Latest news with #EastJapanRailway
Japan Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan may allow bus and railway firms to enter ride-hailing business
A government panel proposed Wednesday that bus and railway operators be considered for entry into Japan's ride-hailing industry. The proposal was made by the Regulatory Reform Promotion Council, chaired by Tetsuro Tomita, adviser to East Japan Railway. At a meeting of the council on the day, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said: "Regulatory reforms are extremely important to overcome challenges caused by the population decline, realize 'regional revitalization 2.0' and shift to a value-adding economy. My cabinet will promptly approve a regulatory reform implementation plan." The Japanese approach to ride-hailing services, which began in April 2024, allows individual drivers to use their private vehicles to offer paid rides under the supervision of taxi companies. Bus and taxi operators have not been permitted to undertake this supervisory role. The council called for promoting ride-hailing services to address the nationwide transportation shortage and suggested a trial for bus and railway operators to identify potential safety and other issues. It also proposed system revisions to relax and clarify requirements for bus and railway operators to obtain taxi business licenses.
Japan Times
23-05-2025
- Japan Times
Tokyo's Yamanote Line resumes suspended train operations
All services on East Japan Railway's busy Yamanote Line in Tokyo were suspended Friday morning due to wire trouble, before being resumed later in the day. The inner loop service, in which trains run counterclockwise, resumed operations at around 7 a.m., while the outer loop service, which operates clockwise, resumed services around 8:25 a.m. But the number of trains was reduced, affecting some 197,000 passengers. According to JR East, a Yamanote Line train conductor reported Thursday night that sparks were seen flying from a pantograph. In response, JR East conducted an inspection and found abnormalities in 21 of the 50 Yamanote Line trains. The company stopped the outer circle service from around 9:50 p.m. until the last train of the day. During the restoration work, JR East discovered that an auxiliary overhead wire was broken near Shinbashi Station. Shinagawa Station was crowded with passengers Friday morning due to the train suspensions. A 30-year-old company worker was worried he might not arrive on time for work in the Shinjuku district. A mother, 42, was rushing to get her 5-year-old daughter to a meeting point for a kindergarten excursion. "I want to hurry because my daughter gets unwell in crowded places," she said, adding that she plans to use JR East's Keihin-Tohoku Line instead.
NHK
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- NHK
Tokyo's Yamanote Line suspension likely caused by broken overhead wires
East Japan Railway Company says broken overhead wires were the likely cause for the trouble that led to a full suspension of the Yamanote Line loop railway service in central Tokyo on Friday morning. The railway company said that at about 10 p.m. on Thursday, it received a report from the conductor of a train on the line's outer loop that an electrical discharge was observed from the train's pantograph. The company confirmed through checks that some trains on the line had partially bent pantographs. The company suspended the outer loop service later on Thursday and investigated the matter. It said overhead wires for the outer loop service were found to have been broken near Shimbashi Station. The broken wires appear to have touched pantographs. The company said 20 of the 50 trains on the line had damaged pantographs. The railway operator suspended both the outer and inner loops of the Yamanote Line service since the first departures on Friday, before resuming service at about 8:30 a.m. The Keihin-Tohoku Line, which runs parallel to the Yamanote Line in some sections, was also partially suspended. A total of 176 trains were canceled during the suspensions, affecting about 249,000 people.
Japan Times
15-04-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Times
India to adopt JR East's new E10 shinkansen trains
India will adopt East Japan Railway's E10 series of shinkansen bullet trains for its national high-speed railway under construction in the west of the country, according to people familiar with the matter. A final decision on the introduction of the next-generation shinkansen series is expected to be made when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Japan for a summit meeting, the people said Monday, adding that there is a possibility that the meeting will take place in August. The E10 trains, being developed for JR East's Tohoku Shinkansen line, are expected to be put into service in the South Asian country in the early 2030s. Japanese and Indian authorities are in talks over how to select a company to operate the Japanese-style signaling system necessary for running the E10 trains. They and Indian railway operator National High Speed Rail plan to conduct hearings of Japanese firms soon. The E10 trains are slated to enter service in Japan in fiscal 2030 and are seen being introduced on the Indian high-speed rail line connecting Mumbai to Ahmedabad soon afterward. A total of 24 sets of 10 train cars are expected to be delivered for the Indian railway, with some likely to be produced in the South Asian country. A rendering of East Japan Railway's E10 series of shinkansen bullet trains | East Japan Railway / via Jiji Japan plans to create a new yen loan framework, with the interest rate to be decided later, as the railway project is likely to cost more than expected in light of the E10 adoption. The loan will be available to use not only for train cars, but also for the development of areas around stations. The Indian government aims to start commercial operations on some sections of the high-speed line in August 2027. Until the E10 trains are delivered, it plans to run Vande Bharat semihigh-speed trains after modifications to increase their speed. Tokyo had initially planned to get India to adopt JR East's current mainstay E5 series trains for the high-speed line, but the country expressed disapproval over what an Indian government source described as a price tag significantly over the international standard, as well as postponements in the delivery period. New Delhi was considering using train cars produced domestically, but the Japanese government was unwavering in seeking the adoption of Japan-made trains for what is considered a flagship project for Japan-India cooperation. To break the deadlock, Tokyo proposed the adoption of E10 trains in negotiations at the end of last year, which the Indian side signaled it would accept. The Japanese government also proposed the newer train model because introducing the E10 trains would coincide with the completion of efforts to set up a Japanese-style signaling system for the line.
South China Morning Post
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Netflix movie review: Bullet Train Explosion – breathless remake by Shin Godzilla director
4/5 stars Advertisement After breathing new life into some of Japanese cinema's most beloved monsters in Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman , animator-turned-director Shinji Higuchi now turns his attention to the classic 1970s disaster thriller The Bullet Train. Part reboot, part sequel, Bullet Train Explosion revisits the nail-biting scenario of a high-speed train that will explode if its speed drops below 100 miles per hour (160km/h). The 1975 film pitted superstars Ken Takakura and Sonny Chiba against one another in a breathless race against time that inspired the Keanu Reeves blockbuster Speed. Combining state-of-the-art visual effects with unprecedented access to real Shinkansen trains and facilities from the East Japan Railway (JR East) Company, Higuchi delivers an epic action thrill-ride every bit as exhilarating as its predecessor. Advertisement Tsuyoshi Kusanagi reunites with the director for the first time since Sinking of Japan (2006) to headline an ensemble cast. He plays Takaichi, senior conductor of the Tohoku Shinkansen Hayabusa No. 60 on its perilous journey across Honshu island towards Tokyo.
