50 years on: a comparison (part 7)...Nagoya, Kansai and Fukuoka

As shown in the previous article, Japanese National Railways had provided long-distance trains calling at every station, but the number of stopping services per se was far fewer than today. Even in Tokyo, suburban trains like Tokaido and Tohoku Main Lines ran once or twice every hour in the afternoon. In other major cities, things had been worse than that.

Nagoya area

Nagoya has been the largest station in the area since the late-19th century, and Tokaido Main, Chuo Main and Kansai Main Lines have been serving the station. The first table shows westbound suburban trains on Tokaido Main Line departing Nagoya station between 9-11 am. All trains in 1973 and fast services in 2023 are for Ogaki, while Local trains in 2023 terminate at Gifu.

1973	2023
	9:07 Special Rapid
	9:09 Local
	9:18 Special Rapid
	9:23 Local
9:30 Local	9:29 New Rapid
	9:36 Rapid
	9:41 Local
	9:45 Special Rapid
	9:50 Local
9:57 Rapid	10:00 New Rapid
	10:05 Local
	10:15 New Rapid
	10:20 Local
	10:35 Rapid
10:35 Local	10:35 Local
	10:45 New Rapid
	10:50 Local

Here is another table showing eastbound Tokaido Main Line trains leaving Nagoya during evening rush hours, specifically between 5-7 pm. L means Local, N means New Rapid, R means Rapid and SR means Special Rapid.

1973	2023
	17:01 NR: Toyohashi
17:08 L: Hamamatsu	17:03 L: Toyohashi
	17:16 SR: Toyohashi
	17:18 L: Okazaki
	17:31 SR: Toyohashi
	17:33 L: Toyohashi
17:40 R: Shizuoka	17:46 SR: Toyohashi
17:48 L: Hamamatsu	17:48 L: Okazaki
	18:00 NR: Toyohashi
	18:02 L: Toyohashi
	18:10 NR: Toyohashi
18:15 L: Toyohashi	18:17 L: Okazaki
	18:20 SR: Toyohashi
	18:30 NR: Toyohashi
	18:33 L: Hamamatsu
18:40 R: Hamamatsu	18:40 SR: Toyohashi
	18:47 L: Okazaki
	18:50 SR: Toyohashi

It was clear that JNR was not interested in commuters and students going to or back from their workplace or school. That is why, most people used Meitetsu that provided far more convenient services at that time. Tokaido Main Line eastbound services were even more useless at daytime with only a Local train per hour.

Chuo Main Line services were slightly better, with two trains departed Nagoya station at the daytime with four trains between 6-7 pm. Today, there are eight trains per hour at the daytime and more during rush hours.

Kansai Main Line was frankly awful, with only 13 trains a day in 1973. It is worth noting that two of them ran from Nagoya to Minatomachi (now JR Namba) and one from Nagoya to Tennoji via Kisei Main Line. Even so, it did not mean that the line was useful. Hence, most local residents must have relied on Kintetsu. Today, there are four trains per hour on Kansai Main Line at off-peak times.

Osaka area

JNR services in Osaka had been infamous for being inconvenient, but to be fair, JNR was not necessarily reluctant to compete with private railways. Special Rapid was introduced in 1970 with just six services per day, but there were four services per hour in 1973. There were also four rapid trains between Kusatsu and Nishi-Akashi (including Kyoto, Osaka and Sannomiya stations). Local trains ran every 15-30 minutes, half the number of what we see today.

However, other suburban trains were totally different at that time. The notable example is San-in Main Line, which is now also called Sagano Line. There are four trains per hour between Kyoto and Kameoka at off-peak times and up to seven during rush hours, but there were only 21 trains a day in 1973.

5:20	Hamada
6:43	Tsuruga (via Ayabe)
7:50	Ayabe
8:27	Sonobe
9:06	Izumoshi
10:27	Sonobe
11:12	Fukuchiyama
12:30	Fukuchiyama
15:11	Goma
15:53	Fukuchiyama
16:57	Sonobe
17:19	Fukuchiyama
17:39	Sonobe
18:14	Fukuchiyama
18:53	Sonobe
19:27	Ayabe
20:28	Ayabe
21:04	Sonobe
21:42	Fukuchiyama
22:04	Izumoshi*
22:55	Sonobe

The ridership of San-in Main Line was far smaller in 1973 than today as there were not so many houses. The line might not have been an option for tourists visiting Saga and Arashiyama area. Most trains were loco-hauled so that they were slower than trains of today. Interestingly, four out of 21 trains were long-distance (running more than three hours), and the 22:04 service had a sleeper coach. This train arrived Izumoshi at 9:31 on the following day.

