Urban transit / 都市圏公共交通

[quashlo]

Hiroshima to reconsider proposed Astram Line extensions
http://mainichi.jp/area/hiroshima/ne...10553000c.html

Stalled ridership growth… Fiscal troubles
In regards to the extension plans for the Astram Line guideway transit system, Hiroshima City Road and Transport Bureau Chief Takai Iwao was present at a June 28 meeting of the City Council’s Construction Committee, revealing plans to evaluate the proposals, including a possible reconsideration of the extensions. The Astram Line opened in 1994 as a line under third-sector operator Hiroshima Rapid Transit, and proposed extensions had been announced in 1999 during the tenure of previous Mayor Akiba Tadatoshi, but the plans had effectively been put on ice as a result of financial difficulties and other reasons. This is the first time that city officials have made a public reference to re-evaluating the proposed extensions.

Road and Transport Bureau Chief Takai responded, “Hiroshima Rapid Transit’s business situation and funding plans have a substantial effect on the city’s fiscal state. I hope we can consider the proposals from the perspective of the city’s transport policy, including rethinking our vision for the proposed extensions.”

The Astram Line currently stretches a total of 18.4 km between Hon-dōri (Naka Ward) and Kōiki Kōen-mae (Asa Minami Ward). According to the extension plans published in 1999, a total project cost of approx. ¥300 billion would be invested to construct a total of approx. 13 km of new extensions, constructing a loop line in stages: the Seifū Shinto Line (Kōiki Kōen-mae – JR Nishi-Hiroshima, approx. 6.2 km), the Tōzai Line (Nishi-Hiroshima – JR Hiroshima Station, approx. 5.4 km), and the Namboku Line (Hon-dōri – Vicinity of former Hiroshima University campus).

However, ridership numbers during the first fiscal year of service were only 43,575 passengers, falling short of the forecasted ridership of 69,116 passengers. In FY2001, Hiroshima Expressway Route 4 linking Seifū Shinto and central Hiroshima City opened, and ridership growth stalled as a result of competition with bus lines and other factors.

In March 2003, Hiroshima Rapid Transit drafted a ten-year business rehabilitation plan, but current ridership is still only around 50,000 passengers. In addition, the company’s debt reached ¥34.7 billion at the end of last fiscal year, and approx. ¥20 billion is expected in the future for rolling stock and facilities upgrades. Faced with this situation, the company is scheduled to draft another business rehabilitation plan for FY2013 to FY2022, and the proposed extensions will be re-evaluated in conjunction with this effort.

More details according to a separate article in a more “local” paper:
http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/News/Tn201106290189.html

The cost to upgrade the line’s 144 cars between 2020 and 2030 is estimated at approx. ¥17 billion, with another ¥3 billion for upgrades to the central control system. The rolling stock upgrades are scheduled to take place in a few years, and the system upgrades will be rolled out with the scheduled spring 2014 opening of the new Hakushima New Station connecting to the JR San’yō Line.

The extension plans estimated the cost of the Phase 1 extension to the Koi area (i.e., the Seifū Shinto Line) at approx. ¥70 billion, with approx. 20,000 daily riders, but a re-evaluation now would show lower land values, resulting in lower land acquisition costs. They will also re-examine the population along the proposed extension, as well as the possibility of using revenues generated from the new Hakushima New Station as a funding source for the extension. The Tōzai Line and Namboku Line have lower priority, as the Seifū Shinto Line is a prerequisite for both those lines.

Some more Hiroshima videos. Hiroshima is definitely rising up on my list of favorite cities in Japan.
Source: nimo5 on YouTube

JR San’yō Main Line and Hiroden Miyajima Line trains crossing the Yawata River (2011.05.22). This corridor has some interesting competition (light rail line vs. mainline railway, the first private and the second ex-public now private).



