50 years on: a comparison (part 2)...Rural railways

Many rural railways in Japan are on the verge of permanent closure as this blog explained last year. Many people insist that it is because of population decline, and blame that the government has been reluctant to save them. However, it must also be noted that the areas with such unprofitable railways are served by well-maintained roads (often motorways), showing that the government has been doing something.

Many of those rural railways were built before the Second World War. As technology advanced and the public lost trust in Japanese National Railways due to severe industrial action in the 1970s, the government decided to shift to road transportation rather than upgrading all existing railways. Hence, roads in rural areas tend to connect towns and cities shorter than railways, and thus local residents hardly use trains in these days.

Then, have railway operators just watched their ridership declining and done nothing? The timetables of 1973 and 2023 indicate that in some cases not only JR but also so-called "third sector" companies, which succeeded unprofitable railways from JNR or JR, have been making efforts to deal with income loss.

Note that all timetables are weekday version and excluding any seasonal trains (i.e regular services only).

Yamagata Railway

KiHa 58 series, a train once used on Nagai Line

Flower Nagai Line is a 20-mile-long third-sector railway in Yamagata Prefecture, which was a part of JR East Nagai Line until 1988. Have services become more or less frequent in the last 50 years?

Akayu station

2023 timetable	1973 timetable
7:06	5:28
7:44	7:09
8:59	8:30
10:47
12:25	11:55
13:05
14:35
15:57	15:25
17:05	16:47
18:36	18:28
19:52	19:38
20:50

The number of services rose by 50%, though there is no service in the early morning today. But this simple comparison does not tell everything. Akayu station is also served by Ou Main Line services to and from Tokyo. The table below shows when Nagai Line trains arrive at Akayu and when connecting services towards Tokyo depart. All services from Akayu to Tokyo are bullet train Tsubasa in 2023, while those in 1973 were either Limited Express Yamabato or Express Zao for Ueno.

2023 timetable	1973 timetable
6:38→6:49
	6:47→8:09
7:18→8:25	7:56→8:09
8:30→9:26
9:12→9:26	9:22→10:13
11:29→13:27
12:39→13:27	12:13→14:07
14:16→14:27
15:22→15:27	15:09→15:21
16:46→17:28	17:33→17:36
18:15→18:27
19:26→19:56	19:15→N/A
20:38→21:07	20:34→N/A

The table shows that train connection is not always perfect in both 2023 and 1973. I have looked for the opposite direction (Tokyo to Akayu then Nagai Line) as well as transfers to and from Yamagata, but they were not so different. Still, the current Nagai Line is a little more convenient than JNR Nagai Line in 1973, as there are simply more services than the past.

Isumi Railway

Isumi Railway trains

There are several unprofitable railways in the Greater Tokyo Area too. Isumi Railway, formerly called JR East Kihara Line until 1988, is one of them. Isumi Railway had been known for heritage trains until earlier this year.

The table below shows trains arriving at Ohara station and connecting Sotobo Line services towards Chiba and Tokyo. In the table, "r" means Express Nagisa for Ryogoku, "s" means Express Nagisa for Shinjuku, "t" means Limited Express Wakashio for Tokyo, and "*" means Rapid for Tokyo. Other connecting trains are stopping services for Kazusa-Ichinomiya or Chiba.

Ohara station

2023 timetable	1973 timetable
	5:44→5:47
6:19→6:23	6:31→6:33
7:32→ 7:41t	7:16→7:22
	7:39→ 7:55t
8:19→ 8:21t	8:47→9:44
	9:43→9:44
10:11→ 10:49t	10:31→11:07r
11:29→12:13	11:48→ 12:14s
12:52→13:18
13:37→14:20
14:58→15:20	14:07→ 14:48t
16:21→16:32	16:13→16:18*
17:12→ 17:19t	17:24→17:28
18:30→18:34	18:30→18:32
19:20→19:34	19:26→19:34
20:57→21:28	20:45→20:48

It seems that both the rural railway and connecting Sotobo Line trains have become less useful in 50 years. The number of Isumi/Kihara Line services decreased and the connection became inconvenient. It might not be easy for students who live by Isumi Railway and go to school using JR Sotobo Line in these days.

Nagaragawa Railway

KiHa 40 series, a train once used on Etsumi South Line

Nagaragawa Railway in Gifu Prefecture has been encouraging tourists to visit the area by rail in these days. In that case, it might be useful to consider about how it is convenient for tourists from Gifu and Nagoya. The table below shows, unlike the other two railways above, when JR Takayama Main Line trains arrive and connecting trains for the scarcely populated area depart.

The table is complicated. With regard to Takayama Main Line services, G means stopping service from Gifu, and N means Limited Express Hida or Express Norikura from Nagoya. With regard to Etsumi South Line services, "g" means trains for Gujo-hachiman, "h" means Hokuno, "m" means Minoshi, "y" means Yunohoraonsenguchi, "*" means Minoshirotori.

