Japan railway news – Page 3
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NewsJapanese railway diagnostics contracts signed
JAPAN: Mermec has signed three contracts to provide advanced diagnostics for Japanese rail and metro networks. The contracts worth more than €20m were signed at the Italian embassy in Tokyo on May 27, in the presence of Ambassador Gianluigi Benedetti and representatives of Mitsubishi Electric, Sumitomo ...
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Metro Report InternationalToei Subway Series 6500 trains enter service
JAPAN: Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation’s Series 6500 trainsets have begun entering service on the Toei Subway’s Mita Line between Nishi-Takashimadaira and Shirokane-Takanawa.
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In depthJapan: Facing a rural railway conundrum
Population decline, urban migration, rising car ownership and better local roads mean that traffic on many of Japan’s rural railways is falling. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism is addressing the issue and an action plan is to be drawn up by July. Mike Bent investigates.
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NewsSotetsu progresses railway investment programme
JAPAN: Sotetsu Holdings is making progress with a ¥16·4bn programme of investment in its Sagami Railway network west of Yokohama and is investing ¥600m in its bus operations.
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NewsTest running starts on Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen
JAPAN: Test running has started on the isolated Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen between Nagasaki and Takeo Onsen, which is scheduled to open for revenue service on September 23.
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Metro Report InternationalYokohama unveils Series 4000 metro trains
JAPAN: The first of eight Series 4000 trains being supplied to operate on the Yokohama Municipal Subway’s Blue Line was unveiled at Kaminagaya depot on March 30.
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NewsJR Central launches hybrid trainsets with remote monitoring
JAPAN: Central Japan Railway is to replace its ‘Wide View’ Series Kiha 85 diesel multiple-units dating from the late 1980s and early 1990s with a fleet of Series HC85 hybrid multiple-units comprising 64 vehicles in total. Following tests with a four-car prototype built by Nippon Sharyo ...
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Metro Report InternationalNagasaki acquires low-floor tram with longitudinal seating
JAPAN: Nagasaki Electric Tramway has unveiled its first Alna Sharyo Type 6000 tram, which it says is the first 100% low-floor car to have longitudinal seating throughout. The single-section tram is 12·2 m long, 2 300 mm wide and 3 740 mm ...
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Metro Report InternationalSeries 20 ready to operate Kyoto’s Karasuma Line
JAPAN: Kyoto Municipal Subway has confirmed that the first of its Series 20 trainsets will enter service on the Karasuma Line from March 26, following the completion of testing and commissioning. The metro operator is buying nine six-car Series 20 trainsets from ...
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NewsE131-600 EMUs take over Omiya branches
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has unveiled the Series E131-600 electric multiple-units which are due to take over two 1 067 mm gauge branches in its Omiya division from a timetable change on March 12.
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NewsJR West to order tilting EMUs
JAPAN: West Japan Railway plans to order four 11-car Series 273 electric multiple-units to replace the Series 381 trainsets used on Yakumo Limited Express services on the Hakubi line.
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NewsPrototype Hybari hydrogen multiple-unit ready for testing
JAPAN: East Japan Railway is to begin testing its prototype HYdrogen-HYBrid Advanced Rail vehicle for Innovation two-car hydrogen multiple-unit during March. Plans for the Hybari unit were announced in June 2019, and agreements for its production were announced in October 2020. The Series FV-E991 test train ...
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Metro Report InternationalTokyo Metro extensions approved
JAPAN: The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism has given Tokyo Metro the go-ahead to develop two proposed extensions to the capital’s metro network. The first would be an extension of the Yurakucho Line to serve areas at the northern end of Tokyo Bay that ...
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NewsRefrigerated goods from Japan to Europe by rail and sea
INTERNATIONAL: Russian Railways, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism and FESCO have organised an initial delivery of refrigerated containers of Japanese cargo to Europe via the Trans-Siberian Railway. The containers containing food, beverages and pharmaceutical products requiring special transport conditions were shipped from Toyama ...
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In depthJapan: Kintetsu plans a post-pandemic recovery
Regional operator Kintetsu is looking to refocus its business in the Kansai region with real estate and leisure developments aimed at changing lifestyles and reflecting new working patterns. Mike Bent investigates.
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In depthTicketing: Expanding the use of Japan's IC cards
Originally developed as a form of smart travel ticket, IC cards are now in widespread use across Japan. They can be used for many types of transaction, and further applications are being added as rail operators strive to make travel more convenient.
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NewsFoot crossing obstacle detection using AI
JAPAN: Seibu Railway is to start testing a newly-developed AI-assisted warning system for detecting obstacles on foot crossings at two stations on the Ikebukuro Line in the suburbs of Tokyo.
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NewsCableway heritage commemorated
JAPAN: Kintetsu’s Ikoma Cable Line has been certified by the Selected Civil Engineering Society as a Civil Engineering Heritage site, a designation created by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers to encourage the conservation of historic structures. With its lower terminus adjacent to Kintetsu’s Ikoma station, ...
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NewsRoad-rail services inaugurated in Shikoku
JAPAN: The start of regular road-rail services on the Asa Kaigan Tetsudo in southeast Shikoku was marked with a ceremony at Awa-Kainan-Bunkamura on December 25.
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In depthJapan: road-rail midi-buses on a rural railway
This month is expected to see the launch of commercial passenger services with ‘dual-mode’ road-rail midi-buses on a rural railway in southern Shikoku. Mike Bent reports.