The line was electrified in 1990 with a dramatic track improvement project finally completed in 2010. The modernisation programme made it far easier for local residents to go to Kyoto so that houses and blocks of flats were built near stations.

Fukuoka area

At Hakata in 1973, southbound suburban trains on Kagoshima Main Line included services to Amagase, Hita (both via Kyudai Main Line) and Yatsushiro, but ran every 60-90 minutes at the daytime and up to just three trains per hour at peak times (excluding Minami-Fukuoka services). Today, there are 5-6 trains per hour.

Northbound trains towards Kokura and Mojiko ran twice or three times per hour at daytime, while there are five today. Interestingly, there were Special Rapid services between Hakata and Kokura, calling only at Kurosaki and Tobata. The Special Rapid left Hakata 10 past every hour (9:10 – 19:10) and the fastest one took just 54 minutes from Hakata to Kokura. Today, the fastest train takes more than an hour so that busy businesspeople have to choose San-yo Shinkansen.

How about Sasaguri Line? Today, it is also known today as Fukuhoku-yutaka Line and there are 3-6 trains per hour, all of which start from or terminate at Hakata. However, it was hourly service in 1973 including rush hours, and only seven out of 19 trains a day ran between Yoshizuka and Hakata.

One of the most interesting railway in Fukuoka was Katsuta Line, a 13.8 km (8.6 miles) long rural railway between Yoshizuka and Chikuzen-Katsuta, with five stations in between.
(Yoshizuka, Mitarai, Kami-Kameyama, Shime, Shimoumi, Umi, Chikuzen-Katsuta)

It was opened in 1918 for freight trains transporting coal, but all coalfields in the area have been closed by 1964. In spite of proximity to the city centre of Fukuoka as well as construction of housing estates, JNR had never interested in passenger trains on Katsuta Line. In 1973, Yoshizuka station timetable was as follows.

5:54	for Chikuzen-Katsuta
7:17	for Shime*
8:12	for Chikuzen-Katsuta
12:59	for Chikuzen-Katsuta
14:15	for Chikuzen-Katsuta**
16:29	for Chikuzen-Katsuta
18:57	for Chikuzen-Katsuta
20:29	for Chikuzen-Katsuta

*Weekdays & Saturdays only. **Weekends & holidays only.

Local residents have been dependant on buses so that they accepted a permanent closure of the Line, which eventually took place in 1985. Had JNR provided more services or had it been succeeded by JR Kyushu, Katsuta Line would have dramatically been transformed to a major commuter rail in the city.

50 years on: a comparison (part 6)...Tokyo the capital

Introduction

Commuter and suburban trains in the Greater Tokyo Area in 1973 might look quite different for some people, while those who remember the railway before Shonan-Shinjuku Line opened would not think so. Most railways in the capital have already been what we know today.

As the population in the area skyrocketed in the 1960s and 70s, trains were extremely overcrowded, with up to more than three times more passengers than maximum capacity were on a train every single day. JNR had to do something to improve "commuting hell" so that it implemented Five Directions Operation (also known as Tokyo five-direction strategy) in 1965. The seven-year project included constructions converting double-track to quadruple-track railways, making each train longer with more coaches and introducing more new trains. Not all constructions completed by 1973, but a dramatic progress had already been observed.

This article looks into five directions and inner-Tokyo, and compare them a little with the current timetables.

Chuo Main Line

Chuo Main Line was the first JNR railway to be dramatically modernised as the number of passengers had exponentially increased since the late-1950s. In 1973, commuter trains (mostly 103 series) have already been painted either orange (Rapid) or yellow (Local). Service frequency has been unchanged on both lines (though Special Rapid trains ran only at daytime in 1973).

The orange trains mostly ran between Tokyo and Takao, while the yellow trains were running between Mitaka and Chiba, both exactly as we see today. There have been through-services between Mitaka and Nishi-funabashi on Tozai Line (TRTA at that time, now Tokyo Metro) since 1969. Duration of trains were almost the same as we see today too.

Then, were not there any major difference between timetables in 1973 and 2023? There was one that may be worth noting: regional "stopping services" to and from Shinjuku in 1973. They were either loco-hauled or 115 series. There were nine services a day as shown below including one night train (though standard-class seats only).

