National Dec 18, 2021
JR East plans largest-ever cut of train services in spring 2022
The move, announced Friday, is designed to reduce costs as passengers have been slow to return after plunging amid the coronavirus pandemic.
National / Media | MEDIA MIX May 11, 2019
JR Hokkaido confronts the harsh realities of financing rail lines in depopulated areas
by Philip Brasor
Privatization of public enterprises is a core tenet of neoliberalism, and probably the most representative domestic development in this regard was the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1987. The resulting rail companies, distinguished primarily by region, have demonstrated differing degrees of success. ...
Business / Corporate Jul 27, 2018
Tokyo to offer JR Hokkaido ¥40 billion while ordering the railway operator to improve management
The government will order struggling Hokkaido Railway Co. (JR Hokkaido) to improve its management, while also offering ¥40 billion in financial aid to the firm over two years through March 2021, transport minister Keiichi Ishii said Friday. The railway operator has been mired in a ...
National Mar 14, 2018
As the Seikan Tunnel — a rail link between Honshu and Hokkaido — marked the 30th anniversary of its opening on Tuesday, better coexistence between shinkansen services and freight traffic remains a key challenge. At 53.85 km, the world's longest undersea tunnel connects the northern ...
National Feb 23, 2017
Hokkaido's latest freight train derailment disrupts commuter service between Sapporo, Hakodate
Another freight train derailment in Hokkaido early Thursday disrupted commuter runs between Sapporo and Hakodate, Japan Freight Railway Co. said. The driver found that one of his two locomotives had derailed between Toya and Usu stations on the JR Muroran Main Line around 4 a.m. ...
National Apr 6, 2016
A shinkansen made an emergency stop on Friday inside the nearly 54-kilometer undersea tunnel on the newly opened Hokkaido Shinkansen Line, the railway operator said Wednesday. The driver stopped the train because an emergency signal was triggered by a small metal object lying near the ...
Editorials Mar 23, 2016
It remains to be seen whether the latest extension of the shinkansen network will bring economics benefits to Japan's northernmost island.
National Mar 1, 2016
The Meteorological Agency warned Hokkaido on Tuesday to brace for its worst blizzard in years, and airlines and railways halted some operations. As an intensive low-pressure system moved eastward near Hokkaido, the agency forecast a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 40 meters per second and ...
National / Crime & Legal Feb 8, 2016
Cyberattacks target JR Hokkaido; security info may have leaked
More than 300 files of information, including those related to transportation security, may have leaked out after a personal computer at Hokkaido Railway Co. came under cyberattacks, NHK reported on Monday. The company, known as JR Hokkaido, was targeted by cyberattacks when it was preparing ...
National Apr 4, 2015
Smoke forces evacuation of 120 train passengers below Tsugaru Strait
A train carrying 120 passengers makes an emergency stop in a tunnel linking Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture after smoke is detected, forcing the evacuation of all onboard.
National Dec 30, 2014
JR Hokkaido admits express train ran for month with automatic stop system deactivated
Hokkaido Railway Co. has admitted to another safety oversight regarding the automatic train stop system on one of its express trains. According to JR Hokkaido, a Hokuto express train running between Sapporo and Hakodate was in operation for more than a month since late November ...
National Sep 26, 2014
Hokkaido train driver used smartphone while operating limited express in violation of rules
A 23-year-old JR Hokkaido worker was caught using his smartphone while driving a limited express train, the railway company says. The driver was operating a train on the Nemuro Line heading for Sapporo on Monday morning when he posted a private message on Facebook. Another ...