Mino-Ota station

2023 timetable	1973 timetable
6:11G→6:26h	N/A→5:45h
N/A→6:54m	6:18G→6:48g
7:04G→7:20y
7:28G→7:47m
7:56G→8:12*	8:10G→8:18g
8:26N→9:04m	Okumino, 9:37h
9:22N→9:56h
11:28N→11:35h
12:26N→12:54*	12:27G→13:25h
14:17G→14:27g
15:29N→15:34h	15:02N→15:16h
15:53G→16:18y	16:28G→16:48h
16:19G→16:46h
17:27G→17:33h	1737G→17:44*
17:57G→18:02y
N/A→18:25h	Direct service, 18:33h
19:00N→19:05y
19:30G→19:36*	19:55G→20:20*
20:19G→20:34m
21:02N→21:11*
21:53G→21:59m
22:20G→22:28m

Note that there were two direct services from Nagoya or Gifu in 1973: Express Okumino from Nagoya to Hokuno (departing Mino-Ota at 9:37) and a stopping service from Gifu to Hokuno (departing Mino-Ota at 18:33).

It seems that Nagaragawa Railway has achieved a significant improvement even amid the decline in ridership. However, it must be borne in mind that Nagaragawa Railway has been regarded as an alternative to Meitetsu Minomachi Line, a tram line that was permanently closed in 2005. Thus, the overall ridership must have dropped as population declined and local residents have shifted to their own cars. Even so, it is laudable that the company has been focusing on good connection with JR Takayama Main Line.

Kyoto Tango Railway

287 series, which is also used for Limited Express Hashidate

Kyoto Tango Railway, formerly known as Kitakinki Tango Railway, has two lines in northern Kyoto Prefecture. This article focuses only on Miyazu Line since Miyafuku Line was under construction in 1973. Miyazu Line has been served by not only regional stopping services but also intercity trains to and from Kyoto, but it is not easy to compare between 2023 and 1973. The table below shows stopping services from Nishi-Maizuru towards Amanohashidate and Toyooka.

In this table, "a" means trains for Amino, "m" means Mineyama, "tg" means Tango-Yamada, "ty" means Toyooka and "*" means Miyazu.

Nishi-Maizuru station

2023 timetable	1973 timetable
	4:32ty
6:17ty	6:39ty
7:01ty	7:45tg
7:45a
8:42a	8:31ty
9:44t
10:37a	10:10ty
11:37ty
12:37ty	12:30ty
13:37m
14:37ty	14:50ty
15:37ty
16:37ty	16:08ty
17:37ty	17:46ty
18:37ty	18:40tg
19:37ty	19:49*
20:35ty
21:59a	21:29tg
22:33*

It is clear that Kyoto Tango Railway has been making great efforts to provide hourly services except in the early morning and late at night in spite of population decline and a new motorway (Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway) in the area.

How about intercity services? As Miyafuku Line was opened in 1988, services to and from Kyoto run different routes today compared to those in 1973. Even so, the number of services and journey time are worth looking into. The tables below show Amanohashidate station, which is close to a famous and popular tourist spot with the same name.

Amanohashidate station (2023)

	Departing at	Arriving at
Hashidate 2	9:50	12:07 (Kyoto)
Hashidate 4	13:47	16:06 (Kyoto)
Hashidate 6	15:51	18:07 (Kyoto)
Hashidate 8	18:08	20:21 (Kyoto)

Amanohashidate station (1973)

	Departing at	Arriving at
Tango 2	7:04	9:49 (Kyoto)
Tamba 3	9:08	13:04 (Osaka)
Tango 4	10:18	13:00 (Kyoto)
Tango 5	14:44	17:37 (Kyoto)
Tamba 4	16:05	19:51 (Osaka)
Asashio 4	17:40	19:59 (Kyoto)

There are four limited express services today, but there were six services in 1973. However, it might not be fair to assert that the intercity services became inconvenient in the last 50 years. Express Tamba and Tango (very confusing names) ran different routes so that their duration was very different: Tamba ran via Fukuchiyama, Sasayamaguchi, Sanda and Takarazuka (Fukuchiyama Line), while Tango (and Limited Express Asashio) ran via Ayabe and Sonobe (San'in Main Line). The current Limited Express Hashidate services call at Fukuchiyama, but overall they run routes similar to Tango.

Today, trains from Amanohashidate to Kyoto take roughly 30 minutes shorter than those in 1973. Since trains between Kyoto and Osaka take only 30 minutes, Tamba route is apparently no longer useful. Hence, services in 2023 became slightly more convenient than 50 years ago.

Imbi Line

KiHa 120 series, a train currently used for Imbi Line

Finally, this article looks into Imbi Line between Chizu and Higashi-Tsuyama, one of the most unprofitable sections in western Japan. This area has been a scarcely populated region for centuries, but it was a part of main route connecting Okayama and Tottori until when Chizu Express opened in 1994. As all intercity services have shifted to the new railway, Imbi Line has been on the verge of permanent closure for more than 20 years.

The table below shows southbound services at Chizu station. "o" means trains for Okayama, "t" means Tsuyama. Bold ones are Express Sakyu.

