Japan Railways News/Technical
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Just like Fryderyk's topic, this one will concentrate on the news and technical aspects of railways in Japan. Will be updated accordingly when I have free time, plus anyone who has questions or want to answer anyone's question can do so too!
The present railway system in Japan is one of the most extensive and advanced in the world. However, behind all the Shinkansen (bullet trains) and 'singing' trains (Keikyu N1000), how much more cannot be seen by the normal tourist? I aim to share with fellow forumnites the less known side of Japan railways, including rural local lines, the history of railways during the Japan National Railways (JNR), the clean, grey and dirty side of railway business in Japan.
First up, the various types of railways operators. In Japan they are divided into three business sectors, namely 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sector.
1st Sector means Public Limited companies. The present JR Group, including JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Tokai, JR West, JR Shikouku, JR Kyushu and JR Freight belong to the 1st Sector. The above companies divided from JNR in Showa 62 (1987).
2nd Sector means Private Limited companies. Many private railways like Keikyu, Keisei, Keio, Seibu, Tobu of the Tokyo area belong to the 2nd Sector.
3rd Sector are companies made up by local persons or town councils. They are normally NPOs (Non-Profit Organizations) and aim to use the railway to bring convenience to their residents and not for profit. Many 3rd Sector lines were built and run by JNR, given up in 1987 and taken/bought over by 3rd Sector organizations. Some examples of 3rd Sector railway companies are Hokuetsu Railway (Niigata) and Shigaraki Railways (Kinki Region). There are numerous other 3rd Sector railways that we will come across as we go on.
We can see that there are a lot of 1987 appearing, for that year is a year of great importance in railways in Japan. The once strong and dominating JNR came to a economic and operational 'bust' and was finally divided to seven public companies on April Fool's Day (1st April) of that year. History of railways in Japan is rewritten from that year on...
I will explain more about the history of JNR in the few posts after. Stay tuned!
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The Japan National Railways is a national corporation born after the Second World War. Its establishment date was 1st June 1949. Railways controlled before and during the war is under the Ministry of Railways (鉄��).
Under the JNR era, many local lines were built in Japan, boasting the largest density network in Asia and also the most advanced in terms of technology. JNR also had an extensive network of buses and ships, which little remains as of now, largely removed when privatised in 1987 and also due to running changes through the years.
The main reason for JNR going 'bust' would be its economical situation. It is popularly said that for every 100 yen earned, they spend 147. Counting on such a large deficit, it would be only a matter of time before it would come to an end.
Local lines built by the JNR were one of the most prominent reason of deficit for JNR. Lines were often built regardless of actual usage. Towns and villages often ask for lines to be built for the convenience of their residents and also in the name of development, and such situation happened almost on a rampant rate in Hokkaido, a place of heavy snow during the winter. Low ridership, heavy costs on maintaining the railways and occasional natural disasters caused heavy losses for JNR every year.
Because its a national corporation, schedules of trains are often generous, including night time local trains, consisting of an electric locomotive and several passenger cars, that were frequent until the late 1980s. The ridership of midnight local trains, obviously, is very low. This operational method, coupled with bad train frequency and over saturation on routes in Tokyo during rush hours is largely caused by mis-match in budget and logistics planning. Certain railway divisions maximize their budget in the hope of getting more from the government in the next financial year.
Furthermore, every working citizen would pay tax, and these tax goes to the government, which spends on the railway and other departments for the benefit of their citizens. How would it be a good chance to ask for more! Because of this 'pay tax and get it' idea, the government is constantly on pressure to improve the system, further dumping more money into JNR. However this is not enough to cover the costs of running the system. We commuters here could only work on the excuse of 'pay for travel and get it' idea, how much more humble than those days!
Staff are often overworked in that era, with some accidents occurring because of that. This situation still exists now in JR (with JR West being the most notorious) and certain private railways.
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The "Do-ray-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do" train is Keikyu N1000?
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Doma shi ma ri ma,
Go chui ku da sai... -
Originally posted by TIB1224Y:
Just like Fryderyk's topic, this one will concentrate on the news and technical aspects of railways in Japan. Will be updated accordingly when I have free time, plus anyone who has questions or want to answer anyone's question can do so too!
