Latest news with #JapanNationalRailways
NHK
04-08-2025
- Business
- NHK
JR East to hike train fares avg. 7% in March 2026
East Japan Railway plans to raise fares by an average of 7.1 percent from next March in its first across-the-board price hike. The company, better known as JR East, says it needs to raise funds to maintain and improve safety and services. The rail operator says the government has approved the move, which will see starting fares for tickets rise 10 yen to 160 yen. The new price is the equivalent of a dollar and 9 cents. Bigger fare increases are planned for services in the Tokyo area, including the Yamanote train line that loops around the capital. The blanket hike is the first since JR East was formed in 1987 from the privatization of Japan National Railways, with the exception of consumption tax adjustments. JR East says it needs more than 400 billion yen, or about 2.7 billion dollars, to invest in safety and services. It says the price increases are needed because inflation and higher labor costs are weighing on its bottom line.
Japan Today
01-08-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
JR East gets OK to raise fares for Yamanote, other lines in March
East Japan Railway Co. said Friday it has received government approval to raise fares by an average 7.1 percent from March, the company's first blanket hike since 1987 when it was created from the privatization of the national railway company. The fare hike comes as the operator of Tokyo's busy Yamanote loop line and other train routes seek to secure funds for maintaining its railway services amid a falling population and rising prices. The starting fare for tickets will increase by 10 yen from the current 150 yen for distances between 1 to 3 kilometers on lines such as the Yamanote Line, which connects stations such as Tokyo, Shibuya and Shinjuku. For IC card users, the hike will be between 8 to 9 yen. JR East President and CEO Yoichi Kise sought understanding from the public about the planned move, saying in a statement, "It has become difficult to secure necessary funds to invest in equipment and repairs solely by our business efforts." The company is one of the regional railway firms created from the privatization of the state-run Japan National Railways in April 1987. JR East had not carried out a full-scale fare hike since its founding, except for cases when the consumption tax was introduced in the country and subsequent rate increases occurred. Under the plans approved by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, JR East will raise the price of standard fares by an average of 7.8 percent, commuter passes by 12.0 percent and school commuter passes by 4.9 percent. The increases are expected to raise an additional 88.1 billion yen in revenue annually. © KYODO
