Changing station timetable March 12th 16:52

“In order to save money, we have stopped displaying bulletin boards.” The

number of “timetables” on station platforms has decreased.

Timetables are said to have changed the Japanese sense of time since the opening of railways approximately 150 years ago.

New changes are occurring now.

(Economy Department reporter Maiko Oe and Kohei Kawahara)

From "timetable" to "two-dimensional code"

It's February, just before the spring timetable revision.

At the platform of Marunouchi Station on the Nagoya Municipal Subway Tsurumai Line, work was underway to remove the timetable from the bulletin board.

In normal years, a new timetable would have appeared in conjunction with the timetable revision...

Instead of the familiar timetable, what was installed was a board with a two-dimensional code on it.

In line with the timetable revision in March, this subway will remove all timetables on the platforms for the two lines, the Tsurumai Line and the Kamiida Line, and will switch to two-dimensional code guidance.

When you point your smartphone's camera screen at the two-dimensional code, it connects you to a website where timetables are posted.

A similar switch was already made on the Sakuradori Line in September last year, and all timetables on the platforms will disappear at 41 stations on three of the six lines.

Timetables have been removed from more than 210 locations.

However, based on the ``Railway Transportation Regulations'' established in 1942, timetables must be posted at stations.

For this reason, the Nagoya Municipal Subway will continue to display timetables at ticket gates and other locations.

“Decrease in passengers” is the trigger

Why do we remove the "timetable"?

According to the Nagoya City Transportation Bureau, which operates the facility, the impetus was the deterioration of business conditions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In fiscal 2022, the subway business achieved a final surplus for the first time in three years, but the number of passengers per day was 1.15 million.

The number of people remains depressed, down about 15% from 1.34 million people in 2018, when there was no impact from the new coronavirus.

For this reason, we are thoroughly cutting costs.

Replacing the timetables at all stations on one line costs several million yen each time, which is not a small amount if the timetables are replaced every year.

Two-dimensional codes can be used for years after being pasted once, reducing costs and labor.

``We are in a difficult environment as various expenses are increasing due to rising prices and other factors. We are in a situation where we have to cut costs where we can, and we are looking at the situation of other railway companies and adjusting the timetable. I have decided to stop posting.”

Removal of timetables on platforms is spreading among other railway companies as well.

When asked about the reasons for this, railway companies said that in addition to cost reductions, the reason behind this change is that with the spread of smartphones, there has been an increase in the number of people who check train timetables on their own or look up train times on transfer search sites.

On the other hand, Tokyu Corporation, after removing its timetables, took a turn and decided to install more timetables so as not to compromise convenience.

The user is

How do passengers perceive the removal of the timetable?

When I spoke to passengers on the Nagoya Municipal Subway, I felt that perceptions differed depending on the generation.

<Male in his 20s>

``I use the Tsurumai Line, where the timetable on the platform will be removed from March.The time between the next train and the next train is not that long, so I don't really check it.'' <

Female in her 50s

> ``I only occasionally look at the timetable. I use my smartphone to search for routes and check arrival times.'' (

Male in his 70s)

``Trains come frequently on the Nagoya Municipal Subway, but the situation is worse at stations on lines that have fewer trains.'' That's not true. It would be difficult if there was no timetable on the platform. It would be better not to remove it."

Removed at over 90% of stations Seibu Railway

On the Seibu Railway, which runs through Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, 88 of the 91 stations have already removed the timetables on the platforms.

Instead, information about the company's apps and sightseeing trains was posted on the bulletin board.

Regarding the removal of trains from the platform, the company has installed an electronic bulletin board on the platform where you can check the time of the next train, and that its app that allows you to check the timetable and train location has been downloaded 860,000 times, and is expected to gain a certain level of popularity. The reason for this is that it can be seen.

At Seibu Railway, the timetable itself is consolidated near the ticket gates and ticket vending machines where it can be easily seen inside the station, and it is always posted in one place. They are handing out paper copies of the website's timetable.

A timetable that changed our sense of time

"Timetables" can now be conveniently checked on smartphones.

Railways and timetables are said to have changed the Japanese sense of time.

According to materials from the Railway Museum, when Japan's railways opened in 1872, passengers were already informed of minute-by-minute timetables.

``In order to board a train, you have to go to the station before the departure time, and you will be expected to behave on time, something we take for granted these days.

In the Edo period, the unit of time was based on the lunar-solar calendar, and the increments of time were two hours, which was extremely rough.

However, to ride a train, people were required to act on a minute-by-minute basis, and in this way, it can be said that railways played a major role in changing the Japanese sense of time

. Quoted from “150 Years of Travel in Japan”)

There is also a move to remove station clocks.

In addition to timetables, there are also moves among railway companies to review their equipment.

One of them is the clock.

JR East plans to remove the clocks installed inside its stations at approximately 500 stations.

A 10-year plan starting in 2021 will focus on removing old and dilapidated items.

As for the reason, the company said, ``With the spread of mobile phones and smartphones, passengers can now check the time from other sources than station clocks.''

Decreasing station timetables and clocks... Experts

We spoke to experts about the movement to revise the installation of timetables and other equipment.

``Railways are an important means of transportation for elderly people and others.I think it is essential to continue to carefully communicate information such as timetables.Also, if there are fewer timetables on platforms, etc., it will be necessary to revise the timetables etc.'' There is also the possibility that users will be less aware when the last train is moved forward or the number of trains is reduced.Railway companies will be more thorough than ever when changing timetables or reviewing operating policies. I want you to"

Interview postscript

When I looked back on how I used to get information on train schedules before smartphones became popular, I found a pocket timetable from more than 30 years ago.

It was a limited tool for learning about diamonds.

Nowadays, with transfer search sites, you can not only find out the timetable, but also find out the time of the next train even if it is one train earlier or the next train even if it is a little late, making it easy to get information.

A timetable that decreases one after another from the platform.

I felt that this was a movement that represented a change in our sense of time.

Economic Department reporter

Maiko Oe joined

Yugun cap

in 2009

Kohei Kawahara

, reporter for Matsue Broadcasting Station (Economics Department at the time of interview) Joined the station in March

2023

Responsible for police reporting at Matsue station