Introduction - 50 years on: a Comparison (part 0)

Introduction - 50 years on: a Comparison (part 0)

From April, a new series of articles about how railways in Japan have changed in the last 50 years starts, using this 1973 timetables. This old book contains all railways and some ferry services provided by Japanese National Railways.

The period from the mid-1960s to the mid-70s is often said to be the golden era of JNR as there had been various long-distance services (including night trains) as well as more rural railways than we have today. However, JNR had not been pursuing convenient services at that time as it focused too much on long-distance and freight trains. Commuter rails in Tokyo were mostly improved by the early-1970s as "Operation Five Directions" (constructing quadruple-tracks) succeeded, but commuter and suburban trains in Nagoya and Osaka areas had effectively been abandoned. Other cities like Sendai, Niigata, Hiroshima and Fukuoka areas had far fewer trains than today as well. Even not a few rural railways were less useful than today. It might be interesting to compare them with current JR services.

The only thing I had which related to UK joining the EC (or maybe not)

What kind events were there in 1973? The United Kingdom joined the European Community together with Denmark and Ireland. Roe v Wade, one of the most well-known judgment was delivered in the United States. The Vietnam War ended as an agreement was concluded by the parties. In Japan, the largest number of newborn babies were recorded, Kim Dae-jung (later-president of South Korea) was kidnapped by Korean officials in Tokyo, and there were two riots by commuters frustrated by industrial action.

There were also several news about Japanese railways: Negishi Line fully opened (extended from Yokodai to Ofuna), Musashino Line opened between Fuchuhommachi and Shim-Matsudo. San-yo Shinkansen was partly available between Shin-Osaka and Okayama as it opened in 1972. Steam trains were still in service, though it could not be found in the timetables.

In terms of rolling stock, not a few trains that are very well-known in Japan had already been in use, such as 103 series, 113 series, 115 series, 485 series, KiHa 20 series and KiHa 58 series.

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I have conducted polls on Twitter and Mastodon, and the results were as follows.

Commuter trains in Tokyo	6
Those in Nagoya and Osaka areas	1
Intercity services	8
Rural railways	9

The polls showed that many people are particularly interested in rural railways (some of which are now called "Third-Sector" railways) and intercity services so that I will prepare for them accordingly, although other two topics will never be ignored. "50 years on: a Comparison" series starts on 8th April, and the first article will be something general (fares, service categories etc). Subsequent articles should be available every two weeks. Follow Mastodon or Twitter for the latest updates!