Shinjuku (6:20)	→	Nagano (16:04)
Shinjuku (7:08)	→	Kofu (9:56)
Shinjuku (12:08)	→	Matsumoto (19:19)
Shinjuku (13:40)	→	Kofu (16:16)
Shinjuku (14:35)	→	Matsumoto (21:00)
Shinjuku (16:30)	→	Kofu (19:08)
Shinjuku (17:10)	→	Matsumoto (22:48)
Shinjuku (21:00)	→	Kofu (23:18)
Shinjuku (23:55)	→	Nagano (10:11)

It is also worth noting that these "stopping services" did not call at Mitaka, Kokubunji, Hino, Toyoda and Nishi-Hachioji despite "Rapid" trains stopped at all of those stations. It might have been extremely confusing for those who were not well versed in the railway.

These long-distance "stopping services" were discontinued in 1993 as Special Rapid services were extended to Otsuki.

Tohoku Main and Takasaki Lines

They were quite different from what we see today as there was no Shonan-Shinjuku and Ueno-Tokyo Lines. In 1973, all regional services were to and from Ueno. Short and middle-distance trains were provided by 115 series while long-distance ones were loco-hauled.

Most trains went as far as Utsunomiya, Kuroiso or Nikko. In addition, there were many long-distance regional services. For example, a train departing Ueno at 5:08 terminated at Koriyama (11:17), and another one leaving Ueno at 16:14 terminated at Fukushima (22:39). The longest regional train, which left Ueno at 11:17, was for Ichinoseki in Iwate Prefecture (440 km or 274 miles north of Tokyo) arriving at 23:02. However, the number of trains per se was far fewer than today, with only one or two trains per hour at daytime.

Today, regional services run only as far as Utsunomiya, but with five trains per hour at daytime. JNR had been focusing to long-distance intercity services back in 1973, but JR East adopted a different approach by running more short-distance trains. Since long-distance journeys are mostly covered by bullet trains, regional trains towards Fukushima or Miyagi are no longer needed. The current timetables must be far more convenient for local residents than those in 1973.

Joban Line

Joban Line services have been complicated for more than 50 years, but it was even worse in 1973. There had been regional "stopping services" that actually passed some small stations, Rapid trains, and Local trains calling at all stations. Regional "stopping services" were mostly 415 series while Rapid and Local trains were 103 series. In addition, some Local trains were provided by 5000 series and 6000 series from Chiyoda Line.

Regional "stopping services" included trains from Ueno to Takahagi, Taira (now Iwaki) and even Sendai. They were mostly 415 series, but two trains per day running towards Sendai were loco-hauled. Moreover, the last train of day from Ueno (23:24) to Mito (1:28) was KiHa 58 series diesel train despite the line was fully electrified. There was only one train per hour at daytime and just two trains even during rush hours. Today, three E531 series trains per hour run towards Tsuchiura or Mito at daytime.

Rapid trains between Ueno and Toride are mostly unchanged: there have been trains every 20 minutes at daytime and more during rush hours. However, there were only two services a day from Ueno to Narita via Narita Line in 1973 (both of them were coaches hauled by a diesel locomotive), while the direct train runs hourly today.

Local trains have been mostly unchanged except the through-services to Chiyoda Line. In 1973, the underground between Yoyogi-koen and Yoyogi-uehara was still under construction, hence there was no direct service to and from Odakyu line.

Sobu Main Line

Local services were almost as the same as the current timetable, though mostly provided by 103 series in 1973.

When it comes to Rapid services, frequency and duration were not so different than what we see today. 113 series trains were mostly used. The most significant difference was that Sobu Line Rapid services started from or terminated at Tokyo station, and there was no direct train to and from Yokosuka Line.

It must also be worth noting that Keiyo Line did not exist in 1973.

Tokaido Main and Yokosuka Lines

Until 1980, Tokaido Main and Yokosuka Lines shared the same tracks. Nishi-Oi, Musashi-Kosugi, Shin-Kawasaki and Higashi-Totsuka stations did not exist in 1973.

There were many Tokaido Line stopping services during rush hours. For example, six trains left Tokyo station between 5 pm and 6 pm (while there are seven trains today, excluding Ueno-Tokyo Line trains terminating at Shinagawa). However, there were only 1-4 trains per hour in the early afternoon, making it inconvenient for local residents.

Most suburban trains were for Odawara, Atami or Numazu just like we see today, but there were even longer services like Shizuoka and Hamamatsu. The longest suburban train was for Ogaki in Gifu Prefecture, leaving Tokyo at 23:35 and arriving Ogaki at 7:10. This overnight regional train was later rearranged to Moonlight Nagara and well-known among backpackers until when it was discontinued in 2020.

