
saw a groundbreaking ceremony held at Nagahama Station (Hokuriku
Line) to mark the start of construction of the Lake Biwa loop
line from there to the Kosei Line, to the west of the lake,
between Nagahara and Omi Shiotsu.
On 24th March
Toyama Light Rail K.K. was formed as a 3rd-sector company to
develop plans to convert JR West's Toyama-ko Line to light rail
operation.
On the way up
Asahi Shimbun/JR East
In March JR Freight
saw its 17th consecutive month of year-on-year increase in
container transportation. A particular highlight is the new M250
'Super Rail Cargo', but other developments include Matsushita
Electric's plan to increase its use of containers to 20,000 units
in the 2005 financial year, up from
12,000 in 2003. JR Freight has encouraged expansion by
introducing 110 new container wagons in May and IC tags to allow
real-time monitoring of cargo movements. A spur to increased
railfreight use is for companies to cut emissions, with the cargo
company, Sagawa, aiming to cut its CO2 emissions by 6% by 2012
from 370,000 tons in the 2002 financial year. Companies are also
dealing with a recent top speed restriction of 90 kms/hr on large
trucks.
Holding On
Yomiuri Shimbun
In spite of the
renaissance in tram and light-rail operation in Europe, the
situation in Japan remains tougher. While Meitetsu (Nagoya
Railroad) has proposed the abandonment of its remaining
operations in Gifu, Hankai has also proposed a similar
abandonment of its southern 7.3 kms section through Sakai City.
Annual ridership at its peak was more than 20 million in the late
1950s and early 1960s, but fell to 3.35 million (about one-third
of Hankai's total passengers) in 2002. Hankai sees the decline
continuing for three main reasons - a population decrease in the
line's area, greater car use and competition from Nankai and JR's
Hanwa Line. Locals are not giving up without a fight. Yoshihide
Horihata, vice-chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce and
vice-president of a packaging company, heads the 'Sakai Streetcar
Lovers'. In return for a fee of 3,000 yen, members receive a book
of 22 one-ride tickets, a one-day pass, a membership card and a
twice yearly newsletter. More than 4,000 people have applied to
be members. The local government is also supportive. It has
offered to pay Hankai's share of costs involved in improving
safety after the Keifuku collisions in Fukui Prefecture and
actually supports expansion with a new east-west tram line. It is
also actively promoting more special events to draw in
passengers.
Tightening the Screws
Mainichi Shimbun
Four senior Seibu
Railway employees, an executive, the head of the company's public
relations and the head and a senior official of the real estate
division were arrested on 1st March in connection with dealings
with 'sokaiya'. Sokaiya are extortionists who typically receive
money in return for not disrupting businesses. In this case, they
sold land at undervalued prices in return for not blocking the
company's shareholders' meeting in June 2001. Land in Kamakura
sold for 82 million yen was later resold for 120 million yen,
while land in Yokosuka sold for 30 million yen was later resold
for 80 million yen.
JR East was
planning to start alcohol checks of all its 7,000 drivers and
6,000 conductors before starting their duties. Following a much
publicized incident with its JR Kanto Bus subsidary, any driver
or conductor will be banned from their duties for a day if more
than 0.1 milligrams of alcohol are detected on their breath. JR
East is the second transportation organisation to introduce such
tests following Yokohama City.
'Train Fanatics'
were in the news in early March when six of them, ranging from a
41-year old company executive to three junior high school boys,
were charged with stealing signs from the sides of trains. The
specific case in which they were charged concerned a sign stolen
in July 2003 from the 'Moonlight Echigo' rapid running from
Shinjuku to Niigata. The six are suspected of stealing 80 signs,
of which they sold 45 to other 'fans'.
Although it has by
no means reached the levels of other countries such as Germany,
graffiti including 'tagging' has become more prevalent in Japan
in recent years. How is it dealt with? 5th April saw a court in
Takasaki give four people, including three university students,
prison sentences of between 14 months and two years, suspended
for three years. Together with another person, who had previously
been given a similar sentence, they had sprayed graffiti on shops
and a diesel locomotive and ticket-vending machines in the city
on 15th January. With the assistance of their parents, they paid
damages amounting to about 4.88 million yen and their parents
visited shops to apologize to their owners.
Winners all round at Shinagawa
Yomiuri Shimbun
With results in six
months after the opening of the new shinkansen station at
Shinagawa Station on 1st October 2003, a combination of factors
has seen success all round. Tokaido Shinkansen passengers between
Tokyo and Osaka rose by 5% and the daily number of shinkansen
passengers using Tokyo and Shinagawa jumped 6% to 216,000. A
publicity push by Japan Airlines and ANA persuaded some companies
to use air for business travel who had not previously used it.
ANA reported an increase of 4% on the Tokyo-Osaka route while
Japan Airlines saw an increase of 10% between Tokyo and Okayama.
Hotels in the area have lower vacancy rates and between 7,000 and
8,000 new apartments are expected to be built in Minato Ward in
2004.
Competition hots up in Tokyo and at Osaka's 'depachikas'
Asahi Shimbun/Yomiuri Shimbun
Eidan's successor,
Tokyo Metro, is keen to boost its non-rail earnings which were
21% for JR East in 2002 but only 3.4% for Eidan in that year.
