Impact of 66% reduction in passengers!
The impact of the successive last train advancement is October 22, 20:23
Only tens of minutes, but tens of minutes.
The last train advance announced by JR East attracted a lot of access on the NHK news site, and I was surprised at the high level of attention.
The last train in urban areas has been delayed due to economic development after the war, but due to the spread of the new coronavirus, the movement to consider moving the time forward is spreading to other railway companies.
How much will the advance of the last train change our lives?
(Kentaro Makata, Reporter, Ministry of Economic Affairs)
Up to 37 minutes Impact 20,000 people
The last train of 17 lines running in the Tokyo metropolitan area announced by JR East on the 21st.
The fastest is about 37 minutes on the Takasaki and Ome lines.
In the case of the Takasaki Line, the last train from Ueno to Shinmaebashi in Gunma Prefecture will be from 11:07 pm so far to 10:30 pm from next spring.
When the last train is around 10 pm, I feel that it is quite early.
It takes about 20 minutes on the Yamanote line and about 30 minutes on the Chuo line.
The number of people affected per day is 20,000.
* Click here for detailed advance times for each route
What is the reason for the historical shift?
This is the first time in JR East that the time of the last train has been significantly advanced so far.
There are two main reasons for making a historic shift.
The first is "decrease in late-night passengers."
[Number of passengers in the middle of the night (compared to last year)]
▼ Tokaido Line (11:00 pm) 61% decrease
▼ Yamanote Line (midnight) 66% decrease
Due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, the number of passengers has decreased by about 30%, but it is more than 60% only at midnight.
In addition to the decrease in commuting due to the spread of telework, the movement to refrain from going out and drinking parties is accelerating the decrease in the number of passengers.
And JR sees these trends as not temporary.
President Fukasawa
"I think that even if the spread of the new coronavirus subsides, the level of railway usage will not return to its original level."
A growing shortage of bearers
The second reason for accelerating the last train is "improving the working environment for workers."
Railroads have daily inspection and maintenance work on the railroad tracks after the last train.
The labor shortage is still serious, and the number of workers is expected to decrease by 10% to 20% in the next 10 years.
On the other hand, the amount of construction work is said to have increased by 10% in the last 10 years.
This is because platform doors are being installed and barrier-free measures are being taken.
By advancing the last train, the aim is to make it easier for workers to take time off by shortening the construction period by allowing them to work longer in a day.
A long-standing concern has begun to move toward improvement, triggered by the new coronavirus.
Other railway companies
These two issues are common to other railway companies.
The movement to consider moving up the last train is spreading all over the country.
From next spring, JR West will reduce 48 trains departing around midnight on major Kansai routes, and will accelerate the final train by up to 30 minutes.
At major private railways, Seibu Railway is considering moving up to about 30 minutes, and Tokyu Corporation, Odakyu Electric Railway, Keihin Electric Railway, and Seibu Railway in Fukuoka Prefecture are also considering moving up the last train.
What is the effect of the advance?
Only tens of minutes.
However, the advancement of the last train affects the lives of many people.
A typical example is the restaurant business.
Kenichi Ushijima, who runs an izakaya near JR Shimbashi Station, is thinking of accelerating the closing time by about 30 minutes from midnight.
After closing the store, cleaning the dishes and disinfecting the table, the last train returns home before 1 am.
It may not be in time in the future.
It is said that shortening business hours is a pain as the number of customers drops to half of last year.
Mr. Ushijima
"I want the train to run until later, so if the last train gets faster, it will affect sales on the weekend."
Impact on private railways
The effect of accelerating the last train is not only along the JR lines, but also along the private railway lines that connect to JR.
Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture is a terminal station that connects the "JR Sobu Line" that connects to the city center and the "Tobu Urban Park Line" of the Tobu Railway that runs in the suburbs.
In March, Tobu Railway delayed the last train on weekdays to Kashiwa Station, which is an intermediate terminal station, by 33 minutes in order to improve the convenience of users returning home from the city center to the suburbs.
However, as the last train of JR arrives earlier next spring, some of its convenience will be diminished.
Will it be an opportunity to change the way you work?
The time of the last train, which was delayed in line with postwar economic growth.
In 1964, when the last Tokyo Olympics were held, the Yamanote Line was at 0:38 am and the Chuo Line was at 0:35 am.
“Moretsu employees” who commute to work early in the morning and return home by the last train supported Japan's economic growth, and the time of the last train has remained almost unchanged for more than half a century.
In fact, until recently, consideration was given to delaying the last train even further.
Against the backdrop of the rapid increase in foreign tourists, the aim was to strengthen the night economy = "nighttime economy," but the new virus turned the last train forward.
The new coronavirus is still plagued by many, but as a result we have the opportunity to rethink our way of working and living.
For JR East, moving the last train ahead of schedule, which can be said to be the first in fact, may be a major turning point that will change the lifestyles of workers.
Reporter of the Ministry of Economic Affairs
Kentaro Makata
After working at the Obihiro Bureau, Takamatsu Bureau, and Hiroshima Bureau, he is currently in charge of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.