Meanwhile, Yokosuka Line trains seem to have been treated as less important railway than Tokaido Main Line. The 1973 timetable shows that there were only 3-4 trains per hour for most of the time, and up to just six trains from 5 pm to 6 pm. And like other JNR trains, the services were infrequent. For example, when you missed a 15:56 service at Tokyo station, you had to wait for a 16:35 service. But there was another train six minutes later.

Today, trains depart Tokyo every 15 minutes during off-peak times and there are up to eight trains per hour at peak times. You sometimes have to wait for up to 19 minutes, but still better than back in 1973.

Inner-Tokyo

Yamanote Line has been mostly unchanged since 1973 except rolling stock (103 series) and Takanawa Gateway station. However, there were some major changes in the previous year: the line was renamed from "Yamate Line" to "Yamanote Line", and de facto branch line between Ikebukuro and Akabane was separated and renamed "Akabane Line".

Akabane Line was just 5.5 km (3.4 miles) long, and eight-car 103 series ran every 5-10 minutes. Despite being short, the timetable suggests that there were many passengers between Ikebukuro and Akabane. When Saikyo Line opened in 1985, Akabane Line was incorporated to it. Today, "Akabane Line" has almost been forgotten though it is still registered as the official name.

Personal Views

Comparisons and subsequent minimal analysis show that there are a few things that were clearly different 50 years ago. Even apart from several railways that did not exist in 1973 (namely Keiyo, Saikyo, Shonan-Shinjuku and Ueno-Tokyo Lines), JNR had not implemented convenient services with frequent trains when it came to suburban rails, though commuter rails have already been similar to what we see today. The Five Directions Operation was about to be completed, but service patterns were yet to be fully modernised.

At that time, JNR had still been concentrating on long-distance trains. Such a policy was applicable not only to Express and Limited Express trains but also to regional stopping services. Such inefficient services across the country lead to a sharp decline in demand but trade unions strongly refused reforms, which eventually lead to the privatisation. JNR finally introduced completely new timetables that included short but frequent trains in November 1986, just five months before JNR became JR.

Long-distance regional stopping services sound attractive for younger generation (including me), but commuters living in suburbs of Tokyo might have felt more stressful than today. Though JR has many problems in these days, things have surely been improved in the last five decades.

50 years on: a comparison (part 5)...Tokyo to Hokkaido

Hokkaido is the northernmost among four main islands in Japan. More than five million people live in the island, and its capital city Sapporo has a population of nearly two million people. Sapporo has dominated the local economy, and it has been popular among tourists. Hence, transport between Tokyo and Sapporo has been heavily used by millions of people.

Today, very few people use trains. According to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, over 6.2 million people travelled from Tokyo to Hokkaido by air while just 190 thousand people chose trains in 2019 (before the pandemic). However, most people travelled by trains in 1973 because flights were not as common and affordable as they are today. This article consists of three main sections: the train journeys in 1973, those in 2023, and sleeper trains that ran in 1988-2015.

Ueno to Sapporo in 1973

Before getting into the whole journeys between Tokyo and Sapporo, it is worth noting that there were ferry services between Aomori and Hakodate. In 1954, a ferry sank amid a powerful typhoon claiming at least 1,155 lives. That was why Seikan Tunnel was constructed (and opened in 1988).

In 1973, there were seven ferries registered in total, and each ferry was as large as 5,300 tonnes. There were 20 Class B (standard class) beds, 310 Green (first class) seats and 870 standard seats. The ferry timetable from Aomori to Hakodate was as follows.

Aomori	Hakodate
5:25	9:15
7:30	11:20
10:15	14:05
12:05	15:55
14:35	18:25
17:00	20:50
19:50	23:40
0:35	4:25

There were more services during holidays, but regular services were as such.

From Tokyo to Sapporo, Japanese National Railways provided six sets of services a day with the abovementioned ferry as listed below.

Ueno	Aomori		Hakodate		Sapporo
(dep)	(arr)	(dep)	(arr)	(dep)	(arr)
11:05	19:30	19:50	23:40	23:59	6:13
Hatsukari 2		ferry		Suzuran 6
16:00	0:15	0:35	4:25	4:45	8:55
Hatsukari 4		ferry		Ozora 1
20:00	5:08	5:25	9:15	9:35	13:45
Yuzuru 2		ferry		Ozora 2
22:30	7:10	7:30	11:20	11:40	15:48
Hakutsuru		ferry		Ozora 3
23:05	9:55	10:15	14:05	14:25	18:36
Yuzuru 5		ferry		Hokuto 1
23:21	11:39	12:05	15:55	16:15	20:38
Towada 4		ferry		Hokuto 2

There were many limited express and express services from Ueno to Aomori as shown in the past article. Towada was an express train that ran via Joban Line (the same route as Limited Express Yuzuru). Limited Express Hokuto, Ozora and Express Suzuran ran via Muroran Main and Chitose Lines.

