Start of discussions with a view to reviewing local railways that are in danger of survival

A national study group has begun to discuss drastic reviews, such as discontinuing local railways nationwide, which have some routes whose survival is threatened by the effects of population decline and the new coronavirus, and switching to buses.

While it is expected that there will be a backlash from areas that want to leave the railway, the focus will be on how local governments along the railway line will be involved in the cost burden that has been relied on by railway operators.

The first meeting on the 14th was attended by about 20 people, including executives and experts from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and railway operators.

Most of the meetings are held privately, and attendees said, "It is important to improve the convenience of the area, not just to'leave the railroad'" and "2000 passengers per kilometer per day." There are less than two lines, and it is very difficult to maintain the railway as it is. "

Many businesses in local railways nationwide have fallen into the red, and some routes are in danger of survival. The study group will discuss drastic reviews such as discontinuing railways and switching to buses. It is a policy.

On the other hand, it is expected that there will be opposition from the region to discontinue the railway that has supported the movement of rural areas for many years.

For the maintenance of the line, the focus will be on how the local governments along the railway line will be involved in the cost burden that has been relied on by the railway operator, and the national government wants to show the direction by July. is.

Professor Kenzo Takeuchi of Tokyo Women's Christian University, who is familiar with transportation policy, said, "I would like to discuss various options and derive strategies while sharing a sense of crisis rather than a simple discussion on whether to abolish or survive." Was there.

For the first time, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has clarified the calculation of trials and trials to compare "expenses per kilometer of railroads and buses".

According to this, in the first year of Reiwa, operating expenses such as transportation costs and management costs for "railroads" such as JR and private railways averaged 4701 yen per kilogram.

On the other hand, for the "shared bus," operating expenses such as labor costs, fuel costs, and vehicle repairs, excluding road maintenance costs, averaged 491 yen per kilometer nationwide.

Although it is difficult to compare costs, it is said that the cost of buses can be reduced to about one tenth of that of railways.

The management of local routes is even more difficult due to the corona

The background to the government's start of new studies is that the business environment of railway companies has become even more severe due to the effects of the new coronavirus, and the sense of crisis regarding the maintenance of local routes has increased.

In an interview with NHK, President Kazuaki Hasegawa of JR West expressed a sense of crisis, saying, "We cannot leave routes that are underutilized as they are. We would like to work with local governments to find out the future prospects." It indicates that we would like to discuss the future of local routes, where the number of users is decreasing, together with local governments along the railway lines.

Following the final deficit of 233.2 billion yen last year, JR West is forecasting a final deficit of 116.5 billion yen this year (2021) as well.

There is an urgent need to rebuild management, and the company is working to improve management efficiency by conducting a large-scale reorganization of branch offices in the Chugoku region and significantly reducing the number of flights on conventional lines.

Furthermore, for regional routes where the number of users is particularly low, in addition to measures to promote utilization, centering on "line sections" where the "transport density", which indicates the average number of people carried per kilometer per day, is less than 2000. , I would like to consider how to meet the actual conditions and needs of the region, including the conversion to bus routes.

According to the people concerned, JR West has a policy to announce the individual income and expenditure situation for the first time since April, which has not been clarified so far for these lines, so by showing the concrete income and expenditure situation. It seems that we would like to accelerate discussions on the future with local governments along the railway lines.

Of these, the JR Oito Line, which connects Nagano and Niigata prefectures, announced on the 3rd of this month that it will continue to study the ideal way with local governments, including the conversion to buses.

In some cases, new routes will be opened at the expense of the local government.

Former Mayor Masashi Mori of Toyama City, who decided to switch to a new transportation network by utilizing the infrastructure of JR lines that was discontinued 16 years ago (2006), is also a member of the study group.

In 2006, Mayor Morimae took over the discontinued JR Toyama Port Line, introduced the LRT, a tram that reflects the latest technology, and opened the "Toyama Light Rail".

As a result of establishing four new stations and increasing the number of trains in operation, the number of passengers increased more than double in the first year of Reiwa, before the spread of the new corona infection, just before the discontinuation of JR lines.

Although it was operated by a third sector that invests in local railways, Toyama City has ▼ about 1.7 billion yen for initial capital investment and ▼ about 150 million yen for maintenance costs every year.

Currently, it is operated by Toyama Chiho Railway, and the city's burden is about 80 million yen every year.

It is said that there was some opposition from the citizens to the financial burden of the local government to maintain public transportation, and Toyama City held a total of 120 preliminary briefings for residents.

At the briefing session, there were a series of opinions such as "I only need a car. Is it really necessary to convert to LRT?" "Is there any point in using taxes?" Eventually, many people will not be able to drive a car. We must change the city planning for future citizens. "

Mayor Morimae said, "There are naturally some citizens who say why they spend taxes on such things, and they don't have to take a bus or train. Don't hesitate to try to persuade them. A city that is a municipality for the well-being of citizens. Sweats and creates a forum for discussion. Everyone has to discuss who will bear the burden. "