JR West to cut late night service time
The Yomiuri reports that JR West will be moving forward the times of its last trains:
The decision resulted from JR West’s consideration of train drivers’ physical condition in response to the lessons learned from the April 2005 fatal derailment on the JR Fukuchiyama Line in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture. It is extremely unusual for JR or private rail firms to move forward the departure time for the evening’s last trains.
In the revised timetable that starts March 14, the last local train bound for Takatsuki on the Tokaido Line will leave Osaka Station at 12:28 a.m., 13 minutes earlier than the current time.
The last trains at stations on the Osaka Loop Line, Hanwa Line and Nara Line also will depart earlier than the current timetable. However, JR West will maintain the same timetable for the last trains on some lines, such as the Fukuchiyama and Kansai lines, which many passengers use late into the night.
One is left wondering why JR West couldn’t alter the working shifts of its drivers instead of cutting train service times.
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