The present railway system in Japan is one of the most extensive and advanced in the world. However, behind all the Shinkansen (bullet trains) and 'singing' trains (Keikyu N1000), how much more cannot be seen by the normal tourist? I aim to share with fellow forumnites the less known side of Japan railways, including rural local lines, the history of railways during the Japan National Railways (JNR), the clean, grey and dirty side of railway business in Japan.
First up, the various types of railways operators. In Japan they are divided into three business sectors, namely 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sector.
1st Sector means Public Limited companies. The present JR Group, including JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Tokai, JR West, JR Shikouku, JR Kyushu and JR Freight belong to the 1st Sector. The above companies divided from JNR in Showa 62 (1987).
2nd Sector means Private Limited companies. Many private railways like Keikyu, Keisei, Keio, Seibu, Tobu of the Tokyo area belong to the 2nd Sector.
3rd Sector are companies made up by local persons or town councils. They are normally NPOs (Non-Profit Organizations) and aim to use the railway to bring convenience to their residents and not for profit. Many 3rd Sector lines were built and run by JNR, given up in 1987 and taken/bought over by 3rd Sector organizations. Some examples of 3rd Sector railway companies are Hokuetsu Railway (Niigata) and Shigaraki Railways (Kinki Region). There are numerous other 3rd Sector railways that we will come across as we go on.
We can see that there are a lot of 1987 appearing, for that year is a year of great importance in railways in Japan. The once strong and dominating JNR came to a economic and operational 'bust' and was finally divided to seven public companies on April Fool's Day (1st April) of that year. History of railways in Japan is rewritten from that year on...
I will explain more about the history of JNR in the few posts after. Stay tuned!
The singing trains are the same as the OBB Railjet Taurus Siemens right?
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JR East stocks rose 3.12% in intraday trade on the Nikkei today to the Yen equivalent of 46.77Euros, boosted by fears of domestic cancellations made by the Japan Airlines Group over their upcoming bankruptcy on the 19th of January 2010.
JR West stocks gained 3.72%, however this time the rise was mainly attributed to higher turnover for Fiscal Year 2009/2010.
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However the Tobu Railway Co. Ltd posted a drop and a slight rebound to gain at the end of intraday trade, to the Yen equivalent of 3.91Euros, an up of 1.60%.
Nishi-Nippon gained 100 pips and lost it almost as fast when trade opened, remaining stagnant at the current Yen equivalent of 2.74Euros, gaining a slight 0.47%, despite market observers degrading the value to a A- class type rated stock.
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Japan Airlines(JAL Group) is declaring bankruptcy and there is massive selling of JAL's stock on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Stock has dropped in excess of 80% from yesterday's trade to 7 yen per stock, unprecedented in history. Analysts expect it to drop to 1 yen.
Domestic route cuts are inevitable. ANA will have to pick up the slack. Express trains in Japan will have to pick up near distance traffic(not mainland-Kyushu/Okinawa/Hokkaido) for air times less than 1 hour by air.
Expect JR stocks to rise significantly.
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Surprisingly enough, JR East(benchmark stock) dropped 2%...
Guess it is time for market correction.
JR East stock below... All in Euros...
JR West stock below, again in Euros...
Just waiting for market correction.
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For the scale and scope of the Japanese railway influence once the once mighty JAL goes belly-up, see this thread...
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Reputations on line as Japan pulls out stops to win rail contracts
The Times:
Leo Lewis, Asia Business CorrespondentA global boom in infrastructure projects worth more than £200 billion has prompted Japan to launch its most expansive charm offensive in the international game of railway diplomacy.
From Washington to Ho Chi Minh City, via Delhi and Dubai, Japan has embarked on an unprecedented frenzy of salesmanship. Huge delegations representing businesses and the Government have begun circulating the world’s capitals pitching for any railway projects where Japan thinks it stands a chance of winning the bid.
In its desperation to win, say analysts in Tokyo, Japan is playing one of its favourite cards — huge overseas development aid (ODA) and generously termed loans — with the tacit expectation that those nations accepting them will “buy Japanese” when selecting their train maker. Recent examples have included extending a $5 billion (£3 billion) loan to India for rail upgrades and making a surprise offer to Moscow to help to finance the rebuilding of the Trans-Siberian railway.
