Photo/Illutration

Japan Railway companies nationwide released their updated train schedules that will start on March 16, with new railway sections and new trains debuting.

The timetables unveiled on Dec. 15 state the bullet trains Kagayaki and Hakutaka will make a total of 14 daily round trips between Tokyo and Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture along the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line, marking the opening of a new section linking Tsuruga with Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Traveling from Tokyo to Tsuruga will take three hours and eight minutes, or 50 minutes faster than the current itinerary, which requires passengers to switch to an ordinary express train.

The first outbound train is to set off from Tokyo at 6:16 a.m. The last inbound run from Tsuruga for Tokyo will be made at 8:11 p.m.

The new E8 Tsubasa series train will also make its debut on the Yamagata Shinkansen Line.

This means the maximum speed of the Tsubasa trains running along the route will rise from 275 kph to 300 kph, helping riders reach Yamagata from Tokyo in 2 hours and 22 minutes--four minutes faster than at present.

The Joetsu Shinkansen Line will send out the last outbound trains for Niigata and Takasaki 20 minutes earlier every day in the hopes of securing more time at night for construction work.

The Tokaido Shinkansen Line will have an extra Nozomi train bound for Tokyo at 9:30 p.m., or six minutes after the last normal daily run, from Shin-Osaka during the busy times. One more outbound Hikari train will stop at Shizuoka, Hamamatsu and Toyohashi stations past 7 p.m., too.

SOUTHERN, WESTERN JAPAN

Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu) announced the Mizuho No. 603 train that will leave Shin-Osaka for Kagoshima-Chuo Station at 7:23 a.m. will newly make a stop at Kurume in Fukuoka Prefecture along the Kyushu Shinkansen Line.

The decision came while considering the level of travel demand around Kurume. The company aims to increase the total number of Mizuho’s inbound and outbound runs to Kurume from the current six to seven.

An additional four local and rapid-transit trains will be introduced during rush hours for commuters on the Kagoshima Line and the Fukuhoku Yutaka Line around Fukuoka.

The change was added now that ridership is recovering after COVID-19 was downgraded to Category 5--the same level as seasonal influenza--under the infectious disease prevention law.

The transport capacity is projected to be up 9 percent during the morning hours and 5 percent in the evening hours.

On the other hand, two runs for the express train Hyuga in Miyazaki Prefecture on the Nippo Line and elsewhere will be eliminated.

Of the two trips to Miyazaki Station now available at Nobeoka Station between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., the one leaving before 7 a.m. is scheduled to be ended. A trip from Minami-Miyazaki to Nobeoka late at night will also be cut, bringing an end to the last daily run at 11:19 p.m.

West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) will push back the departure time of the final daily train from Hakata for Tokyo from 6:59 p.m. by one minute on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines.

It will be the first time for the last daily run to be made from 7 p.m. or later since the opening of the route. The final train departed from Hakata at 6:25 p.m. in 2003, and the timing has been pushed back in phases.

More trains from the newest N700S Shinkansen series will stop at Hakata and Kokura to raise the total arrival number by two a day to 24, as its improved recharging capabilities and specialized spaces for wheelchairs can help further attract customers.

(This article was compiled from reports by Ayateru Hosozawa and Ryo Ikeda.)

 

PHOTO CAPTIONS

(1) An E7 series train running on the Hokuriku and Joetsu Shinkansen lines (Provided by East Japan Railway Co.)

(2) The latest E8 series train is set to debut along the Yamagata Shinkansen Line. (Provided by East Japan Railway Co.)

(3) An N700 series train that West Japan Railway Co. uses for the Sanyo Shinkansen Line (Provided by West Japan Railway Co.)

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