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Japan struggles to fill bullet trains running with empty seats

Oct 06, 2020 | News On Japan

Oct 06, 2020 (Japan Times) - These days, the section of Tokyo Station serving regional destinations is a shadow of its former self. Gone are the usual crowds, and on a mid-week afternoon in late September, just a handful of commuters browsed bento-box stores.

"I see more cleaning staff getting off trains than passengers,” said Taro Aoki, who oversees 18 fast-food outlets in the capital’s main intercity rail terminal. "People used to swiftly pick which bento to buy and wait in line, but now, there’s hardly anyone around.”

It isn’t only airlines the coronavirus pandemic has upended. At a time of year when many people in Japan should be getting out of the city to enjoy the changing fall colors and nip in the air, there’s little holiday making going on. And the nation’s treasured bullet trains are ailing.

East Japan Railway Co. and West Japan Railway Co., two of the largest by ticket sales, are forecasting their deepest losses since the country’s rail network was privatized in 1987. JR East is expecting a loss of ¥418 billion for the year ending March 31, versus a ¥198.4 billion profit the previous period. JR West sees a deficit of ¥240 billion.

Pictures posted on social media show how empty the superfast trains have become.

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