West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) announced plans Wednesday to revise its spring 2021 timetable for the Kinki region, moving up the time of each day's final train to around midnight -- between 10 to 30 minutes earlier than the present times. The decision to revise the timetables was made to improve the work environment of late-night employees in charge of maintenance and inspection, marking the first time a railway operator in the JR group has revised its timetables to reform the way its employees work.
About 50 trains that depart at midnight or later from major stations -- including Osaka, Kyoto and Sannomiya stations on lines including the Tokaido and the Osaka Loop -- are expected to be cut. Individual timetables for each line and station are scheduled to be announced in September.
As workers tend to shy away from working in the middle of the night, the number of workers that engage in either track maintenance or inspection in the time between the last and first trains of the day has fallen by 23% compared to about a decade ago, according to JR West.
By moving up the last train's departure time, the working hours per night are increased and the number of workdays will be reduced, making it easier for employees to take days off, the company also said.
Less than 1% of passengers use the train services between midnight and 1 a.m.
"The number of passengers we have late at night is limited. We kindly ask for your understanding as we work to provide stable train operations," said the company President Kazuaki Hasegawa.
In a bid to cut maintenance and inspection costs, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) is also considering moving up the times for the last trains of the day when it revises its timetable next spring.
As of July, the number of passengers on the Yamanote Line around the time of the last train had almost halved from the same period last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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