Participants in Japan Learn to Operate Train to Mark Railway Company’s 10th Anniversary

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:23 JST, November 12, 2025

JOETSU, Niigata — Participants were able to operate a real train on a track in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, for a special event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Echigo Tokimeki Railway Co.

Eight people, aged 13 to 70, from inside and outside the prefecture, took part in the event at the Naoetsu D51 Rail Park on Oct. 25.

The train used in the event was one of the Series ET122, which is mainly operated on the company’s Nihonkai Hisui Line.

After lectures were given, participants learned such operations as how to start and stop the engine, as they drove the train back and forth along a 150-meter section of track used for inspections. At the end of the event, they received a certificate of completion.

“I was really looking forward to today,” said a person from Ikoma, Nara Prefecture. “I’m really grateful for this opportunity.”