Among its projects are renovation at stylish Omotesando which
handles 120,000 passengers a day. Work lasting a year will
include a 1,300 square metres shopping mall with several
restaurants. Kiyoaki Murakami of Mitsubishi Research suggests
going further, wishing for 'in-car English conversation lessons
and deploying dining cars'. Tokyo Metro has long-term debts of
about 950 billion yen and its shares are currently owned by the
central government (53%) and Tokyo metropolitan government (47%).
Future aims include offering these shares for sale and
integration with the municipal Toei lines. However, operations of
the latter are 400 billion yen in debt, with annual losses of
more than 20 billion yen. In addition, there is a need for costly
investment in improving evacuation routes, particularly spurred
by the February 2003 tragedy in Taegu in South Korea.
There are three big
department stores within a 100 metre radius adjacent to JR West's
Osaka Station and Hankyu and Hanshin's stations at Umeda and they
have a potential market of 600,000 daily customers. While Hanshin
may to some extent at some disadvantage to the others
railway-wise, it is the leader among 'depachikas' (made up of
'depaato' (department store) and 'chika' (underground). They sell
food and Hanshin's frequent remodelling and combination of new
items with traditional favourites means that sales reached 38.2
billion yen in 2003, more than a third of its stores total sales
compared with a typical 20 percent. It is helped by the largest
floor area of the three at 8,000 square metres.
Have your cake and beat it!
Mainichi Shimbun
A drunk 41 year old
was arrested after crossing Sanyo Shinkansen tracks to reach a
shop on another platform and returning the same way. He claimed
to have had an urgent desire to buy cakes.
Two favourites come together
Tetsudo Journal
22nd February saw
one of enthusiasts' favourite types, the 583 (6-car formation) on
a special rapid service leaving Sendai for Kitakata (Ban-etsu
Line) via Koriyama. Aimed at visitors to Kitakata's 'Ramen
Festa', celebrating perhaps Japan's favourite food, the train
left Sendai at 0820 and arrived back there at 1858.
Relatively well-off
Chunichi Shimbun
Railway companies
can breathe a sigh of relief according to research carried out by
the Nippon Seishonen Kenkyuujo (Japan Youth Research Centre).
Research on attitudes among senior high school students
(1000-1300 students in each of four countries) found that 53% of
Japanese students were critical of using mobile phones on trains
and 76% were critical of speaking loudly on trains. In the former
case, it was the highest figure among the countries. In the
latter case, it was equalled only in Korea. However, in the areas
of defiance towards parents and teachers and truancy from school,
the Japanese high school students were least critical. For
example, only 27% had a critical attitude towards truancy,
compared with 40% in the U.S., 75% in Korea, and 79% in China.
A museum and station on the move
Mainichi Shimbun/Tetsudo Fan
It is planned that
the new transport museum in Omiya will have access from a stop on
the New Shuttle system. and that the main hall on the ground
floor will feature a turntable with exhibits on lines leading to
it. There will be around 30 full-size exhibits, including EF58
89, 'kuhane 583' and type 200 shinkansen car. There will be two
smaller upper floors and outside will be a miniature railway.
11th May saw the start of a four day project to move the historic
station building dating from 1934 at Nara (JR West). The move
northwards over a distance of 18 metres was carried out by
supporting the station building weighing 3,500 tons on 600
rollers.
Cheaper country air
Mainichi Shimbun
Following problems
attracting incomers to new housing in Izumizaki, Fukushima
Prefecture, the village is now offering to subsidize commuting to
Tokyo by Tohoku Shinkansen from Shin-Shirakawa, three stops away
on the Tohoku Line. The local government is offering to pay up to
1 million yen a year (about 60% of the total cost) for three
years.
Open Up!
Mainichi Shimbun/The Japan Times
The extent to which
railways are always under media scrutiny is shown again by a
story from late March when no less than 19 passengers failed to
get on an early Tokyo-bound Yamagata Shinkansen at Sakuranbo
Higashine Station, between Yamagata and Shinjô. The only access
from the east side of the station is through the city owned
Sakuranbo Higashine Building and a dozy security guard had failed
in his usual task of opening the door at 0400. JR East ferried
passengers by taxi to Yamagata Station to catch the next bullet
train. Outdoing that was news of a similar incident at on 17th
May when 4 passengers briefly prevented from entering the station
at Tagajo on the Senseki Line delayed a train's departing at 0526
by just six minutes.
Items in previous
'News Updates' have focussed on JR East's contactless 'Suica' IC
card. The company is now touting its use as a company identity
card. So far, it is just in use at its own head office in Tokyo,
where it was installed at a cost of 120 million yen. Costs of
installing a system for a 30 story building are estimated at 100
million yen. Obviously, JR East benefits in two ways, both by
selling the system and by further widening the use of the 'Suica'
card.
In operation from
31st July were platform doors on Tokyo Metro's Marunouchi Line
branch between Nakano Sakaue and Honan-cho to facilitate one-man
operation. They are of the same design as on Chiyoda Line branch
stations at Ayase and Kita Ayase
News Update Archive