Half of Regional Railways Facing Driver Shortages

Feb 03, 2024 | News On Japan

TOKYO - A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) survey has revealed that half of the 140 regional railway operators are experiencing a shortage of train drivers, leading to an emergency meeting convened by 172 operators, including major companies, on Friday, February 2.

Kishitani Katsumi, the MLIT Technical Counselor, expressed concern: "In rural areas, we're increasingly observing situations where it's impossible to organize timetables due to the lack of drivers."

In October last year, the MLIT conducted a survey among 172 railway operators nationwide, including major companies, to assess the surplus or deficit of train drivers.

The results showed that out of 140 regional railway operators, half, or 70 operators, reported a "shortage," while 43 operators had a "surplus." Furthermore, among the 32 operators including JR and other major companies, 7 reported experiencing shortages.

To address the shortage of train drivers, the MLIT is considering lowering the age for obtaining the national railway driver's license from April onwards to 18 years old. This move is part of broader efforts to alleviate the current crisis and ensure the smooth operation of regional rail services across the country.

Source: ANN

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