03 April, 2021

When Enthusiasts Become Excessively Enthusiastic

*Tweets are embedded in this article.



1. Introduction

Railway enthusiasts in Japan, especially trainspotters have been accused for years of often being overexcited and causing troubles. Some of them have been aggressive especially since mid-2010s, and they are repeatedly criticised by media. Many popular trains, such as those introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) have been targets (or victims) of such people. It must be borne in mind that they are in a minority and 95% of the enthusiasts are well-behaved. Even so, many railway companies in Japan are, understandably, no longer tolerant to them, as the companies have been struggling to deal with whom could be called "hooligan-like train geeks".

This article describes examples, backgrounds and consequences of those delinquencies, and argues that each innocent enthusiast can still enjoy his/her hobby if avoids risks. There are several notorious people who frequently cause serious troubles, but this article does not aim to accuse specific individuals. Readers are reminded that this article is merely on a personal blog, meaning that some contents may be subjective and thus not as trustworthy as academic essays.



2. Typical Cases

The most common troubles reported are as follows:


Overcrowding and Booing

Popular trains often cause overcrowding. They are mostly brand new trains, those in special livery, old ones that are about to retire, or trains marked as "run as required". For example, this pink locomotive is one of few JNR Class EF81 locos that JR East owns, which is painted into its original livery, mainly used for ad hoc engineering work and expected to be withdrawn within three years. Hundreds of geeks have gathered at one station to take photos of it in spite of social distancing instructions.

It is easy to imagine that overcrowding is the main reason of troubles. Some jump the queue, go out of yellow lines and inadvertently obstruct others, then a quarrel begins. In other cases, enthusiasts effectively occupy the whole train or coach, making it impossible for other passengers to board or alight the train.

Too many cars in rural areas also cause troubles with local residents, as trainspotters often block streets and roads.


Intrusion

Regrettably, taking photos at off-limit areas is not uncommon. Unsurprisingly, such a crime leads to service disruption as train drivers stop their trains, just like when Odoriko limited express was about to retire in Tokyo. Some trainspotters intrude into not only railway tracks but also private properties, to take photos as well as to remove some obstacles such as weeds and trees. For example, Kanagawa Prefectural Police has commenced legal proceedings in January 2021 against teenagers, who entered railway land without permission, to take photos of trains being moved to a museum. In June 2020, several trainspotters in Niigata Prefecture allegedly filled up a paddy field without permission of the owner, to take "magnificent" photos.

Not only young but also elderly people commit crimes. They mostly justify themselves that it was not a problem in the past. It is true that most people in the 1960s and 70s, including non-enthusiasts, paid less attention to laws and rules than we do today. However, things have changed in the last decades; there are far more houses and buildings than before, "unwritten norms" have been lost as the time went by, and thus laws and rules have become more important than the past. Even so, those elderly people are so stubborn and regard themselves superior to others that they ignore or even do not understand that circumstances have already changed dramatically.

Furthermore, not a few people secure spaces for trainspotting in advance, by putting personal belongings hours or even days before the train comes. Presumably, they can do such a thing because the crime rate in Japan is still very low, but those bags, tripods, stepladders and placards cause troubles. They often put their belongings in a private land as well.


Removal of Railway Signs

Astonishingly, a few cases have been reported in rural areas, where trains do not come as frequent as in cities. In 2017, railway signs on Yamaguchi line were reportedly removed by trainspotters who were waiting for a famous steam train. In 2015, a university student was arrested on suspicion of Damage to Property, after he removed ropes and stakes in Fukushima Prefecture which are essential for engineering workers' safety.

Needless to say, removing railway signs or facilities is literally a crime. Railway companies do not hesitate to ask police to investigate incidents, and the authorities apply relevant laws when necessary, such as the Railway Operation Act 1900 and the Penal Code (e.g. Art. 261 for Damage to Property, Art. 124 for Obstruction of Traffic and Art. 125 for Traffic Hazards).


