Sotetsu Hotels have opened a “Railway Concept Room” in a hotel in Kyoto which is decorated with parts taken from an old Sotetsu #7000 series train. This train ran on the Sagami Railway (also called Sotetsu) in Kanagawa Prefecture from 1975 until 2019. The idea behind the room is to raise awareness of the Sagami Railway in regions outside Kanagawa. The room was opened in Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto Shijo-Karasuma in early July and is now taking bookings.

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Sad news for railfans – JR East will retire the last double-decker high-speed bullet train this autumn. First introduced in 1997, the E4 series was the second double-decker series of shinkansen trains after the E1 series which was introduced in 1994 and retired in 2012. Both series were marketed under the name “Max” or “Multi-Amenity Express” and were built to transport more passengers on busy commuter routes between Tokyo and the cities of northern Japan. Formerly running on the Tohoku, Nagano, and Joetsu Shinkansen lines, the E4 now runs only on the Joetsu Shinkansen which runs between Tokyo and Niigata.

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Asa Seaside Railway in Tokushima Prefecture will introduce a dual-mode vehicle (DMV) this summer which can run along both railway tracks and roads. The new DMV runs on normal rubber tires when on roads, but at interchange stops the rubber tires are lifted and special rail-track wheels descend. Although JR Hokkaido have previously tested a similar DMV, the new DMV in Tokushima will be the first of its kind to run regular commercial operations.

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Nankai Electric Railway’s Koyasan Cable Line has become the first cable car line in Japan to completely decarbonize and now operates with 100% renewable energy.

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The Fuji Kyuko company which operates the Fujikyuko Railway in Yamanashi Prefecture has announced that it is splitting its railway division off into a separate company this month. To mark the railway’s newfound independence, the railway will also be renamed Fuji Electric Railway (富士山麓電気鉄道- Fuji Sanroku Denki Tetsudo) a historic name it last held 61 years ago.

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Yaesu Bus Terminal, which is now under construction on the east side of Tokyo Station, is to become the biggest bus station in Japan.

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A new upscale hotel in Kyoto has added a train-themed “Railway Room” which is sure to delight railway enthusiasts. The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Umekoji, which opened on March 12th this year, overlooks Umekoji Park and is just a 4-minute walk from Kyoto Railway Museum, Japan’s biggest railway museum.

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Odakyu Electric Railway will open their new Romancecar Museum on Monday, April 19th. The new museum will display several vehicles from Odakyu’s luxury limited express “Romancecar” series and is located beside Ebina Station in Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture. This is Odakyu’s first permanent indoor exhibition site and is designed to be a family-friendly facility which can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

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JR West have released plans for a new station building and plaza at Hiroshima Station. The new building will be an access point for city trams and it will be located on the south side of Hiroshima Station.

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JR East will introduce a new limited express service on the Tokaido Main Line this spring which will be called the Limited Express Shonan. The new service will run between stations at Shinjuku/Tokyo and Odawara. This train will replace the current Shonan Liner, Ohayo Liner Shinjuku, and Home Liner Odawara services. Although this is a commuter train service it may well be useful for sightseers, because Odawara is the location of a popular castle and hot spring resort and is also the gateway to the Hakone and Izu hot spring regions.

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