As the timetable shows, the journeys between Tokyo and Sapporo were exhausting. The fastest one took nearly 17 hours even when all services ran on time. It may sound ridiculous today, but railway transport was in fact the most affordable for the majority of people 50 years ago.

Tokyo to Sapporo in 2023

Today, Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed trains run from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, which is about 18 km (11 miles) north of Hakodate station. Limited Express Hokuto calls at the station with annoyingly long name as well. The timetable from Tokyo to Sapporo is as follows.

Tokyo	Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto		Sapporo
(dep)	(arr)	(dep)	(arr)
6:32	10:53	11:05	14:38
Hayabusa 1		Hokuto 9
8:20	12:17	12:34	16:04
Hayabusa 7		Hokuto 11
9:36	13:33	13:50	17:30
Hayabusa 13		Hokuto 13
10:44	15:01	15:20	18:47
Hayabusa 19		Hokuto 15
12:20	16:30	16:58	20:35
Hayabusa 23		Hokuto 17
13:20	17:47	18:11	21:37
Hayabusa 25		Hokuto 19
14:20	18:29	19:06	22:41
Hayabusa 27		Hokuto 21

Needless to say, the duration was significantly reduced. The fastest journey today takes less than eight hours. Sadly, almost nobody (probably except a few enthusiasts) uses trains as flights are incomparably faster and often cheaper than trains. Those in Europe who are familiar with the word flygskam might think that the timetable above is not bad, but it is not regarded as a feasible option in Japan so far.

Sleeper Trains

Finally, it might be interesting to look into two sleeper trains: Hokutosei and Cassiopeia. They were limited express trains that ran between Ueno and Sapporo, and had been very popular among tourists. Hokutosei was launched when Seikan Tunnel was opened in 1988, with up to three trains a day. JR East launched Cassiopeia which consisted only of Class A beds (first class) in 1999, and it ran every other day. They were discontinued in 2015 and 2016 respectively as the high-speed rail was extended to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.

In 2014, the timetable of these trains was as follows.

	Cassiopeia	Hokutosei
Ueno	16:20	19:03
Omiya	16:45	19:30
Utsunomiya	17:48	20:29
Koriyama	19:13	21:53
Fukushima	19:52	22:29
Sendai	20:59	23:30
Ichinoseki	22:08	-
Morioka	23:16	-
Hakodate	5:08	6:49
Mori	5:53	7:38
Yakumo	6:19	8:05
Oshamambe	6:43	8:29
Toya	7:13	8:59
Datemombetsu	7:25	9:16
Higashi-Muroran	7:46	9:36
Noboribetsu	8:01	9:51
Tomakomai	8:34	10:21
Minami-Chitose	8:55	10:41
Sapporo	9:32	11:15

These trains were purely for tourists, not for business purposes. Their schedules apparently served the purpose, but they were discontinued. Had there been sleeper trains even today, they would have been used heavily by foreign tourists with Japan Rail Pass.

50 years on: a comparison (part 4)...Towards the Northeast

The article uploaded last month showed that Tokaido Shinkansen became faster and more frequent in the last 50 years. It is not hard to imagine how have trips between Tokyo and Nagoya, Osaka and Okayama become easier.

Then, how about travelling from Tokyo to Tohoku region and vice versa? Today, there is Tohoku Shinkansen, the fastest high-speed rail in Japan whose trains can run at a speed of 320 km/h (200 mph), but it was still under construction in 1973. Thus, train journeys relied on Tohoku Main Line and other relevant lines. This article looks into six prefectural capitals in the region, namely: Fukushima, Sendai, Morioka, Yamagata, Akita and Aomori. Note that all tables below show regular services only.

The trains in 1973 started from or terminated at Ueno station, which was about 10 minutes from Tokyo station. The official timetable recommended all passengers arriving at Tokyo and taking another train from Ueno to take a 30-minute time allowance.

Fukushima, Sendai and Morioka

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JR East E2 series bullet train

Today, Hayabusa and Yamabiko call at Sendai and Morioka, while Fukushima is served by Yamabiko and Tsubasa.

Number of services and duration from Tokyo to three destinations are as follows. Fastest patterns are listed below, and Yamabiko surpassed by Hayabusa are not included. There are more services available between Tokyo and Sendai if you do not mind spending 10-20 more minutes on a train.

