Dec 14 (News On Japan) - JR Group companies will introduce extensive timetable changes in March next year, with JR Central announcing that it will raise the maximum number of Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi services to 13 per hour during peak periods.
JR Central said the increase will apply to downbound trains leaving Tokyo Station between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and upbound trains departing Shin Osaka Station between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., where the current limit of 12 trains per hour will be expanded to 13 from March. One of the upbound trains leaving Shin Osaka in the 5 p.m. hour will terminate at Shinagawa Station, marking the first time the station will serve as a final stop for a Nozomi service.
The company also plans to operate, for the first time, an early-morning Shinkansen originating from Kyoto Station in the 6 a.m. hour to accommodate the growing number of inbound tourists.
JR East, meanwhile, will move up the final departures on the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen lines by as much as 20 minutes. The shift is intended to secure sufficient nighttime work hours for maintenance crews as infrastructure continues to age and staffing numbers decline.
The timetable revision takes effect on March 14 next year, the same day JR East will carry out its first full-scale fare revision since privatization. From that date, the base fare on the Yamanote Line and other lines will rise from 150 yen to 160 yen.
Source: TBS
