This October JR Kyushu are to debut a new energy saving electric train which can run from overhead power lines or an electric storage battery. The new #819 series train has been dubbed “DENCHA” which stands for “Dual ENergy CHArge train”, and it will have a trial run on the Chikuho Main Line on October 1st.

The DENCHA is an environmentally friendly train so the exterior is colored blue to represent our blue planet

JR West have announced plans for a new Travel Service Center in Osaka Station to open in March of 2017. Responding to a continued increase in both domestic and overseas visitors, the new center will consolidate and strengthen facilities already available at Osaka Station and provide more multilingual support for foreign visitors.

According to the new plans, the current Tourist Information Office in Osaka Station will be moved to a location facing the station’s central ticket gates. At the same time the facilities will be expanded and more staff will be employed to offer information and consultation services in English, Korean, and Chinese. There will also be counters for foreign currency exchange, for hotel bookings, and facilities at the current station Baggage Room will be expanded. [Read more…]

Rail fans will be delighted to know that Hankyu Railway are releasing a new range of “kawaii” or “cute” souvenirs goods on September 12th. The new “Hankyu Densha” series of goods will be available for sale both on Hankyu station premises and in underground shopping arcades connected to those stations.

The new range of Hankyu Densha souvenir goods goes on sale on September 12th

With a slightly retro-pop style the new goods will feature the famous Hankyu maroon train as their central motif with background images from the town and cityscapes served by Hankyu railway lines. These background designs will feature famous buildings from the major areas served by Hankyu Railways: Kobe, Takarazuka, Kyoto, and Umeda. Can you recognize all the famous locations represented below? [Read more…]

JR East have released fresh images and details of the new station slated to be built in the Shinagawa area in time for the 2020 Olympics. The new station, provisionally named “Shinagawa Shin-Eki” or “Shinagawa New Station”, will serve the Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines and is due to be built on a disused rail-yard located roughly midway between the current Shinagawa and Tamachi Stations.

A bird’s eye view of the new station

The project which was first announced in 2014 is being overseen by Kengo Kuma, who is perhaps Japan’s best known architect, and who is also designing the new Tokyo Olympic Stadium. [Read more…]

On August 22nd JR Shikoku published their annual white paper on lost property. This report constitutes a tally of every single forgotten item on JR Shikoku property from April of 2015 to the end of March this year.

Though a lost property report from Japan’s southern island of Shikoku may seem like a provincial subject to some, having analyzed the sometimes surprising data we believe it holds invaluable lessons for travelers in Japan (as well as some general life lessons and hope for humanity). And let’s not forget that JR Shikoku is no small enterprise. The company operates a railway system of 855.2 km, with 259 stations (including 2 temporary stations), and runs roughly 1,006 passenger trains a day. That’s a great big area in which to lose your stuff! [Read more…]

In preparation for next year’s debut of the luxury sleeper cruise train “Twilight Express Mizukaze” JR West have announced a major upgrade for one of the stations on the new train’s route.

An artist’s impression of the renovated station

Kinosaki Onsen Station serves the popular hot spring spa town of Kinosaki in Hyogo Prefecture. This small resort town on the Japan Sea coast is famous for its beautifully preserved streets, and willow-lined rivers, and over the next few months Kinosaki’s formerly modest station is to undergo a thorough makeover thanks to a joint project by JR West and Toyooka City Government. [Read more…]

This autumn Kintetsu Railway will launch a new excursion train that will run on their Minami Osaka and Yoshino Lines.

The Blue Symphony excursion train and its stylish logo

Decked out in deep blue livery the elegant new train is to be called the “Blue Symphony” and is meant to provide a superior level of comfortable travel for adults. The “Blue Symphony” will run between Osaka Abenobashi Station in central Osaka City and Yoshino Station in Nara Prefecture. Mount Yoshino is a popular scenic spot which is especially celebrated for the beauty of its cherry blossoms in the spring. Along the route of the train are other sites of cultural and historical importance such as the ancient town of Asuka which is the site of an ancient imperial capital, or Kimpusen-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the head temple of the Shugendo mountain sect. [Read more…]

This month saw the launch of a new gourmet restaurant train “Izu Craile” by JR East. The Izu Craile is a special excursion train which will run mainly on Saturdays and holidays between Odawara Station in Kanagawa Prefecture and Izukyu Shimoda Station in Shizuoka Prefecture. The route follows the coastline of the Izu peninsula, so passengers can view the scenic beauty of the mountains and sea while eating their specially prepared gourmet lunch boxes.

The all new Izu Craile gourmet restaurant train

The Izu Craile is a four carriage train with 1st class reserved seating throughout. The exterior design in pink and gold represents sakura petals floating on sea breezes and rippling waters. The interior is laid out in an elegant “Japanese Modern” style with carpets patterned to look like flowing rivers, and the illuminated ceiling designed to appear like the morning sun shining through bamboo. [Read more…]

JR West together with Osaka Station City will hold the “Fun Fan Festa 2016” summer festival in Osaka Station from Friday July 22nd.

A stage will soon appear on the “Toki no Hiroba Plaza” of Osaka Station City

The festival will be held on the “Toki no Hiroba Plaza” on the 5th floor of the Osaka Station building. A high stage decked out with paper lanterns will be set up on the plaza for live music and dance performances, Bon Festival dancing, and accessory making workshop events. [Read more…]

JR Central have announced plans for their next generation shinkansen prototype the “N700S”. This new train will be developed from the existing N700 series design, with the “S” standing for “Supreme” and is intended for the Sanyo and Tokaido shinkansen rail lines. The prototype will be a 16 car set built for testing purposes, and will be ready to undergo trial runs by March of 2018.

The “Aero Double Wing” design of the N700A series shinkansen (left) is contrasted with the new “Dual Supreme Wing” design of the N700S (right) in this image from JR Central

The N700S will incorporate both energy saving and advanced safety features. The nose of the new train has been enhanced to a “Dual Supreme Wing” design to reduce wind resistance, and the use of silicon carbide semi-conductors for cooling a new light-weight drive system will also reduce energy consumption.

It is believed that the new model train will use 7% less energy than the current N700A series shinkansen. In addition the automatic train control (ATC) and the braking system will be reformed to increase response time and emergency braking speed in the event of an earthquake. [Read more…]