	Duration (fastest)	Services
Fukushima	1 hr 21 mins	42 per day
Sendai	1 hr 30 mins	35 per day
Morioka	2 hrs 10 mins	22 per day

In 1973, there were various limited express and express services, and those who wish to go to Fukushima, Sendai or Morioka could take trains listed below. The table does not include night trains to avoid making it even more complicated.

Limited Express
Hatsukari	(Ueno - Aomori)
Hibari	(Ueno - Sendai)
Tsubasa	(Ueno - Akira via Fukushima)
Yamabato	(Ueno - Yamagata via Fukushima)
Yamabiko	(Ueno - Morioka)
Express
Azuma	(Ueno - Fukushima)
Iwate	(Ueno - Morioka)
Matsushima	(Ueno - Sendai)
Oga	(Ueno - Akita via Fukushima)

As described before, limited express services provided faster and more comfortable accommodation than express services, though tickets were more expensive. There were trains between Ueno and Sendai via Joban Line, which this article refers to later.

The number of regular services per day and duration of trains from Ueno to three destinations were as follows. Express trains surpassed by limited express trains are not included.

	Duration (fastest)	Services
Fukushima	2 hrs 57 mins	26 per day
Sendai	3 hrs 53 mins	21 per day
Morioka	5 hrs 55 mins	8 per day

It is obvious that bullet trains significantly changed everything. The capacity of a train was not so different from that of today (a 12-car 485 series was 752 passengers while E5/H5 series is 723 passengers), but it should not be forgotten that bullet trains boosted capacity by providing more frequent services.

Yamagata

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JR East E3 series bullet train

Today, Yamagata is served by Tsubasa, and a part of Ou Main Line between Fukushima and Yamagata is also known as Yamagata Shinkansen. Many Tsubasa trains join to Yamabiko between Tokyo and Fukushima.

There are 16 services from Tokyo to Yamagata (hourly service during off-peak times) and half of them go as far as Shinjo. The fastest service (Tsubasa 131) takes 2 hours and 26 minutes, though most trains take around 2 hours and 40 minutes.

JNR 485 series

In 1973, Limited Express Yamabato ran between Ueno and Yamagata, while Limited Express Tsubasa and Express Oga ran between Ueno and Akita via Yamagata. Tsubasa and Oga were either diesel multiple units or hauled by diesel locomotives as Ou Main Line was not fully electrified at that time.

There were only nine services including night trains, as follows:

Oga 1	Ueno (7:10) → Yamagata (13:15)
Tsubasa 1	Ueno (7:27) → Yamagata (12:01)
Yamabato 1	Ueno (10:05) → Yamagata (14:32)
Tsubasa 2	Ueno (12:05) → Yamagata (16:34)
Yamabato 2	Ueno (13:05) → Yamagata (17:30)
Yamabato 3	Ueno (17:05) → Yamagata (21:33)
Tsugaru 1	Ueno (19:35) → Yamagata (1:29)
Tsugaru 2	Ueno (22:20) → Yamagata (5:01)
Dewa	Ueno (23:06) → Yamagata (5:36)

During holidays, there were also additional services including overnight Tsubasa and Yamabato (both of them were seated coaches only, no beds). Even so, there were far fewer services than today, making it difficult for businesspeople and tourists to visit there.

Akita

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JR East E6 series bullet train

Today, Komachi services connect Tokyo and Akita. Akita Shinkansen technically consists of Tazawako Line and a part of Ou Main Line (between Omagari and Akita). There are 14 services from Tokyo to Akita (every hour in most cases), and the fastest one (Komachi 45) takes 3 hours and 37 minutes.

JNR KiHa 181 series

It is worth noting that journeys between Tokyo and Akita were very much different in 1973. Unlike Akita Shinkansen, trains between Ueno and Akita did not take the Morioka-route. Instead, there were two routes: Ou Main Line route (via Fukushima and Yamagata) or Uetsu Main Line route (via Takasaki and Niitsu near Niigata).

There were Limited Express Tsubasa (daytime), Akebono (night) and Express Oga (daytime) on the former route, while Limited Express Inaho (daytime), Express Amanogawa (night) and Chokai (night) on the latter route.

Ou Main Line Route (via Yamagata)
Oga 1	Ueno (7:10) → Akita (16:56)
Tsubasa 1	Ueno (7:27) → Akita (15:10)
Tsubasa 2	Ueno (12:05) → Akita (19:43)
Tsugaru 1	Ueno (19:35) → Akita (5:56)
Akebono	Ueno (22:00) → Akita (7:17)
Tsugaru 2	Ueno (22:20) → Akita (9:31)
Uetsu Main Line Route (via Niitsu)
Inaho 1	Ueno (10:30) → Akita (17:59)
Inaho 2	Ueno (14:30) → Akita (22:03)
Chokai	Ueno (21:05) → Akita (8:32)
Amanogawa	Ueno (22:39) → Akita (10:25)

Ou Main Line route and Uetsu Main Line route are completely different. Nevertheless, duration of limited express services between Ueno and Akita was almost the same. In fact, the distance was not so different: 586 km and 570 km, respectively.

