Number of passengers carried via railway transportation in Japan FY 2010-2019

In the 2019 fiscal year, the number of passengers carried via railway transportation in Japan amounted to over 25 billion, decreasing slightly compared to the preceding year. Railroad transportation is Japan’s major mass transit system encompassing local systems from trams to high-speed railway lines for long-distance travel, called Shinkansen or bullet train. As rolling stock carries the most passengers and realizes the highest traffic, the railway is arguably the most important means of public transportation on the archipelago.

The landscape of Japanese railway operators

Among the 214 domestic railway operators, the Japan Railways (JR) Group companies originating from the state-owned Japan National Railway (JNR) are the largest. In a successive breakup and privatization process, JNR evolved into six regional JR passenger companies and several other entities. Although four of the six passenger JR companies have undergone complete privatization, they are still regarded as a group distinct from public operators and private railways, which transport more passengers than JR.

Competing with airlines: the Shinkansen

The sophistication of the domestic railway network enables it to compete with other domestic transportation industries, such as aviation. Both airlines and Shinkansen promise swift long-distance travel. With around 156 million passengers in 2020, the number of Shinkansen passengers exceeded the total passengers carried on domestic flights. However, 2020 was exceptional as the passenger-distance of domestic flights dwarfed that of the Shinkansen. Comparisons suggest that the Shinkansen have an advantage over airlines as long as their travel time is somewhat equal to or below the overall travel time needed with a respective flight, despite the competitive pricing by airlines.