Photo/Illutration Haneda Airport’s departure lobby is crowded with people who changed their flights to earlier ones amid flight cancellations as Typhoon No. 19 nears on Oct. 11. (Reina Kitamura)

Railway operators announced Oct. 11 their plans to suspend train services mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area ahead of Typhoon No. 19's expected landfall on Japan's main island the following day.

REGULAR TRAINS

As eastern Japan braces for the violent winds and heavy rainfall brought by the super typhoon, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) plans to gradually suspend regular trains in areas around Tokyo after 9 a.m. on Oct. 12.

JR East will stop trains on the Tokaido, Yokosuka, Keiyo and other lines in sequence from 10 a.m. on Oct. 12., while its Keihin-Tohoku, Chuo, Sobu, Utsunomiya, Takasaki, Joban and other lines will be canceled around noon the same day.

The Yamanote Line loop will stop running around 1 p.m.

The cancellations affect all regular trains, which are expected to resume as early as noon on Oct. 13.

SHINKANSEN LINES

The Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines plan to start reducing the number of trains from 11 a.m. on Oct. 12 and gradually stop all operations around noon.

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) decided to cancel all operations of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Nagoya from the first train the same day.

Odakyu Electric Railway Co. will reduce trains from noon and stop all operations after 3 p.m., while Keio Corp. will stop all operations by around 2 p.m.

Other private railways and subways are expected to suspend services for certain train routes in the capital.

FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS

The approaching typhoon has already prompted Japanese airlines to cancel a large number of flights on Oct. 12.

All Nippon Airways Co. will suspend a total of 490 flights, including all domestic ones departing from and landing at Haneda and Narita airports. It will cancel 112 international flights. Japan Airlines Co. will also cancel 513 domestic and 75 international flights.

Only early-morning flights from Haneda are expected to avoid being canceled.