CHAPTER 8: JAPAN AND PACIFIC RIM EXPERIENCE 8.1 INTRODUCTION to Chapter 8. Several of the most commonly used terms are, however, Chapter 8's organization and bulk reflect incorporated into the master glossary of careful consideration by the author and this report. other investigators on the best way to present this research. Except for high speed Simply put, joint use of track is generally intercity railroad ventures, there is a dearth the operation of one entity's trains over of readily available research material and a another entity's tracks without the passenger general lack of familiarity with Japanese having to change trains. Reciprocal running and Pacific Rim rail transit (in comparison is the operation of passenger trains by two with that of western Europe, for example). or more railways over the tracks of the other The nature and extent of Oriental shared companies. Such operation serves many track practices are particularly obscure. purposes and necessitates certain Accordingly, more detail is provided than preparations. With respect to electric is customary in an issue-based research railways and rapid transit lines, there is assignment. frequently the need to enable passengers to board at different-height station platforms, Shared track cannot be researched or and adapt to the partner's electrification and accomplished in isolation. All Pacific Rim other systems. Throughout Japan and in rail information, therefore, is presented here other Pacific Rim metropolitan areas, these in the context of joint use. The Japanese and other problems of reciprocity have been case studies, lessons learned, conclusions, resolved in different ways, offering lessons and descriptions of unique railway features to any North American urban area are structured around this study's first four considering joint use of track. The practice chapters; institutions/regulation, operations, has permitted and encouraged the rapid physical plant, and vehicles. This brings the growth of electric railway services in major reader up to the same level of understanding metropolitan conurbations and on rural of the Pacific Rim experience that is offered railways. Positive results are achieved for the North American joint use ranging from lower cost rail transit experience. The "Lesson" section of this expansion by avoiding financing and chapter mimics directly the first four building duplicate facilities, to rescuing chapter headings and the key issues that lightly-used branch lines from they raise on application to the North abandonment. American rail environment. Of Tokyo's thirteen fully- or partially- Six case studies were selected to finished rapid transit lines, only five do not demonstrate a variety of shared track have reciprocal running. Of them, the arrangements and the characteristics of Ginza and Marunouchi lines are too Japanese culture, institutions, and crowded, and Line 12 is a low-profile line commerce which encourage joint use. that is physically incompatible with any Selected case study rail operators were other rail line so cannot participate in surveyed during the course of this research, reciprocal running even though it employs but response has been disappointing within common 1435mm (4'8½") track and the time allocated for the survey. Because 1,500Vdc catenary. Extensions are under of the diversity of the Japanese joint use construction that will tie two more of the experience, the bibliography and glossary lines to interurban tracks for through are distinct units and appear as appendices running. Tokyo has almost consummated Chapter 8 — Page 1 (indeed, exceeded in many ways) its bold business philosophy of separating public- 1985 rail expansion plan and is shifting deficit passenger transport from private attention farther in future efforts; 531.7 km income-producing real estate. (330.40 miles) of new railways are to be built, including more planned with While joint use of track/reciprocal running reciprocal through services, and focusing might be expected to be small as part of new rail lines on Yokohama, Chiba, and any nation's overall railroad network, it is Kawasaki. Transportation officials have extensive in Japan. To put this into concluded that with only modest public perspective, Table 8-1 shows the extent of clamor to improve existing lines, Japan's railroad network in terms of uncooperative residents along proposed operating entities, the number of them, and new alignments and public funds in short the number participating in joint use of supply, they must stay with available track. These are not just different corporate railway rights-of-way. Reciprocal running and public entities sharing track, as in U.S. is therefore well-established and the trackage rights. The following joint track practice is expanding based on favorable uses are between railways of different results thus far. types which would be regarded as incompatible, physically and operationally, The organization of railroads and rail by North American standards. transit in Japan is different than both North American (where the railroads have long As Table 8-1 shows, among the Japan Rail been pillars of private enterprise) and Group, the one freight and all six passenger Europe (where the railroads have long been companies participate in joint- national government entities). In at least use/reciprocal running. Among the private one way, Japanese railways are becoming railway companies, 43 do so (including 6 more like those in North America. Until a municipal systems). Among the Third- decade ago, the principal Japanese railroad Sector entities, 35 do. This sum of 85 network was a department of the national amounts to 55% of all the rail operating government. It is now well advanced in its entities in Japan participating in some form transition to geographic groups of private- of joint use. Thirty-four other entities that enterprise railroad corporations. Japanese operate fixed-guideway modes that cannot National Transportation policy, however, participate in joint use of track or has been more like Europe where attention reciprocal running, because of guideway and resources are more balanced between incompatibility (people movers) of which railroads, public transportation and half are funiculars, bringing the total highways. On national railroad networks, number of Japanese operating entities to freight dominates in North America, and is 189. There are also other freight-only important throughout Europe. In contrast, railroads and industrial railways. freight is decidedly subordinate to passenger service on the Japanese national This chapter also explores the remainder of railroad system. the Pacific Rim to find examples of joint- use of track. While there is growing A review of the evolution of the former passenger-rail development activity in the Japanese National Railways into the emerging Third-World nations, the present Japan Rail Group shows how, by established industrial/economic hubs of contrast, the North American experience Hong Kong and Seoul provide the best has tended to separate complementary examples of joint-use of track. transport and non-transport activities. This condition is traceable to anti-trust legislation, regulation, and a common Chapter 8 — Page 2 Table 8-1 Tally of Entities Providing Rail Service in Japan HSR = high-speed rail (Shinkansen); ICR = intercity rail; ECR = electric commuter rail; DCR = diesel commuter-rail; INT = interurban railway; HRT = heavy rapid transit; LRT = light-rail transit; StR = street railway; FRT = freight * Because any entity might provide more than one kind of service, the row totals are adjusted to remove duplication. Chapter 8 — Page 3 8.2 OVERVIEW OF JAPANESE RAIL places are without rail transit in some TRANSPORTATION form, and most of those are on outlying islands, and include only one large city – 8.2.1 Cultural Context Naha on Okinawa. It is essential to understand how joint use It is important to appreciate that many of evolved and how Japanese rail projects the Japanese rail projects, if subjected to have been conceived, planned and the U.S. process of Alternatives Analysis implemented. Consider these with caution and Major Investment Studies, probably regarding wholesale transfer of Japanese would not be built. At the same time, the success in these ventures to America. notion that public transportation is better for the environment than automotive travel Politics are similar to America at all levels. is well accepted without successive studies. Japan's constitution, instituted by the Indeed, there has been some overexuber- MacArthur administration following World ance to build and some resulting mistakes. War II, makes Japan one of the more The overexuberance is demonstrated by a purely democratic nations of the world. As national landscape marked by unfinished in the United States, free enterprise is railroad projects – vacant bridges, viaducts, significant. Several things do set us apart. tunnels. These unfinished projects play a role in emerging third sector railways and One difference is that education is the the joint use enterprise they generate will responsibility of the municipality, but at be described. high-school level, parents can enroll their The Japanese maintain a high standard of children in any school that they can reach discipline. Failure is related to trust and daily as a practical matter. Significantly, less to endeavor. The slogan, "Safety this contributes in great measure to riding First," is carried to high levels in Japan. on public transportation. In lieu of