Disturbing Other Enthusiasts

It is profoundly regrettable that it has been common since the 2010s that delinquents disturb other trainspotters, mostly by holding hand-made placards. In February 2021, many delinquents boarded front coaches of Odoriko limited express trains and showed many placards, some of which were the Swastika and a photo of the Twin Towers of World Trade Center being destroyed by terrorists. Unlike Germany, displaying Nazi symbols is not a crime in Japan, though absolutely unacceptable.

Such delinquency has been observed especially since 2011, when JNR 201 series on Keiyo line was about to retire. Some of them were allegedly students at a railway school in Tokyo. Surprisingly, even some railway staffs engage in such activities outside where they work.



3. Possible Main Backgrounds

There should be various reasons why such outlaws have been active for years. Following three backgrounds are certainly contributing to "hooliganism".


Population "Growth"

Trainspotting has become popular in the last 10 years, as cameras have been affordable for more people than before. Film cameras had been expensive and uneasy to deal with, given the fact that it costed considerably to get films developed. Digital cameras had been unreliable until mid-2000s. Now, good digital SLR cameras are quite reasonable so that they are widely used.

It made more people, especially teenagers, to be able to engage in trainspotting. Today, it is not uncommon to see children around ten years old having good cameras which are worth 1,000-2,000 USD, or even higher. Population "growth" leads to overcrowding, resulting in troubles that were mentioned in the previous section.


Widespread Use of SNS

Since the 2010s, Social Networking Services like Twitter and LINE have been used by enthusiasts, to share their information. Not only reports of trains uploaded by witnesses but also timetables of special empty coaching stock movements, which are not supposed to be shared by others, go viral. 

Railway companies are partly responsible for it, as most companies have not restricted their employee or even part-time workers to access to "confidential" information. Sharing such information has been common for decades, but it could be a contemporary issue as people can easily and swiftly share it more than ever.


Modernisation of Rolling Stock

Generally speaking, railway enthusiasts are interested in trains being withdrawn. Furthermore, they tend to chase trains whose features (designs, sounds etc.) are not used on newer trains. For example, trains introduced by JNR have many features that JR trains in the 2010s do not have, such as destination blinds, traditional liveries and unique front end design. Train replacement in these days often means that trains of "good old days" are being lost. It is not hard to imagine a considerable number of people gathering in front of such trains.



4. Companies' Responses

Railway companies always have to provide services safely and without disruption as much as possible, so they have been taking measures to prevent trains from being ruined by enthusiasts. Typically:


Restriction on Trainspotting

It is not surprising that railway companies and even local authorities have been restricting trainspotting on platforms. In urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka, railway companies install warning signs that no dangerous trainspotting is allowed. Many companies have banned use of stepladders and tripods on platform, which are obviously danger and obstruct other passengers. JR East has taken a radical measure: building a large fence on the platform.

Restrictions are not limited to platforms. In January 2021, Tsuwano Town in Shimane Prefecture deployed a guard to a level crossing on Yamaguchi line, to deal with reckless trainspotters.


Event Cancellation

Until early-2010s, companies held various events such as rail tours, decorating trains in commemoration of anniversary or retirement. However, as such events repeatedly resulted in a mess, companies do not hold them in these days. In 2020, when TRTA 03 series of Hibiya line retired, Tokyo Metro decided not to do anything in commemoration of withdrawal as it deeply concerned about violent geeks.

JNR and six JR companies have not set any steam rail tour in major cities since 1976, after an eleven-year-old boy in Osaka attempted to take a photo of a steam locomotive inside railway land. He was hit by the train and died.



5. What Can We Do?

Enthusiasts have been endlessly debating about the issue, but it is impossible to eliminate such hooligan-like geeks. Since they do not even recognise that their activities are disturbing, nobody can change their minds through any means of dialogue.

Therefore, the only possible way to deal with the problem is self-defence, such as:


Preparation in Advance

Rare trains were not actually rare in the very beginning. It is therefore important to enjoy taking photos of or getting on every one of trains as much as possible. Even common types such as JR East E233 series or Electrostar trains in Britain will surely be old, decrease and thus become "precious" within 10-20 years. Therefore, it is important to take action in advance.

