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.

The Red List of Trains in Japan (Oct-2023 update)

The Red List of Trains in Japan has been updated with six new articles, namely:

• JNR 50 series
• JR West 207 series
• JR West 321 series
• JR East GV-E400 series
• JGR Class 8620
• Tobu N100 series SPACIA X

Moreover, some new articles have been up to date, such as 211 series in Nagoya and Tokyu 9000 series in Tokyo.

Second-hand Trains

Introduction

On 26 September, Seibu revealed its detailed plan to purchase and introduce second-hand trains to its branch lines. It is uncommon if not unprecedented for a major railway company to reintroduce used trains of other railway operators. What we know so far?

Background

Seibu has been known for having many environmentally unfriendly trains. A quarter of its fleets are outdated while other major private railways in the Greater Tokyo Area has mostly completed replacing old-fashioned ones. Seibu has been introducing 40000 series since 2016, but the company estimated that the replacement would not finish until 2036 at the current pace.

Therefore, Seibu concluded that reintroducing second-hand but energy-saving trains would contribute to achieve its sustainability goals by 2030, six years earlier than the initial plan. The first official announcement regarding the reintroduction was made in December 2022, and there had been various speculation about possible rolling stock since then.

Which trains to be replaced with?

101 series, 2000 series and 4000 series trains. Remaining units were built in the 1980s or early-90s, though not a few components of the 4000 series were reused from trains developed in the late-60s. The 101 series is used for Sayama and Tamagawa Lines, and the 4000 series runs Chichibu Line. The 2000 series is still widely used across the network including Ikebukuro and Shinjuku Lines. There are approximately 300 carriages in total.

There is one more train type with eco-unfriendly features called 10000 series New Red Arrow, but Seibu has not referred to its fate at all.

What trains replace them?

Odakyu 8000 series and Tokyu 9000 series trains (including Tokyu 9020 series). They are commuter trains built in the 1980s and early-90s, just as old as the Seibu trains in question. NHK reported that Seibu plans to introduce 40 and 60 carriages respectively. The Odakyu 8000 series will be for Kokubunji Line and the Tokyu 9000 series will be for Chichibu, Sayama, Tamagawa and Tamako Lines. Each unit of the 9000 series is formed of five coaches at the moment but it will be shortened to four.

According to the official document, the 8000 series will enter service in 2024 while the 9000 series will be in "2025 or after that". Many of them are likely to be compatible with driver-only operation.

Is it really a sensible idea?

Seibu had been looking for eco-friendly trains with stainless-steel bodies. Odakyu 8000 series has been its traction and motors refurbished with new ones in 2003-13, but its body is made of ordinary carbon-steel. In other words, it does not meet one of two requirements. Hence, it is not certain whether the body is durable enough for the next 10-20 years.

Tokyu 9000 series meets with both criteria though Tokyu has not classified it as environmentally friendly in the last ten years. It will run Chichibu Line which has many steep slopes and tight curves so that there should be enhanced braking systems to deal with them.

Even so, Seibu estimates that 5,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be reduced a year, as the second-hand trains require 50% less energy than the old trains. Needless to say, it financially help the company as well.

Wasn't there other choices?

Speculation by railway enthusiasts included JR 209 series and Tokyo Waterfront Railway 70-000 series since not a few carriages are due to be withdrawn by 2030 and they meet the two elements on Seibu's wishlist. However, the 209 series has been notorious for not being sturdy enough as JR East designed it to have half the lifespan of other trains. The 70-000 series is based on the 209 series. Probably that is why Seibu decided not to purchase them.

Are there any examples of second-hand trains?

Small private railways often use second-hand trains, but it is rare to see major railway companies purchase used trains. One of the most well-known case in Japan is Meitetsu 3880 series, which was originally Tokyu 3700 series. Introduced to Toyoko Line in 1948, the 3700 series was used by Tokyu until 1980. Meitetsu purchased all them in 1975 and 1980 to deal with skyrocketing demand. The 3880 series was mainly used on Inuyama and Kakamigahara Lines until 1985.