Aomori

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JR East E5 series bullet train

Shin-Aomori has been well-known as a bullet trains station since 2010, but very few people remember that this station actually opened in 1986. It was initially a small unstaffed station, but it became a large station when Tohoku Shinkansen was extended. Aomori station is approximately 4 km (2.5 miles) east of Shin-Aomori station.

Today, there are 16 Hayabusa services, and the fastest one from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori (Hayabusa 7) takes 3 hours and 58 minutes. This section is perhaps the most impressive change seen in the last 50 years.

JNR 583 series

In 1973, there were two main routes between Ueno and Aomori: Tohoku Main Line and Joban Line. Tohoku Line was the most popular one as it was the shortest among all routes. The trains were heavily used by passengers going to and from Hokkaido using ferry service between Aomori and Hakodate.

There were so many services that this article cannot list all of them up. Instead, the table below shows limited express trains (including sleeper limited express) on the two routes.

Tohoku Route (via Fukushima, Sendai & Morioka)
Hatsukari 1	Ueno (8:05) → Aomori (16:29)
Hatsukari 2	Ueno (11:05) → Aomori (19:30)
Hatsukari 3	Ueno (11:33) → Aomori (20:05)
Hatsukari 4	Ueno (16:00) → Aomori (0:15)
Hakutsuru	Ueno (22:30) → Aomori (7:10)
Joban Route (via Mito, Sendai & Morioka)
Michinoku	Ueno (14:48) → Aomori (23:45)
Yuzuru 1	Ueno (19:50) → Aomori (5:03)
Yuzuru 2	Ueno (20:00) → Aomori (5:08)
Yuzuru 3	Ueno (21:40) → Aomori (7:05)
Yuzuru 4	Ueno (23:00) → Aomori (9:25)
Yuzuru 5	Ueno (23:05) → Aomori (9:55)

Tohoku Route is approximately 735 km, while Joban Route is 750 km. Interestingly, unlike daytime limited express trains, Sleeper Limited Express services between the two stations mostly ran via Joban Line. Probably Tohoku Main Line was so busy even at night (not only night trains but also freight, parcel and mail trains) that JNR preferred Joban Line to Tohoku Main Line when it comes to direct trains to Aomori.

In addition, there were Limited Express Inaho 1 (Ueno 10:30 → Aomori 20:35) via Uetsu Main Line and Sleeper Limited Express Akebono (Ueno 22:00 → Aomori 10:19) via Ou Main Line. However, there should have been few passengers who dared to choose Inaho.

Personal Views

Not to mention the journey duration, it is intriguing that there were fewer services in 1973 despite railway was more heavily used than it is today. In other words, Shinkansen must have contributed to more demands. Even with extensive motorway networks and modern airports across the country that we see today, high-speed rails clearly play an important role.

However, night trains do not exist today because there are cheap bus services and even decent business hotels everywhere. As the time passed, night trains became an obsolete option and therefore they were mostly discontinued by the 2000s.

Types of Rolling Stock (2023 and 1973)

Finally, types of rolling stock for abovementioned services were as follows.

2023

• E2 series for Yamabiko
• E3 series for Tsubasa
• E5/H5 series for Hayabusa and Yamabiko
• E6 series for Komachi

1973

• 485 series for all limited express trains unless specified
• 583 series for some Hatsukari as well as Hakutsuru and some Yuzuru
• KiHa 181series for Tsubasa
• 457 series for express trains (electric)
• KiHa 58 series for express trains (diesel)

*There were also locomotives and coaching stock that I have never seen (as they were withdrawn before the privatisation of JNR).

50 years on: a comparison (part 3)...Bullet Train

Tokaido Shinkansen, the first high-speed rail in Japan opened in 1964. It was extended to Okayama in 1972 as San-yo Shinkansen opened, and further to Hakata in 1975. Thus, the 1973 timetable contains service patterns that lasted just three years. This article describes how bullet trains between Tokyo and Okayama have changed in the last 50 years. Timetables in this article show regular services at off-peak times (daytime) unless specifically noted.

