JR Firms, Local Govts to Continue Talks on Loss-Making Lines

Tokyo, Jan. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japan Railways Group companies are set to continue talks on the fate of loss-making local lines with regional communities concerned. While the number of users of those unprofitable local lines is unlikely to recover amid falling populations in surrounding areas, people living around the lines want the railroad services to be maintained. Of the six passenger service firms of the JR Group, Hokkaido Railway Co., or JR Hokkaido, East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, and Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, have said that they are in negotiations with relevant local communities on a total of 21 railroad sections. Among them, the course of discussions on JR West’s Geibi Line could be a touchstone as a certain direction is expected to be shown within fiscal 2026, which starts in April, through the mediation of the central government. On the most unprofitable part of the section between Bingo-Shobara and Bitchu-Kojiro stations on the line linking Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures, the average daily number of passengers per kilometer totals only 19, and it costs 9,945 yen to earn 100 yen. JR West claims that the Geibi Line part has been unable to offer benefits as a means of mass transportation, while local communities argue that the loss can be covered with profits from other lines and business operations of the company. A council comprising JR West, related local governments and the central government kicked off talks on the Geibi Line in March 2024 based on the revised law on regional public transportation services. The parties concerned have carried out demonstration projects such as operating special trains for tourists on weekends. In fiscal 2026, bus services will be provided along the line to compare the economic effects. For the other 20 sections, discussions are underway between JR companies and local communities, without the involvement of the central government. Talks will continue for six JR West sections besides the Geibi Line, four sections of JR East, including that between Sakamachi and Imaizumi stations on the Yonesaka Line, which connects Niigata and Yamagata prefectures, and two sections of JR Kyushu, including that between Aburatsu and Shibushi stations on the Nichinan Line, which links the southwestern prefectures of Miyazaki and Kagoshima. Services on the Sakamachi-Imaizumi section have been suspended due to damage from heavy rain. JR Hokkaido, which serves the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, is discussing with local governments the possibility of maintaining services on eight sections, including on the Sekihoku Line, with related costs planned to be borne by the regional communities. Of those sections, that between Kanita and Minmaya stations on JR East’s Tsugaru Line in Aomori Prefecture, which has suffered damage from torrential rain, is set to be abolished in April 2027 and replaced by bus and other alternative transport services. Operations of JR West’s Johana and Himi lines in Toyama Prefecture will be transferred to Ainokaze Toyama Railway, a public-private, or third-sector, railroad service, around 2029 as an aid package, including the introduction of a smart card system, has been compiled by JR West and local governments. Kazuta Fukushima, senior researcher at Sompo Institute Plus Inc., stresses the importance of designing the overall transport networks and review the role of railroad services. “The most appropriate means of transportation for each local community would naturally be picked based on the needs for travel in the area, such as commuting to school and visiting hospitals,” he says, adding that whether to maintain railroad services is not necessarily important. Discussions on the fate of railroads with aging facilities and not many users may accelerate in the event of a disaster, Fukushima says. But “it is too late to consider whether to restore damaged facilities after a disaster strikes,” Fukushima says. “It is important to decide transport systems that should be maintained for 10 to 20 years, regardless of whether a disaster occurs,” he says. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]