Chizu station

2023 timetable	1973 timetable
	5:52o
6:15t
8:17t	8:16o
	8:52o
	11:36o
12:54t	12:09o
	13:41o
	15:37o
16:29t	16:39o
17:57t	17:34o
19:24t	19:20o
20:57t	20:45t

Even without intercity services (Express Sakyu), it is patently obvious that the the railway in this region has become useless. Even though the number of regional services look almost the same, trains in the daytime have been cut dramatically. This is not only because of the population decline but also the extension of National Route 53. The road is well-maintained and cars can run faster than trains so that Imbi Line has become the dishonourable symbol of decline.

Since this article is not an academic essay, and focused only on five lines out of many rural railways in Japan, it is hard to come to conclusion. However, it is clear that not a few train operators have made their services more convenient than 50 years ago, and nobody should simply accuse those companies of taking no measures to maintain trains.

There are two possible implications: those with infrequent and few services could be improved by providing more trains, or it is already too late to save them. As many cities, towns and villages have to decide whether or not to maintain railways with huge amount of subsidies, they should carefully think if the railways can still be saved.

Fare Rises and Fare Reductions

On Wednesday 10 May, Keikyu published a detailed document about fare rises that take effect on 1 October. The company announced last month that fares would be raised by 10.8% on average, though long-distance tickets (over 41 km) would be cheaper than today and season ticket prices for students remained unchanged. Keikyu raises fares for the first time in 28 years (except tax hikes), but the company strives to strike a fair balance between tackling inflation and providing reasonable deals for children.

In addition, the company decided to dramatically cut the child rate fares to 75 yen regardless of distance. This price is the minimum child fare, and it will be applied to the entire Keikyu lines except tickets to and from Haneda Airport, which cost 25 more yen (i.e. 100 yen in total). Note that a registered Suica or PASMO card is required.

Single Fares for Children

	Current Price	New Price
Shinagawa - Yokohama	¥151	¥75
Yokohama - Yokosuka-chuo	¥183	¥75
Yokohama - Jimmuji	¥157	¥75
Sengakuji - Misakiguchi	¥471	¥75

A similar scheme has already been adopted by Odakyu since March 2022, whose child rate fares have been fixed to 50 yen. According to NHK, the company estimated that the fare reduction would lead to income loss of 200 million yen a year, equivalent to 1.65% of Odakyu Group's total profit in the financial year 2022. The company reported that 50% more children used trains than before the reduction, though it must be borne in mind that COVID-19 discouraged children from going out in the previous year.

An employee of Odakyu's planning and development department told NHK that the company envisaged that the fare reduction would encourage families to use trains more even amid the gradual population decline. Parents with small children tend to use a car at weekend, but the new fare scheme seems to have been successful. Not only the company but local governments and business owners have implemented measures to increase the number of visitors.

It is clear that both Keikyu and Odakyu hope that young families settle in the area where the railways serve, so that not only parents but also children will be their long-term customers even after they grow up. Major private railways in Japan do not just have trains but also bus networks, estate agents, department stores and supermarkets. In short, they deal in everything that is necessary for daily life, constituting the whole community. The fare reduction may contribute to those businesses for years or even decades to come.

There are more indirect positive effects. As parents use trains instead of cars, traffic jams and air pollutions will be slightly improved and it will cut carbon emissions. Children of low-income households may be able to go out more frequently than they do today. The railway companies might not have intended to contribute to local and global issues in such ways, but nevertheless the new fare schemes have a potential for new developments even with the ageing society.

As two of eight major private railways in the Greater Tokyo Area reduced the fares for children, other train operators are likely to adopt similar policies within years to compete with Keikyu and Odakyu.

How about railway companies outside Tokyo? Semboku Rapid Railway, a small railway in southern Osaka Prefecture, will fix child fares to 50 yen in October. Since Semboku's reduced fares will not be applied to through-services towards Namba via Nankai lines, children cannot go to the heart of Osaka by 50 yen, but its impact should not be underestimated.

Turtle station

There are several railway stations in Japan with a weird building. One of them is Kamenoko station in Misaki Town, Okayama Prefecture. 亀甲 simply means turtle shell in Japanese, and there is a rock near the station which looks like a turtle shell. This station opened in 1898 on Chugoku Railway Main Line, and it was nationalised in 1944 in accordance with Land Transport Control Ordinance. JR West succeeded the line in 1987 following the privatisation of Japanese National Railways.

The building before repainting (2 Apr 2010)

In 1995, the current station building was built. As its name suggests, it looks exactly like a turtle, and there are clocks on the eyes. The clocks are lit up at night, which surely makes an infant crying. The then-mayor loved turtles, and it seems that the town assembly envisaged that this ambitious building would attract some tourists and promote the town itself, but it is not certain whether it was worth doing so.

The building after repainting (27 Mar 2023)

The turtle's head was painted simply at first, but it was repainted yellow with colourful circles in 2012. A town hall staff indicates that children would like the new head, but I must say that it looks like a face of a sick man. There is a rainbow-pattern on the chin, though it must have no connection with the pride flag.

Kamenoko station is approximately 80 minutes from Okayama by a stopping service, or 60 minutes by a fast service (Rapid Kotobuki). There are 1-2 trains per hour on each direction. The turtle rock itself is about 250 yds from the station.