JR companies published details about the upcoming timetable revisions that take place on Saturday 14th March 2026. There will be even fewer changes than the previous year in terms of service patterns and rolling stock, but there are many changes on fare schemes.
A dramatic changes in fare schemes
As reported earlier this year, the sale of return (round-trip) tickets will end. This means that the 10% discount for those travelling more than 601 km will be over. The good news is that JRs announced in October that after March 2026, just one special application form is required to buy up to two single tickets with student or Zipangu Club discount.
Details about the significant fare rise in the Greater Tokyo Area is described later.
JR Hokkaido
Seat reservation will be mandatory on all limited express services. Not just JR Hokkaido but other companies have adopted this approach, as they insist that non-reserved seats are not beneficial for passengers who have to fear standing on a train. However, it is clear that this approach is effectively a fare rise, and thus not a few passengers have shifted to road transport. For example, Nikkei reported last year that the ridership of Limited Express Suzuran (Sapporo - Muroran) plummeted after abolishing non-reserved seats. Without attractive discounts and a user-friendly online reservation system, the railway business in Hokkaido may not be sustainable.
While not referred to in the official document, Hokkaido Shimbun reported that KiHa 40 series will be withdrawn from all regular service, though some of them will remain for rail tours until their maintenance certificates expire.
In addition, there will be more services on Rumoi Main Line as many tourists are likely to visit the area before its permanent closure on 31st March 2026.
JR East
The most shocking change is the dramatic fare rise in the Greater Tokyo Area. JR East abolishes two fare schemes, namely "電車特定区間 (lit. specific train zone)" and "東京山手線内(lit. Yamanote Line zone)", resulting a fare increase of up to 16.4% for a single ticket. The changes do not look great when it comes to ordinary tickets, but the prices of season tickets will be very high after March 2026. Check the article published in April for details.
Ticket machines and offices at stations in the area are likely to get extremely busy in March as season tickets can be purchased up to two weeks in advance, in accordance with the current (i.e. cheaper) fares if purchased before 13th March.
In addition, passengers will have to specify the route between Tokyo and Atami as JR East withdraws from an agreement that dates back to pre-privatisation of Japanese National Railways. Tokaido Main Line and Tokaido Shinkansen have long been treated as the same line, and thus standard fare tickets could be used interchangeably, but it will no longer be the case after 14th March 2026.
As the introduction of E8 series to Yamagata Shinkansen is now complete, all Tsubasa services will run at up to 300 km/h (187 mph), making journey times between Omiya and Fukushima 3-4 minutes shorter.
Driver-only operation in the Greater Tokyo Area expands. Yokohama and Negishi Line trains will be operated without guards, and thus services there are likely to be less punctual than today, as it has been observed on Nambu Line.
The good news is that the number of Senseki Line trains between Aobadori and Tagajo will increase, from 3-5 per hour at the daytime to 4-6.
JR Central
There will be even more Nozomi services between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, with up to 13 trains per hour. The 13th train runs mostly on holidays. This is unexpetinally high service frequency for high-speed rail.
While JR Central is yet to announce the exact date, 213 series on Iida Line will retire by March 2026, replaced with 313 series from other area.
JR West
The number of trains with "Ureseat" (reserved seating) will dramatically increase in Kansai region and Hiroshima area. Another good news is that Miyakoji Rapid on Nara Line will call at Inari, the closest station on Nara Line.
JR Shikoku
There will be no timetable revision. However, the company will introduce brand new 3600 series hybrid-diesel trains to Tokushima, replacing KiHa 40 series later next year. The 45-year-old trains are likely to retire by 2028.
JR Kyushu
While many railway companies across the country have reduced services in the early morning and late at night to secure time for maintenance work, JR Kyushu decided to do the opposite: the first service (Kumamoto towards Hakata) will be eight minutes earlier and the last service (from Hakata to Kumamoto) will be 14 minutes later than the current timetable.
Limited Express Kasasagi (mostly Hakata - Hizen-Kashima) will be reduced from seven to five return journeys due to low ridership. According to Nikkei, JR Kyushu, the transport ministry (MLIT) and local governments of Nagasaki and Saga Prefectures concluded an agreement in 2016 that the number of services would be kept unchanged for the first three years after West Kyushu Shinkansen opened, and would be gradually reduced thereafter. West Kyushu Shinkansen opened in 2022, so the promise has been kept. However, the government of Saga Prefecture opposes the decision, causing another political conflict in the region.
Conclusion
Overall, there will be little changes in rolling stock allocation and service patterns across the country. The real changes are the fare schemes, especially those in the Greater Tokyo Area. The timetable revision this time might not sound interesting to railway enthusiasts, but it is likely to have a considerable impact on all users, and thus anyone using JR regularly should be careful.
Official announcements
- JR Hokkaido
- JR East
- JR Central
- JR West
- JR Shikoku (N/A)
- JR Kyushu
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