Shinkansen train layouts

There was only one Shinkansen rolling stock in 1973: 0 series. The 0 series was still being mass-produced amid the surge in demand. Trains were formed of 12 or 16 coaches, but there was no dining car at that time. Instead, there were buffet cars. Three types of trainsets as shown below were in use.
"B" means a buffet, "G means Green Cars (first class, reservation mandatory), "N" means non-reserved standard-class, and "R" means reserved standard-class.

Coach	Hikari	Kodama
1	N	N
2
3
4
5	R+B	N+B
6	R	N
7
8
9	G
10
11	R+B
12	R	G
13		R+B
14		R
15
16

Some Kodama services formed of twelve coaches did not have nos. 1-4 (i.e. the front coach was no. 5).

Today, Tokaido and San-yo Shinkansen services are mostly provided by N700A series or N700S series. There are also eight-car San-yo Shinkansen services, but this article only focuses on 16-car trains that run to and from Tokyo.

Coach	Nozomi	Hikari	Kodama
1	N	N	N
2
3
4	R
5
6		R
7			R
8	G	G	G
9
10
11	R	R	R
12
13			N
14
15
16

Today, there is no specific train unit exclusively for Nozomi, Hikari or Kodama, but all of them are allocated equally to all three types of services. As trains are faster (i.e. duration is shorter) than it used to in 1973, there is no buffet or dining car.

Shinkansen schedules (1973)

Nine years had already passed since Shinkansen opened, and service patterns in 1973 were not as simple as they were in 1964. There were five patterns as listed below. Alphabets are added for convenience.

		Calling at
A	Hikari   (Tokyo – Shin-Osaka or Okayama)	Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka & Okayama
B	Hikari   (Tokyo - Okayama)	Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, Himeji & Okayama
C	Hikari   (Tokyo - Okayama)	Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka & all stations to Okayama
D	Hikari   (Tokyo – Shin-Osaka)	Nagoya, Maibara, Kyoto & Shin-Osaka
	Kodama	All stations

Hikari departed Tokyo station every hour on the hour as well as half past every hour, while Kodama left the station at x:20 and x:50 every hour. There were more services at peak times, including Kodama services running between Tokyo and Mishima. The fastest pattern was as follows, with four return journeys every day.

 Hikari 1

Tokyo	6:15
Nagoya	8:16
Kyoto	9:08
Shin-Osaka	9:25
Okayama	10:25

It took 4 hours and 10 minutes by the fastest Hikari. The slowest Hikari from Tokyo to Okayama (pattern C on the table further above) took 4 hours and 30 minutes. Kodama (calling at all stations) from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka took 4 hours and 10 minutes (Tokyo – Nagoya took 2 hours and 45 minutes). There was no Kodama running the entire line.

Shinkansen schedules (2023)

Today, there are three service patterns: Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama. Many Nozomi services do not start or terminate at Okayama but as far as Hiroshima or Hakata, and there are services towards Kyushu Shinkansen as well, but this article excludes anything beyond Okayama.

Four Nozomi trains (daily services) depart Tokyo station every hour, but there are more non-daily services in addition to them. Hikari and Kodama run every 30 minutes. Service patterns are as follows (regular services only). Mishima station is served by Hikari every two hours.

		Calling at
a	Nozomi   (Tokyo - Shin-Osaka or farther)	Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, Okayama...
b	Nozomi   (Tokyo - Hiroshima)	Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, Himeji, Okayama...
x	Hikari   (Tokyo - Okayama)	Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, (Mishima,) Shizuoka, Hamamatsu, Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka & all stations to Okayama;
y	Hikari   (Tokyo - Shin-Osaka)	Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Odawara, Nagoya, & all stations to Shin-Osaka
	Kodama	All stations

The fastest train between Tokyo and Okayama is as follows:

 Nozomi 1

Tokyo	6:00
Shinagawa	6:07
Shin-Yokohama	6:18
Nagoya	7:34
Kyoto	8:08
Shin-Osaka	8:22
Shin-Kobe	8:36
Okayama	9:09
(arriving Hakata at 10:52)

As the maximum speed on the line was raised from 210 km/h (131 mph) to 300 km/h (187 mph), the duration between Tokyo and Okayama is now 3 hours 9 minutes, an hour shorter than in 1973. However, Kodama from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka takes 3 hours and 54 minutes, merely 16 minutes shorter than in that 1973. This is because Kodama trains have to wait at almost all stations to be surpassed by faster services.

Shinkansen is the symbol of Japanese railways, and literally everything has dramatically evolved in the past 50 years including speed and frequency. Tokaido and San-yo Shinkansen provide the most frequent services among all high-speed railways in the world, even though they are no longer the fastest.

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.