Japan’s once-packed bullet trains are deserted even after railway operators cut prices by half to spur travel
- East JR and West JR, two of Japan’s largest operators by ticket sales, are forecasting their deepest losses since the network was privatised in 1987
- A national campaign aimed at spurring domestic travel has not provided the fillip hoped for Japan’s bullet trains
These days, the section of Tokyo Station serving regional destinations is a shadow of its former self. Gone are the usual crowds and on a midweek afternoon in late September, just a handful of commuters browsed bento-box stores.
“I see more cleaning staff getting off trains than passengers,” said Taro Aoki, who oversees 18 fast-food outlets in the capital’s main intercity rail terminal. “People used to swiftly pick which bento to buy and wait in line, but now, there’s hardly anyone around.”
It isn’t only airlines the coronavirus pandemic has upended. At a time of year when many people in Japan should be getting out of the city to enjoy the changing fall colours and nip in the air, there’s little holiday making going on. And the nation’s treasured bullet trains are ailing.
East Japan Railway and West Japan Railway, two of the largest by ticket sales, are forecasting their deepest losses since the country’s rail network was privatised in 1987. East JR is expecting a loss of 418 billion yen (US$4 billion) for the current year that ends March 31, versus a 198.4 billion yen profit the previous period. West JR sees a deficit of 240 billion yen.
Pictures posted on social media show how empty the superfast trains have become.