It is also worth noting that old trains do not disappear at once. Each railway company announces its long-term plan regarding its rolling stock. Introduction of new trains might simply mean withdrawal of old trains. Hence, it is essential to keep your knowledge up to date, particularly with regard to older trains (see also this article about endangered trains in Tokyo).

If you prepare in advance, you will not have to be in a hurry when the train is about to retire, and thus you will not see anything obnoxious.


Trainspotting on Street

In general, platforms are much busier than outside station when it comes to trainspotting, because getting out of a ticket barrier costs more than staying on a platform. Unlike Oyster, there is no strict time limit on Suica or PASMO cards in Tokyo area, which allows enthusiasts to enjoy trainspotting at stations for hours. However, when something popular is coming, one should consider trainspotting on street rather than platform, to avoid overcrowding.

Even level crossings and streets by track could be busy, but they should be far better than on platforms.



6. Conclusion

Most railway enthusiasts are good citizens, and trainspotting can be done without any trouble in most cases, but hooligan-like geeks do exist. Violent railway enthusiasts have been a serious issue for years, especially since the 2010s. Some of them are not delinquency but a crime. To enjoy watching, taking photos of or getting on trains, it is vital to follow the latest updates and take action in advance. It is also important to find places to see trains where less people gather than station platforms.

27 March, 2021

Keikyu's new train: the moving toilets

On 24th March, the unit 1892 of Keikyu 1000 series, which is formed of four coaches, was delivered to Kurihama Depot. It is the second unit of 1890 subseries, numbered 1892-1 to 1892-4.

According to the company, the 1890 subseries has various unique features to provide "new style of commuter train for post COVID-19 era": centre gangway (like 1800 subseries), convertible seating (from longitudinal to transverse and vice versa) and toilets (two per four coaches, apparently too much). However, it is uncertain if they would really work well.


Front design of the 1890 is based on the 1800 subseries, which was constructed in 2016. The 1800s have been criticised of front design. On the one hand, enthusiasts were disappointed at front end, which is too flat and spoiling the well-balanced design owing to centre gangway. On the other hand, crews have been dissatisfied with smaller and less comfortable cab because of the centre gangway.

The design of the 1890s is even worse, especially the font size of carriage number. It is hard to comprehend why the designer decided to write it in such tiny letters. Small tail lamps (which emit yellow light when train is running forward as express or non-passenger service) do not look good either. Generally speaking, whether the design is good or bad depends on each person's sense, but I have never heard of any person praising it.The most important feature is toilets. Each four-carriage unit of the 1890 subseries has two restrooms, an accessible toilet and a urinal. The subseries is the first rolling stock of Keikyu having such facilities. It is doubtful whether toilet is necessary, as reasonable maximum journey time on Keikyu line is no longer than 75 minutes, while trains run every 10 minutes or even more frequently and each station has restrooms. Toilet is costly to maintain for obvious reasons, and it also reduces capacity.

Nevertheless, Keikyu insists that toilets are absolutely necessary. According to the company, toilets would be useful when the trains are used for rail tours. Keikyu has been holding so-called "beer-train" since 2016, and there have been several "emergency cases" during the tours. Toilets are undoubtedly vital in so far as the train is used for tours with alcohol, but such cases are exceptional.

In addition, carriage numbers of the 1890s has made the numbering system of Keikyu even more chaotic. Keikyu had been numbering 1000 series carriages in quite a simple way. For example, the first eight-car unit was numbered from 1001 to 1008, and the second one was from 1009 to 1016. As Keikyu 1000 series is running out of numbers, the company has taken an unprecedented "five-digit" approach: the first unit of 1890 subseries is numbered from 1891-1 to 1891-4, and the second one is from 1892-1 to 1892-4.

The 1890 subseries is expected enter service in April, and will be mainly used for Morning Wing services from May. Though there are so many critical opinions, the 1890 subseries trains could be successful. It fully depends on how Keikyu can make it attractive.

Keikyu is going to commence withdrawal of 1500 series soon, which was introduced in 1985-93. However, it is not certain at present if the brand new train with toilets could be good successor to the old trains. It is likely that Keikyu will order more new trains for next few years, but possibly without toilets.

