Staff writer For people who want to make predawn visits to shrines and temples Saturday, major railways throughout Japan will provide their usual New Year's Eve all-night services. However, some plan to halt trains for a few minutes both sides of midnight today to cope with possible Y2K computer problems. In the Tokyo metropolitan area, many operators will make a station stop just before 2000 kicks in. They are East Japan Railway Co., Seibu Railway Co., Keisei Electric Railway Co., Keio Electric Railway Co., Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Tokyu Corp., Keihin Electric Express Railway Co., Sagami Railway Co. and Shin-Keisei Electric Railway Co. Subways run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Yokohama Municipal Government will also stop at stations for the millennium changeover. The metro government operates the Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku and No. 12 subway lines. Tobu Railway Co. and Teito Rapid Transit Authority, which operates all other subway lines in Tokyo, will not halt services. In the Kansai region, many major railways plan to run trains as usual. West Japan Railway Co., Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Nankai Electric Railway Co., Hankyu Corp., Hanshin Electric Railway Co. and Sanyo Electric Railway Co. will operate trains without making special stops during the period. Other major railways -- Keihan Electric Railway Co., Osaka-fu Toshi Kaihatsu, Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway Co., Kobe Electric Railway Co. and Kobe Rapid Transit Railway Co. -- will halt their runs briefly. Subway trains in Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe will also stop at stations during the rollover period. In the Chubu region, Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) and Nagoya Railroad Co. will operate trains as usual, but subway trains run by the Nagoya Municipal Government will stop at stations. In Kyushu, Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu), Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co. and the Fukuoka Municipal Government, which runs city subways, will operate trains without any special stoppages. Hokkaido Railway Co. (JR Hokkaido) will also run trains as usual, but the Sapporo Municipal Government will suspend its subway operations during the period. In other areas, Shikoku Railway Co. (JR Shikoku) plans to run trains normally. Subway trains in Sendai will stop at stations. All monorail trains and all carriers that run new railroad systems plan to suspend runs when the year changes over.
