JR Hokkaido started a mixed cargo-passenger business on the 24th, carrying luggage on vacant seats on the Hokkaido Shinkansen.
This is the first commercialization of mixed cargo and passenger loading using Shinkansen seats in Japan, with the aim of effectively utilizing seats with low occupancy rates.
JR Hokkaido has begun to collaborate with Sagawa Express, a major courier company, in the mixed cargo and passenger business, which carries luggage on the seats of the Hokkaido Shinkansen.
On the night of the 24th, after the departure ceremony was held at Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station, four special boxes containing luggage were loaded into the vacant seats of the vehicle.
The Shinkansen, which is loaded with passengers and passengers, runs once a day on weekday up trains from Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station to Shin-Aomori Station, and the luggage that arrives at the station is then delivered to the destination in Aomori Prefecture.
Until now, luggage from Hokkaido to Aomori had to be transported by ferry, but the Shinkansen can be used to transport it about 6 hours faster.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, this is the first commercialization of mixed cargo and passenger loading using Shinkansen seats in Japan, and JR Hokkaido aims to make effective use of seats with low occupancy rates.
Osamu Shimada, president of JR Hokkaido, said, "I want to establish the initiative as soon as possible and expand the business further in the future."
Masahide Motomura, president of Sagawa Express, said, "I think we can make efficient transportation by taking advantage of the speed of the Shinkansen, which was not possible with sea transportation."