30 January, 2021

From "Liner" to "Limited Express"…JR East's Own Goal

JR East will change its timetables on Saturday 13th March 2021. Major timetable changes generally aim to encourage more passengers to use trains with more convenient and attractive services, but the next one is to reduce services amid the pandemic.

Moreover, JR East plans to make services even far less useful just like it has been doing for a decade, as this article argues.

 

One of the most important change in March will be a reform of Tokaido line service. 185 series of Japanese National Railways (introduced in 1981-82) on Odoriko and Shonan Liner trains will be taken out of regular service. In addition, JR East is going to upgrade Shonan Liner services to Limited Express Shonan.

 

Shonan Liner consists of three different trains: the genuine Shonan Liner (Tokyo - Odawara), Ohayo Liner Shinjuku (Odawara to Shinjuku) and Home Liner Odawara (Shinjuku to Odawara). They are designed for commuters: in addition to a normal fare ticket or a season ticket, a 520-yen "Liner ticket" guarantees taking a seat. It takes 40-50 minutes between Tokyo/Shinjuku and Fujisawa, or 70-90 minutes between Tokyo/Shinjuku and Odawara, roughly 10 minutes faster than stopping services. Since Tokaido line has been notorious for extreme congestion, Liner trains have been popular.

 

Shonan Liner commenced in 1986 by the JNR. It had been suffering from immense deficit and desperately looking for a new source of revenue. The JNR found that some empty coaching stock moves could be profitable if they were available for commuters who hated packed trains at peak times. After the privatisation, JR East expanded the service with various rolling stock. Today, the JNR 185 and JR East 215 series trains are used on those Shonan Liner services on weekdays.


JR East announced last year that it would completely replace the 185 and 215 series with E257 series, and rebrand Liner trains to limited express Shonan, while journey times remain almost unchanged. The company insists that the new service will be more convenient, comfortable with simpler fare system than the current system. However, the "upgrade" is likely to bring undesirable consequences, rather than improving the quality.

The most serious issue is price. The current "Liner ticket" for standard class costs 520 yen no matter how long the passenger takes the train. On the other hand, the limited express ticket will cost 1,020 yen between Shinjuku/Tokyo and stations beyond Fujisawa (including Odawara). To put it simply, JR East will effectively double the fare. The company will offer a discount of 100 yen (300 yen until 30 Sep 2021) if a ticket is purchased online, but still disproportionately expensive.

Furthermore, the "new" rolling stock is not actually new. The E257 series was introduced in 2001-02 to Chuo line trains, and reallocated to Tokaido line in 2020. They have been refurbished, but they are nearly 20 years old, making it difficult to justify the fare rise.

 

Is the 1,020-yen ticket reasonable compared to rivals? There are two alternatives for the routes. The first one is Odakyu line, and the second one is, surprisingly, a bullet train.

 

Odakyu provides Morning Way and Home Way trains between Shinjuku and Fujisawa or Odawara. All Romancecar trains are used on the service. It takes 53-67 minutes between Shinjuku and Fujisawa, and 76-84 minutes between Shinjuku and Odawara. Odakyu trains take slightly longer than JR East in general, and there are fewer services in the morning, but far more in the evening and late at night. Morning and Home Way trains cost 630 yen (Shinjuku - Fujisawa) or 910 yen (Shinjuku - Odawara), cheaper than new Shonan trains of JR.

 

Another rival is Shinkansen bullet train. It takes 33-36 minutes between Tokyo and Odawara, obviously faster than any other train, but a bullet train ticket (non-reserved standard class) costs 1,760 yen. However, JR Central offers a special deal called "新幹線乗車サービス (Service for those on Bullet Train)" for those having an IC season ticket (e.g. Suica), in which case the bullet train fare between the stations is only 990 yen. Note that the season ticket is valid either on Tokaido line or Tokaido Shinkansen. Almost all passengers use an IC card in these days so that the condition does not hamper "grabbing the deal".

 

To sum up, see the table below regarding the Odawara services:

It is not always easy to make a comparison, but it is no exaggeration to say that Shonan is the most useless choice in terms of fare, journey time and frequency.

