Special Feature Recent Developments in Local Railways in Japan Kiyohito Utsunomiya Introduction National Railways (JNR) and its successor group of railway operators (the so-called JRs) in the late 1980s often became Japan has well-developed inter-city railway transport, as quasi-public railways funded in part by local government, exemplified by the shinkansen, as well as many commuter and those railways also faced management issues. As a railways in major urban areas. For these reasons, the overall result, approximately 670 km of track was closed between number of railway passengers is large and many railway 2000 and 2013. companies are managed as private-sector businesses However, a change in this trend has occurred in recent integrated with infrastructure. However, it will be no easy task years. Many lines still face closure, but the number of cases for private-sector operators to continue to run local railways where public support has rejuvenated local railways is sustainably into the future. rising and the drop in local railway users too is coming to a Outside major urban areas, the number of railway halt (Fig. 1). users is steadily decreasing in Japan amidst structural The next part of this article explains the system and changes, such as accelerating private vehicle ownership recent policy changes in Japan’s local railways, while and accompanying suburbanization, declining population, the third part introduces specific railways where new and declining birth rate. Local lines spun off from Japanese developments are being seen; the fourth part is a summary. Figure 1 Change in Local Railway Passenger Volumes (Unit: 10 Million Passengers) 55 50 45 Number of Passengers 40 35 30 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Fiscal Year Note: 70 companies excluding operators starting after FY1988 Source: Annual Report of Railway Statistics and Investigation by Railway Bureau Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 68 • Oct 2016 34 Special Feature Recent System Changes in Local Railways Establishment of Basic Act on Transport Policy and ‘compact and networked structure’ strategy Transportation policy in 2000s Further developments started in Toyama City and some The transportation market has experienced ‘market failure’ regional railways under the new law, but this has not halted in economic terms. For this reason some level of local the decline in local railways as a whole. As mentioned monopoly is recognized and fares are set based on the earlier, the drop in the number of railway users and closure full-cost principle corresponding to supplier costs instead of of lines continues as reliance on private automobiles according to the principle of supply and demand. Moreover, increases, and public transport as a whole is in crisis. For items such as safety must be done thoroughly under the example, mobility-impaired people having no means of instruction of government authorities for transport projects, getting around due to closures has become a social issue. requiring special technologies. In these circumstances, the idea of passing a basic law However, public transport in Japan is for the most on transport similar to France’s Domestic Transport Act (la part provided by private-sector operators, and generally loi d’organisation des transports intérieurs, LOTI) became run without public subsidies. Following the successful popular and the Cabinet approved the bill for a Basic Act JNR division and privatization, the Railway Business Act on Transport in 2011. The bill was dropped temporarily and Road Traffic Law were revised in 2000 and 2002, as a result of the chaos caused by the Great East Japan respectively, eliminating regulation of supply and demand for Earthquake and subsequent change of government. railways and public buses and enabling operators to enter Eventually, the 2013 Basic Act on Transport Policy was and exit the market freely. This created a transport system enacted with added elements, such as response during based to an even greater extent on market mechanisms. disasters and sound management of transport operators. Under such policies, closure and downsizing of It expresses a fundamental principle of satisfying basic unprofitable local railway lines accelerated. Although demand for transport (Article 2), followed by articles on deregulation policies were only one factor behind such securing and improving functions of transport (Article 3), closure and reduction, the vicious circle of cost cuts and reducing the environmental load (Article 4), appropriate role- drops in service levels due to falling profitability led to further sharing and coordination (Article 5 and 6), and securing drops in users continuing into the 2000s, furthering the traffic safety (Article 7). A Basic Plan on Transport Policy decline in local cities and regions amidst structural changes was established on this basis. In line with the principles of declining population. of the Basic Act on Transport Policy, revisions were made to the Revitalization and Rehabilitation of Local Public Change in transportation policy Transportation Systems and Act on Special Measures While deregulation was a basic framework for transportation concerning Urban Reconstruction. Taking into account these policy in the 2000s, regional governments in Japan, faced laws, resilient ‘compact and networked structure’ became with problems in local transportation, have started to actively the catchphrase for land development in the 2015 National intervene in its management. Attempts to convert to quasi- Spatial Strategy. Local public transportation including public operators have been made by injecting public capital railways has come to play a key role in national land along with vertical separation of infrastructure, such as development. See Saito (2015) for details on Japan’s railway track and facilities, from operations. In the 1990s, some policy and the Basic Act on Transport Policy. areas adopted ‘deemed vertical separation’ removing the accounting burden of infrastructure, but since the late Recent New Developments 2000s, the idea of abandoning past railway management and working to continue or rehabilitate railways using a new This section covers new developments in local railways form of management has gradually gained prominence. in the past 10 years. It introduces three examples each At the national level, the Act on Revitalization and for building LRTs and trams in provincial cities with some Rehabilitation of Local Public Transportation Systems was population concentration, and for rejuvenating regional passed in 2007, and a system was established for the national railways with lines in fairly broad areas, including rural land government to provide support for ‘general partnership plans near provincial city suburban areas. for local public transportation’ based on agreements with local governments. Moreover, the law enabled separation Trends towards LRTs in provincial cities of track ownership and operations (vertical separation) of Japan currently has 19 tram operations in 17 cities. Due tramways not envisioned in previous laws. to the negative impact of increased ownership of private automobiles, most are just managing to stay afloat by 35 Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 68 • Oct 2016 Toyama Chiho Railway opened loop line in December 2009 (Author) shortening lines and running small single cars. There are port of Iwasehama, the Toyama Chiho Railway connecting no LRT lines constructed anew; Toyama Light Rail, which Toyama with Unazuki Onsen and Tateyama, and the Toyama opened in 2006 by completely renovating the former JR City Tram Line operated by Toyama Chiho Railway. The West Toyamako Line with some on-street running, being Toyamako Line, which was up for closure, was converted to the only LRT. Some recent developments in Toyama City, an LRT, and the 7.6-km Toyama Light Rail (Portram) quasi- Sapporo City, and Fukui City, are explained here. public railway, funded in part by Toyama City, was opened in April 2006. To connect with the existing Toyama City Tram Toyama City Line, the city bore the cost of building 0.9 km of track and Toyama Prefecture on the Sea of Japan has the second opened a loop line (Centram) in December 2009 (Fig. 2). highest average number of automobiles per household at It was opened under the vertical separation enabled by 1.71 cars, making it very reliant on automobiles. Toyama the Act on Revitalization and Rehabilitation of Local Public City, the prefectural capital, is a typical regional city with Transportation Systems. a population of 420,000. In order to reverse urban sprawl, Additionally, Toyama City released the Odekake (outing) it proposed a compact city strategy in 2006 based on the commuter ticket bus pass for an unprecedentedly low fare of revised Act on Vitalization of City Centres. ¥100, allowing city-centre access for older citizens. Use of Although reliance on private cars is high in Toyama City, these tickets has been expanded to Toyama Chiho Railway’s it had (in 2006) a well-developed network of railway lines lines, the Toyama City Tram Line, and Toyama Light Rail. with the Hokuriku main line connecting cities along the Sea One unique programme allows free travel on Toyama City of Japan, the Takayama main line connecting Toyama and Tram Line and Toyama Light Rail when purchasing flowers Gifu, the Toyamako Line connecting Toyama to the outer at specified flower shops. Also, foreign tourists are given Japan Railway & Transport