In the fiscal year 2022, the Toei-operated Nippori-toneri Liner in Tokyo was the busiest railway line in Japan, reaching a congestion rate of 155 percent between the stations Akado-shogakkomae and Nishi-nippori. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, congestion rates decreased significantly but were rising again.
What is a congestion rate?
The congestion rate is determined by the capacity level of a train line during rush hour. The Japanese government defined a congestion rate of 100 percent as a situation where all seats are taken, and all standing passengers can find a strap to hold on to. A rate of 180 percent was set as the upper limit during peak traveling hours for passenger comfort, marking a point where passengers feel substantial pressure through touching bodies. Despite heavily congested train lines, rail transportation continues to be Japan’s leading mode of passenger transport, providing access to and from the country’s centers of employment and entertainment.
Congestion in other metropolitan areas
Heavy congestion is not a unique characteristic of Tokyo but a general phenomenon of Japanese rapid transit and commuter rail. The other two major metropolitan areas in the vicinities of Osaka and Nagoya have also been monitoring railway congestion for years. Both regions had similar congestion rates, though considerably lower than in Tokyo. Similar average congestion appeared as people adjusted their mobility patterns to the pandemic. Still, congestion rates outside of Tokyo are below the capital’s peaks: Main railway lines in the Osaka Metropolitan Area and those in the Nagoya Metropolitan Area were lower than congestion rates in the capital.
Sections of railway lines with the highest congestion rates in Japan in fiscal year 2022
October to November 1, 2022; the Japanese fiscal years start on April 1 of the stated year and end on March 31 of the following year
Special properties
10 most congested lines
Supplementary notes
*According to the source, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism defines a 100 percent level as a situation where all the seats in the train are taken and the standing passengers can find a strap to hold on to, while 180 percent is a situation where a passenger can, with some difficulty, read a folded newspaper.
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MLIT (Japan). (July 14, 2023). Sections of railway lines with the highest congestion rates in Japan in fiscal year 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/998622/japan-most-congested-train-lines/
MLIT (Japan). "Sections of railway lines with the highest congestion rates in Japan in fiscal year 2022." Chart. July 14, 2023. Statista. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/998622/japan-most-congested-train-lines/
MLIT (Japan). (2023). Sections of railway lines with the highest congestion rates in Japan in fiscal year 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/998622/japan-most-congested-train-lines/
MLIT (Japan). "Sections of Railway Lines with The Highest Congestion Rates in Japan in Fiscal Year 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 14 Jul 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/998622/japan-most-congested-train-lines/
MLIT (Japan), Sections of railway lines with the highest congestion rates in Japan in fiscal year 2022 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/998622/japan-most-congested-train-lines/ (last visited June 18, 2024)
Sections of railway lines with the highest congestion rates in Japan in fiscal year 2022 [Graph], MLIT (Japan), July 14, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/998622/japan-most-congested-train-lines/