JR Rail Passengers Up 5 Pct Over Year-End, New Year Holidays

Tokyo, Jan. 5 (Jiji Press)–Six Japan Railways Group companies reported Monday that the total number of passengers on their Shinkansen and other express trains in key areas during the year-end and New Year holiday period rose 5 pct from a year earlier to 13,711,000. The average daily figure between Dec. 26 and Sunday was the highest since comparable data became available in fiscal 1991. The 2025-2026 period featured up to nine consecutive holidays. Strong travel demand and an increase in train services contributed to the latest result, the operators said. Outbound- and inbound-train users peaked on Dec. 27 and Sunday, respectively. Central Japan Railway Co., known as JR Tokai, said that 516,000 passengers used the Tokaido Shinkansen line on Sunday, the highest single-day total ever on the line. Separately, airlines also reported heavy holiday traffic. All Nippon Airways said its passenger numbers on domestic routes rose 1.3 pct, while international traffic jumped 11.1 pct, helped by record demand on Hawaii routes. Japan Airlines said both its domestic and international passenger numbers edged down 0.4 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]