In India, particularly, the stakes are high. The recently completed second- phase sections of the Delhi Metro are expected to form the template for similar mass-transit networks in other large cities in future.
Japan’s diplomatic gambit is not restricted to railways. The Government last week offered cheap funding to electricity groups in Australia and the US for the construction of clean-coal generators, with the clear proviso that the technology and equipment used for the projects be Japanese.
A spokesman for Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), the train-making conglomerate, agreed the number of projects financed by ODA and by the Japan Bank for International Co-operation was increasing. The ones funded by Japanese ODA, he said, were particularly interesting because only Japanese companies are invited to bid.
If Japan does not win these contracts now, its reputation as a builder of high-speed trains may be destroyed, runs the official logic in Tokyo. France and Germany have always been fierce rivals but the field has also been joined by South Korea and China for this latest round of massive project tenders.
With projects valued at a combined $100 billion, the Middle East is viewed as potentially the next most lucrative battleground, as the region’s oil states turn their attention away from the combustion engine for public transport amid surging urban populations. The first line of the Dubai Metro opens later this year, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and others are looking at building substantial rail networks to extend their existing routes. Japanese companies have a strong foothold and are involved in a number of monorail and commuter links. But China, already emerging as a strong player in the region, has made its competitive presence felt, winning the contract to build a monorail in Mecca.
Meanwhile, the Japanese efforts are being stepped up. A 25-man team, consisting of bureaucrats from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and executives from KHI, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsui, recently returned to Tokyo from Brazil, where they were touting Japan’s ability to build a $15 billion, 500km rail link between São Paulo and Rio. Earlier this week, Yoshiyuki Kasai, the chairman of Central Japan Railway, travelled to Washington to add his weight to company efforts to win contracts to build a new high-speed network in America. If successful, the pickings could be spectacular: the Obama Administration recently promised a $13 billion investment in such a network.
Central to Mr Kasai’s pitch was the promised speed of the trains. In his case, the favoured machine would be the N700, designed to start making the iconic Tokyo-Osaka run at 330km/h later this year. Before those grand assurances were made, some had begun to question whether Japanese bullet trains, despite their reputation, would be fast enough to satisfy potential buyers. A pace of 300km/h is emerging as the minimum requirement of nations planning their first high-speed rail routes.
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Indeed, a business correspondent (from The Times this time) could not get more than the normally told numbers... Tokyo to Osaka stretch could manage only 270 km/h even with the new N700. That is largely due to turning radius of 2500 meters along the route. The only route that will be having a speed 'boost' would be the Tohoku Shinkansen, aiming a maximum 300 km/h in 2011 with the JR East E5 and 320 km/h in 2013 in the Utsunomiya to Morioka section.
The fastest section of rail for the Tokaido Shinkansen is between Kyoto and Maibara, where test trains like the 300X (Compliment code A/955å½¢) ran up to 443 km/h, the fastest on normal electric rail (non-linear) in Japan till now.
But I do not see the Japanese being able to beat the Europeans, especially the TGV, in near future with existing Shinkansen lines largely due to the flat terrain, new rails and true high speed of the newer TGV system. The Shinkansen system would still remain as a humble high speed system in Asia concentrating on zero passenger accident fatalities and of course, timely running.
Another difference with the TGV and the Shinkansen trains are the distribution of motors. For the TGV, speed is more important, less terrain to tackle with, so motors are concentrated at the front and end motor cars. Center passenger cars are much more quiet and lighter.
Shinkansen trains have been designed over the years with terrain in mind, hence train cars are largely fully motorized. The designers envisioned that with spread out power, the train would be able to maintain speed at uphill sections. This is what sets the Shinkansen and the TGV apart.
In the next post, I will explore more points on the Shinkansen network, including some stuff that, well, the normal tourist would not know about!
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Originally posted by TIB1224Y:
Indeed, a business correspondent (from The Times this time) could not get more than the normally told numbers... Tokyo to Osaka stretch could manage only 270 km/h even with the new N700. That is largely due to turning radius of 2500 meters along the route. The only route that will be having a speed 'boost' would be the Tohoku Shinkansen, aiming a maximum 300 km/h in 2011 with the JR East E5 and 320 km/h in 2013 in the Utsunomiya to Morioka section.
