How Railway Timetables Showcase Efforts to Speed Up and Increase Passenger Numbers

The more passing stations there are, the faster the train arrives, but it can be inconvenient for people using those passing stations. Balancing this is also important. Increasing the number of trains makes things more convenient, but you can’t endlessly add ‘schedules.’ There are practical limitations.

“For example, if you increase a train from a 4-car to an 8-car configuration during rush hour, the transport capacity of one train doubles, but you might not be able to operate a 4-car train, which could impact other services. Since the number of available vehicles and crew is limited, balancing this is crucial.

You might think that adding more vehicles is the solution if there aren’t enough, but each car costs hundreds of millions of yen, making it a significant capital investment. For instance, a 16-car Shinkansen train requires an investment of several billion yen.

Moreover, you need space to store the vehicles and additional expenses for inspections. You must consider whether the investment will be justified by its usage before deciding to increase the number of vehicles. Therefore, it’s common to manage with the existing fleet.”

The shortage of crew is also a serious issue. Recently, for example, Nagano Electric Railway reduced the number of express trains due to a shortage of crew. Additionally, when deciding where faster trains will overtake slower ones, connection issues must be considered. When routes branch off along the way, it adds to the complexity for the planners.