The spread of the COVID-19 forced commuters to shift to remote working, resulted in the sharp fall of the number of passengers. It is far from understandable why has JR East decided to dramatically raise the fares in spite of the recent circumstances. The replacement of Shonan Liner with Shonan limited express shows another example of JR East being incompetent to figure out the demands that exist in the market.

 

Finally, I point out an option that JR East is likely to do…reduce stopping services during rush hours so that commuters would have no other choice but to purchase the ticket for Shonan. It actually happened on Utsunomiya line in the mid-2010s when Home Liner Koga and Home Liner Konosu were discontinued.

14 October, 2019

Ueno Zoo Monorail: the demise of the first monorail in Japan

Ueno Zoo Monorail is a 0.2 mile-long monorail operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, connecting west and east areas of the Zoo. This is the first monorail in Japan, which was opened in 1957. The line lies almost entirely within the Zoo, but the line was constructed in accordance with former Regional Railway Act 1919. Even today, the line is operated and maintained on the basis of Railway Business Act 1986, which means that this Monorail is registered as a genuine railway despite it looks a kind of amusement ride.

Ueno Zoo Monorail was built as a test line of "alternative means of transportation" which must be more efficient and punctual than trams. It is based on German Wuppertal Suspension Railway system with some modifications. However, it became clear that monorail is not always suitable for the city of Tokyo, as it is expensive to build while it is capable to have only limited number of passengers. The Bureau decided not to make any new monorail, and instead started expanding underground and bus networks.


In January 2019, the Bureau announced to suspend the operation of the Monorail from 1st November, as the current rolling stock got old. Its future is bleak as it costs 1.8 billion yen (approx. 17 million USD) to introduce a new fleet. The Bureau intends to have discussions with specialists, visitors and local residents, but the Monorail is likely to be closed permanently.


Currently, one unit of 40 series (built in 2001) runs every 7 minutes during opening hours of the Zoo. It costs 150 yen for an adult and 80 yen for a child, but note that admission fee is required to get into the Zoo. It takes about 90 seconds from east to west areas and vice versa. The last service is scheduled to be held on 31st October.

27 September, 2019

The last loco-hauled train in regular service

Sapporo, 29 Aug 2013

In Japan, there is no regular train served by coach. Japanese National Railway adopted the Modernisation Programme in 1960, aimed for more efficient and less costly train services. It decided to replace coaching stock with EMUs and DMUs, resulting in the decline of locomotive-hauled train. After the privatisation of JNR, all JR companies continued the Programme until 2016, when the last train Hamanasu was withdrawn.


Aomori, 2 Nov 2011

Hamanasu was a night express train which ran daily from Aomori to Sapporo (approx. 300 miles, 7.5 hrs). Hamanasu was introduced in 1988 when Seikan Tunnel was opened and ferry services were discontinued, and it was regarded as an alternative means of transportation.


It consisted of seven coaches in off-peak season; two Class B (standard) berth coaches, one "carpet coach" for passengers sleeping on the floor and four standard-class seated coaches. More carriages were added in peak seasons by up to 14 coaches in total.



Sapporo, 29 Aug 2013

All carriages and locomotives were built in 1970s. The train was hauled by Class ED79 electric locomotive (between Aomori and Hakodate) and Class DD51 diesel locomotive (between Hakodate and Sapporo). Coaches were mixture of 24 series (berth) and 14 series (seated).



Hamanasu had been well known as the last loco-hauled train and the last "express" among all JR regular services. In 2010s, many railway enthusiasts predicted that they would soon meet its demise as conditions of locomotives and coaches were deteriorated. Furthermore, night train is no longer popular among Japanese people so that it was inevitable to be discontinued. The last day of the service was 21st March 2016, several days before a new bullet train line was opened.

Urawa - Akabane (near Higashi-Jujo station), 26 Mar 2013

It should also be noted that the Programme is still ongoing. JR Central had already demolished all locomotives and JR East will follow it by 2025. These facts suggest that even coach trains for tourists (including preserved trains) cannot last long.