The fastest section of rail for the Tokaido Shinkansen is between Kyoto and Maibara, where test trains like the 300X (Compliment code A/955å½¢) ran up to 443 km/h, the fastest on normal electric rail (non-linear) in Japan till now.
But I do not see the Japanese being able to beat the Europeans, especially the TGV, in near future with existing Shinkansen lines largely due to the flat terrain, new rails and true high speed of the newer TGV system. The Shinkansen system would still remain as a humble high speed system in Asia concentrating on zero passenger accident fatalities and of course, timely running.
Another difference with the TGV and the Shinkansen trains are the distribution of motors. For the TGV, speed is more important, less terrain to tackle with, so motors are concentrated at the front and end motor cars. Center passenger cars are much more quiet and lighter.
Shinkansen trains have been designed over the years with terrain in mind, hence train cars are largely fully motorized. The designers envisioned that with spread out power, the train would be able to maintain speed at uphill sections. This is what sets the Shinkansen and the TGV apart.
In the next post, I will explore more points on the Shinkansen network, including some stuff that, well, the normal tourist would not know about!
Yes they won't beat the French/German on speed, but one thing they would defintitely beat the SNCF TGV on comfort(seating) in 1st class! Confirm plus chop
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Delay of 60 - 61 minutes on the Yurakucho Line of Tokyo Metro, Fukutoshin line affected as well.
At 716 AM JST a Tobu (æ�±æ¦) 9000-kei trainset 9102F (incident car モãƒ�9802) 'cross-over' to Yurakucho line technical fault at Ichigaya station (Y14, 市ケ谷駅), sparks emitted from pantograph and spotted by conductor. Services resume at 944 AM JST.
Info of trainset courtesy of folks on 2ch.
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Originally posted by TIB1224Y:
Delay of 60 - 61 minutes on the Yurakucho Line of Tokyo Metro, Fukutoshin line affected as well.
At 716 AM JST a Tobu (æ�±æ¦) 9000-kei trainset 9102F (incident car モãƒ�9802) 'cross-over' to Yurakucho line technical fault at Ichigaya station (Y14, 市ケ谷駅), sparks emitted from pantograph and spotted by conductor. Services resume at 944 AM JST.
Info of trainset courtesy of folks on 2ch.
Sparks from the pantograph? Does the hi-speed lines and the normal commuter lines have different voltages?
I have taken the Korail locos in SKorea before and when the train was pulling into the station(Wonju), there were sparks between the pantograph and the wire.
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Hi,
Is it possible if you could provide the ridership of commuters taking JR? Looking for daily and yearly ridership.. Hahaha...
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Originally posted by Bus and Train LoVuR:
The "Do-ray-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do" train is Keikyu N1000?
It's one of the train with that motor characteristic on the Keikyu Line, with the other one being the Keikyu 2100.
Originally posted by Interception_7:Hi,
Is it possible if you could provide the ridership of commuters taking JR? Looking for daily and yearly ridership.. Hahaha...
Which JR you are referring to? If JR East, yearly should be at least 6 billion commuters per year if I am not wrong. Daily should be around 16 million commuters if I am not wrong as well.
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Originally posted by E5:
It's one of the train with that motor characteristic on the Keikyu Line, with the other one being the Keikyu 2100.
Is the musical train in anyway similar to the ones operated in Europe manufactured by Siemens? Like the OBB Railjet etc.? -
The inverters are similar... Motors different.
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Originally posted by Interception_7:
Doma shi ma ri ma,
Go chui ku da sai...
doa ga shimarimasu, go chuii kudasai.... :p
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Originally posted by ^tamago^:
doa ga shimarimasu, go chuii kudasai.... :p
hahahah thanks thanks!! -
Originally posted by Fryderyk HPH:
Is the musical train in anyway similar to the ones operated in Europe manufactured by Siemens? Like the OBB Railjet etc.?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDX0AEnpNlE
This is the N1000. Motor is by Siemens.Originally posted by ^tamago^:doa ga shimarimasu, go chuii kudasai.... :p
A minor correction, it should be "doa ga shimarimasu, go chui kudasai".
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Announcements! Cool man... Love them, the most polite ones you can find in Asia and perhaps the world! Lets do some twisting to the local announcements!
