Rail Travel Demand Firm in Japan Summer Holidays

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–The six passenger service firms of the Japan Railways Group said Monday that a total of about 13.21 million people used Shinkansen bullet trains and limited express services during the Bon summer holiday period from Aug. 7 to Sunday, almost unchanged from a year earlier. Passenger traffic for 46 major sections remained strong, apparently supported by business and tourism demand. While a powerful earthquake that hit Kumamoto Prefecture in the southwestern region of Kyushu late last month dented travel demand in affected areas, no major transport problems occurred in other regions. The number of passengers on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, operated by Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, rose 1 pct from a year earlier to about 4.14 million. Average daily ridership reached a record high as Nozomi trains were increased to up to 13 per hour in a timetable revision. On the Kyushu Shinkansen Line, run by Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, services between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations, both in Kumamoto Prefecture, remain suspended due to the earthquake, while passenger traffic between Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture and Kumamoto Station fell 39.8 pct. “Homecoming travelers and tourists are believed to have decreased (following the earthquake), but we are not sure about the extent of the impact (of the disaster on Kyushu Shinkansen passenger traffic),” a JR Kyushu official said. Airlines also released passenger figures for the same period. Domestic passenger traffic fell 7.7 pct at All Nippon Airways and 5.8 pct at Japan Airlines, apparently reflecting typhoon-related flight cancellations. International passenger traffic dropped 0.7 pct at ANA and 8.1 pct at JAL. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]