Tag - rail

 
 

RAIL

Passengers gather around the departure boards at a train station in Paris on Friday as France's high-speed rail network was hit by malicious acts disrupting the transport system hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2024
France's high-speed railway hit by 'sabotage' during Olympics
The attacks were launched as Paris was under heavy security ahead of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics.
A 500 series bullet train on the Sanyo Shinkansen line with the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series decoration. The aging 500 series will retire in 2027.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 25, 2024
JR West to retire 500 series Shinkansen in 2027
JR West plans to introduce new N700S Shinkansen trains after the 500 series' retirement.
Passengers go through ticket gates at Tokyo Station Tuesday morning as all Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train services resumed following a partial halt the previous day.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024
Tokaido Shinkansen train line resumes full services
A derailment accident involving maintenance trains caused a partial suspension Monday, but all services have now been resumed.
Workers engage in restoration work on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, where two maintenance trains had derailed on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2024
Accident halts Tokaido Shinkansen services between Hamamatsu and Nagoya
JR Central said the resumption work is expected to continue until the evening and it is not clear when the services will be fully resumed.
A humanoid robot to be used by West Japan Railway for maintenance operations
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 5, 2024
Japan deploys humanoid robot for railway maintenance
The machine can use various attachments for its arms to carry objects, hold a brush to paint or use a chainsaw.
The survey found that most groping cases occurred on trains and that 80.4% of victims did not alert the police or train station staff after being groped, out of fears of causing a commotion.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 4, 2024
One in 10 young people in Japan a victim of molestation, survey finds
According to the findings, 10.5% of respondents said that they had experienced being molested, with women accounting for 88.0% of them.
The greater Tokyo area saw heavy rainfall on Tuesday, with the weather agency urging caution.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2024
Officials urge caution as Tokyo faces heavy rain
The Meteorological Agency has warned of the risk of floods and landslides.
A facial recognition system at ticket gates has been introduced at the Yamaman Yukarigaoka Line in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2024
Facial recognition for train passengers in use in Chiba Prefecture
A boarding system using a facial recognition technology was introduced at the Yamaman Yukarigaoka Line.
"Doctor Yellow" inspection trains are set to be retired by 2027 due to their aging.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2024
'Doctor Yellow' test shinkansen trains set for retirement
JR Central and JR West currently own one Doctor Yellow train each.
Shizuoka Gov. Yasutomo Suzuki (left) meets with JR Central President Shunsuke Niwa in the city of Shizuoka on June 5.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 7, 2024
Kishida maintains 2037 target for Tokyo-Osaka maglev line
Prime minister pledges support of the central government in helping stakeholders meet the deadline.
ANA Holdings has revised its customer service guidelines to include how to respond to various types of harassment of employees by customers.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2024
Labor group calls for measures to address harassment from customers
One survey of about 33,000 workers showed that 46.8% had experienced so-called customer harassment in the past two years.
Magnetic paper train tickets have been in use in Japan since the late 1960s.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 30, 2024
Eastern Japan rail operators to introduce QR code tickets by March 2027
JR East and seven other railway operators will replace their decades-old magnetic ticketing system to improve efficiency and sustainability.
The homes and farmland of the plaintiffs are near a proposed viaduct construction site for Central Japan Railway's magnetic levitation train line.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 28, 2024
Court rejects residents' bid to halt maglev train construction
The Kofu District Court said there is "high public interest" in the project and found no illegality that would warrant a suspension of construction.
Yasutomo Suzuki (second from right) celebrates in the city of Shizuoka on Sunday after being elected governor of Shizuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2024
Opposition-backed Yasutomo Suzuki wins Shizuoka gubernatorial vote
Suzuki’s victory could pave the way for restarting the maglev train line project that had been delayed due to opposition from his predecessor.
A worker unloads packages from a shinkansen at JR Tokyo Station on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2024
JR firms expanding cargo transport using shinkansen trains
Such services are set to expand as Japan facing disruptions to logistics services stemming from an overtime cap for truck drivers.
Former Shizuoka Vice Gov. Shinichi Omura announces he is running for the gubernatorial election, on April 12.
JAPAN / Politics
May 9, 2024
Campaigning for Shizuoka's next governor kicks off with all eyes on maglev line
A record six candidates are running for the post after the previous governor resigned over controversial remarks.
Mikuni Minato is not a town that has recently fallen on hard times — it's been that way for a century.
LIFE / Travel
May 7, 2024
48 hours in Mikuni Minato, Japan’s port town that time forgot
A trip to Mikuni Minato may not appeal to the average tourist, but well-traveled residents will find it fascinating.
Jiro Suzuki, head of Kosaka Railroad Railpark in Kosaka, Akita Prefecture, stands next to a retired Akebono sleeper train that is now being used as a lodging facility, on April 22.
JAPAN / Society
May 3, 2024
Lodging in 'blue train' to resume in Japan after five-year hiatus
Services using the retired sleeper train are set to restart Saturday after five years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Customer harassment” — in which customers harass front-line workers with aggressive behavior or unreasonable requests — has become a growing problem in the service industry.
JAPAN / Society
May 2, 2024
Japan steps up measures against 'customer harassment'
A 2022 survey found that 67.5% of respondents had experienced some kind of harassment from customers in the past three years.
JR East says it will not yield to unreasonable demands by customers who harass its employees.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2024
JR East says it will not respond to customer harassment
According to the policy, the company will not respond to customers who engage in harassment, such as physically or psychologically attacking employees.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals