JR Passengers in Year-End, New Year Period Increase 11%

Jiji Press

12:50 JST, January 8, 2025

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Six Japan Railways Group companies reported Monday that the number of passengers on their Shinkansen and other express trains in key areas during the year-end and New Year holiday period rose 11% from a year earlier to 13.09 million.

The figure for the 10-day period through Sunday was even up 2% from fiscal 2018, surpassing the level before the COVID-19 pandemic for the first time, thanks to a calendar configuration that allowed many people to take nine straight days off.

According to Central Japan Railway Co., the daily number of passengers on the Tokaido Shinkansen line reached 412,000, the highest on record for the year-end and New Year period.

West Japan Railway Co. saw the number of passengers on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line soar 40%, after an extended section of the line was opened last March, connecting Kanazawa and Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture.

Flight demand was also strong during the holiday period. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines saw the number of passengers on domestic flights up 19.5% and 11.5%, respectively.

The number of international passengers was up 17.3% at ANA, which had record traffic to and from Hawaii, and up 24.4% at JAL.