Since the 21st century began, there were two such cases. In 2004, JR East purchased six carriages of TWR 70-000 series, which were operational until 2022. At that time, TWR had been rearranging the series from six to ten coaches, and JR East took redundant carriages over.

The other case was Semboku Rapid Railway 3000 series, 14 carriages of which were purchased by Nanai in 2013. Nankai had to replace 7000 series trains as soon as possible but it was impractical to replace them with brand new trains. Hence, Nankai decided to reuse the 3000 series. Today, all 14 carriages are used on Nankai Main Line their car numbers unchanged.

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.

Transit Discount soon to be terminated

On 22 September, JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central and JR West announced that Transit Discount (乗継割引, noritsugi waribiki), a 50% discount for limited express tickets, would be discontinued in spring 2024.

Transit Discount is a fare scheme which makes a limited express ticket 50% cheaper than usual when purchased together with a bullet train ticket (conditions apply). It was introduced by Japanese National Railways in 1965, a year after Tokaido Shinkansen opened. Bullet train services have been expensive, so if there had been no such a scheme, passengers going to or from stations which had direct services to and from Tokyo until 1964 would have had to pay disproportionately higher prices than they did before. The rule has been, as always, very complicated.

The Discount is applied when two tickets (a bullet train ticket and a limited express ticket) are purchased at the same time. If one uses a bullet train and then a limited express train, both journeys have to be on the same day (valid for two days in an opposite case). Not all interchange stations were covered: for example, it was not applicable to changing trains at Tokyo, Shinagawa or Ueno stations due to the historical reason described above.

The scheme had also covered express tickets until 2016 when all express trains were withdrawn.

Generally speaking, a passenger has to make a transfer at a station where both trains stop, but there are a few exceptions. A pair of tickets above shows that I could take Express Hamanasu from Aomori with the Discount though a bullet train terminated at Shin-Aomori. In that sense, Aomori and Shin-Aomori were effectively one single station.

The Discount was also applied to a few sleeper trains though a bed fare remained unchanged. This express bed ticket (Hamanasu) was supposed to be 7,560 yen at that time (1,260 yen as the express fare while 6,300 yen for bed). The 50% discount was valid only for the express fare so that the total amount was 6,960 yen (630 + 6,300).

Similarly, a Green Car fare is not subject to the Discount either. In this case, the limited express fare was 50% off (from 2,580 to 1,290 yen) but the first class fare was the same as usual. There was no discount at all for special accommodations such as Green Compartment.

Another exception was that some sleeper limited express trains such as Sunrise Seto were treated like a bullet train until April 2023. I travelled to Tokushima from Tokyo using the sleeper train and changed trains at Takamatsu. Since the Discount was valid on the whole day, I could spend five hours for sightseeing in Takamatsu before getting on the discounted Limited Express Uzushio.

Finally, there is another interesting rule. This is an ordinary fare ticket, but there is a stamp on the top right, which means "transit requested" (乗継請求, noritsugi seikyu). According to regulations, when a passenger asks for the Discount in accordance with the rule but a railway operator cannot issue a second ticket due to certain circumstances, the passenger can purchase it later at another station. Strictly speaking, it is applicable only when the second train is full or there is no device to issue any more ticket (such as onboard ticket machine carried by a conductor), but some JR staffs misunderstand the rule and sometimes stamp a fare ticket like this even when it does not meet criteria.

JR companies had been eager for years to abolish the scheme simply because of financial reasons. According to JRs, it no longer fits for purpose as many passengers (mainly businesspeople) have shifted to e-tickets, but it is evident that they are interested more in potential increase in revenue. JR Kyushu was the first company to terminate the scheme (11 March 2011), while JR Shikoku followed earlier this year (31 March 2023), then JR Central abolishes it on 15 March 2024. Other three companies have not referred to a specific date, but it is likely to be on the same day.

The termination of the Transit Discount is effectively a fare rise. Even though railway companies are struggling with making profit after the COVID-19 pandemic, it surely discourages people to use their services. It may lead to further decline in demand as not a few people would shift to cheaper options such as buses and budget airlines.