News On Japan

Arriving late? No problem. Narita gets midnight trains into Tokyo

Aug 30, 2019 (Nikkei) - Train and bus operators announced on Thursday plans to run more nighttime trips between Narita Airport and nearby Tokyo and Chiba to accommodate travelers taking advantage of the hub's service extension this fall.

Narita, which now lets aircraft take off and land until 11 p.m., will push this back to midnight in late October. Both travelers and staff will need ways to get to and from the airport at that hour.

Keisei Electric Railway's Skyliner express train to downtown Tokyo will add an 11:20 p.m. departure from Narita. A new timetable going into effect Oct. 26 will boost the number of daily trips by 40% to 41 in each direction, with about 20 minutes between each.

The company will expand service on its regular line as well. Trains that had terminated at Keisei Narita Station will continue on to Narita Airport, meaning that the last train to the airport will be almost half an hour later than under the current schedule.

Keisei Electric will also add a train departing at 12:07 a.m. from the airport to nearby Sogosando Station, for local residents and travelers staying at hotels in the area.

Starting Oct. 27, East Japan Railway, better known as JR East, will run a local train departing Narita Airport at 11:45 p.m. and arriving at Chiba Station at 12:30 a.m.

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Airports and railway stations across Japan were crowded on September 23 as travelers returned from their hometowns and holiday destinations on the final day of the five-day Silver Week holiday, with international flight arrivals reaching their peak and many afternoon Shinkansen services fully booked.

Extensive railway disruption continued across Chiba Prefecture on September 23 as JR East warned that several lines damaged by Typhoon No. 25 would remain closed beyond the Silver Week holiday, even as flights returned toward normal, all typhoon-related expressway closures were lifted and some highway bus services resumed. The storm has left widespread damage to railway tracks and embankments, with flooding, landslides and fallen trees complicating restoration work.

The death toll from Typhoon No. 25 rose to nine on September 23, with four people still missing in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, as renewed rainfall raised fears of further landslides in communities devastated by the storm.

The road leading to Otemon Gate at Tokyo's Imperial Palace was flooded on September 22 after heavy rain from a typhoon caused water in the surrounding moat to overflow.

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