JP: 本日もSMRTã�”利用ã�„ã�Ÿã� ã��ã�¾ã�—ã�¦ã€�ã�‚ã‚Šã�Œã�¨ã�†ã�”ã�–ã�„ã�¾ã�™ã€‚ã�“ã�®é›»è»Šã�¯å�—北線ã€�マリーナ・ベイ行ã��ã�§ã�™ã€‚<マリーナ・ベイã�¾ã�§ã‚‚ã€�ã�‹ã��駅ã�«å�œè»Šã�„ã�Ÿã�—ã�¾ã�™ã€‚>発車ã�—ã�¾ã�™ã�Œã€�ã�Šå¾…ã�¡ã�—ã�¦ã��ã� ã�•ã�„。
EN: Thank you for (using/taking) SMRT today. This train is (on the) North-South Line, heading for Marina Bay. <We will stop at all stations to Marina Bay.> Please wait before the train departs.
<> denote additional information not needed in local context because we do not have train type tiering system.
JP: SMRTæ�±è¥¿ç·šã�”利用ã�„ã�Ÿã� ã��ã�¾ã�—ã�¦ã€�ã�‚ã‚Šã�Œã�¨ã�†ã�”ã�–ã�„ã�¾ã�™ã€‚次ã�¯ãƒ‰ãƒ¼ãƒ´ã‚¡ãƒ¼ã€�ドーヴァーã�§ã�™ã€‚出å�£ã�¯å·¦å�´ã�§ã�™ã€‚ã‚�ã�™ã‚Œã‚‚ã�®ã�ªã�•ã�„ã�¾ã�›ã‚“よã€�ã�”注æ„�下ã�•ã�„。
JP: 次ã�¯ã€�終点ã€�パシール・リスã�§ã�™ã€‚ã‚�ã�™ã‚Œã‚‚ã�®ã�ªã�•ã�„ã�¾ã�›ã‚“よã€�ã�”注æ„�下ã�•ã�„。ã�»ã‚“ã�˜ã�¤ã‚‚ã€�SMRTã�”利用ã�„ã�Ÿã� ã��ã�¾ã�—ã�¦ã€�ã�‚ã‚Šã�Œã�¨ã�†ã�”ã�–ã�„ã�¾ã�—ã�Ÿã€‚
Now the last two are good ones you can challenge yourself to! Note the different ways that 'thank you' is said in the two announcements, it would be cool if you can find out why too!
PS: The announcements are fictional and do not represent any company in any way. As they are human translated versions (that is me), errors may bound to occur.
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As per the recent news of Japan Airlines' bankruptcy and the likely chain effect should its creditors decide to suspend flights, JRail will have to pick up the slack. Please click the hyperlink to the JL Bankruptcy Thread.
Expect JR's stocks to rise. Especially the Hokkaido subsidiary, listed on the Nikkei.
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Due to exams and projects... Less posting for the time being.
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14th Feb 1040 am, a rapid service train (6-car, 500 passengers) stopped between Kawachikatakami and Sangou stations on the JR Kansai Line. 4 to 5 train fans with tripods and camera were seen inside the track area; the train stopped 50 meters before them.
JR West staff went to the scene, and after 30 minutes of persuading, the fans left the track side. 19 trains on both directions were cancelled, 26 trains delayed maximum 39 minutes, 13000 passengers affected.
JR West says that the fans were waiting for the group use train 'Asuka' (6-car, Series 12/14 passenger car modified) that runs twice to thrice yearly to pass by at 1125 am, and a group of 50 fans were standing at the 'photo point'.
The fans were standing half a meter to a meter away from the tracks. The rapid service train driver asked them to move back, but the fans refused, and a patrol car (police) had to be called.
JR West says that there are no past cases where fans trespassed and refused to move off when asked. The spokesman also says 'As much as railway hobby is, this is a dangerous act. We wish that dangerous acts are avoided absolutely'.
☆
'Asuka' (���) is a replacement for the 'Miyabi' (�や�), the latter written off in the infamous Amarube Viaduct (余部鉄橋) accident in 1986, when the train was literally blown off the bridge and fell onto a factory below, killing 5 factory workers and one train conductor. 'Miyabi' itself is 7-car, modified from older JNR Series 60 passenger cars.
'Asuka' is modified from Series 12 passenger cars, and the high-decker car is made from a Series 14 sleeper car. Total possible complement 7-car (one back-up).