JR Kabe Line scenes (2011.06.26). Relatively high-frequency for a small JR line (10-minute frequencies during morning rush hour). In addition to the “rapid transit” / Astram Line plans, there are also plans to reinstitute service on previously abandoned sections of this line in northern Hiroshima City in conjunction with new residential development. The Astram Line also makes a cameo appearance @ 7:50.

[quashlo]

Platform bypass catwalk at Midōsuji Line’s Tennōji Station complete

I was a little curious how this would turn out for several reasons: the limited ceiling height, the effect of the additional vertical circulation on already narrow platforms, and the visual / shadow effect of the new catwalk. Overall, though, it turned out not too bad.

Tennōji Station is one of the older stations on the line, opening in 1938, and JR took care to not damage or conflict with the existing architectural features of the station. The bypass was constructed above the the west end of the northbound platform (for Namba and Umeda). This location was selected because morning rush hour is generally worse (evening rush hour is more spread out), with passengers transferring from JR and Kintetsu to the Midōsuji Line.

Some pics (2011.06):
Source: http://building-pc.cocolog-nifty.com/map/



The bypass is surrounded entirely in glass.
We can see they are still letting some of the truncated dome tiles cure. Vertical clearance looks tight, but I suppose there wasn’t much they could do.



First stairwell



Easternmost stairwell



Looking from the opposite platform, which did not get the same treatment. Looks a little tight where the stairwells touch down, but I suppose passengers will get accustomed and use the stairwells closest to them, avoiding walking on the platform as much as possible.



New platform-to-catwalk elevator

[quashlo]

Kita-Shinchi Station platform doors

A more complete update on the platform doors at Kita-Shinchi Station on the JR Tōzai Line that entered service on March 27.

These are JR West’s first platform doors for zairaisen conventional lines (they already have them at a some Shinkansen stations). A little surprising perhaps, but understandable given the variety of train types operated by JR. However, the Tōzai Line has a uniform train design, as it doesn’t operate limited expresses or other types of special trains that have atypical door placement, making it a perfect candidate for platform doors.

These are waist-high (1.3 m tall) installations, approx. 140 m long each. Total cost was not cheap either, at approx. ¥350 million, with Ōsaka City and the national government each shouldering ¥100 million and JR West shouldering the rest.

Picture set:
Source: http://building-pc.cocolog-nifty.com/map/

Fairly standard implementation.



Door leaves include toughened glass sections to improve visibility.



Operation is controlled by the conductor inside the train.



Moving a little back in time to 2011.03.22, where the doors and pockets have been anchored into place but not activated yet. Platform 2 (for Kyōbashi) doors were erected 2011.03.12 (Saturday), followed by Platform 1 (for Amagasaki) doors on 2011.03.13.



While the doors were erected but not in operation, there were security guards on hand to ensure passenger safety.



On 2011.03.11, before erection. These were taken immediately before the earthquake.



Anchor points for the platform doors.



Scenes at Kita-Shinchi Station (2011.04.29).
Too much wind noise, though.


Source: yos0211 on YouTube

The next station to receive platform doors will be the adjacent Ōsaka Tenmagū Station, with work to be completed this fiscal year.

[quashlo]

Ōsaka Station City redux: Part 1

Well, it’s been a few months since the grand opening of Ōsaka Station City, so let’s take another look at the latest landmark in the Kansai area, as well as a peek at some new stuff that wasn’t yet completed at the time of the grand opening.

First, some nighttime shots of the exterior:
Source: http://blog.osakanight.com/

Classic viewpoint from the Hankyū Grand Building, at dusk.



At nighttime



The canopy isn’t as glassy as the original renders, but it has a nice effect in its own right.



The Carillon Square, which serves as one of the connections to Hankyū Umeda Station and the rest of Hankyū’s buildings in the Umeda area.



From the pedestrian bridge at the southeast corner of the station.



From Nishi-Umeda, immediately west of the station.



The canopy, from the passage connecting the platform bridge and the Carillon Square. The station definitely has two different faces for daytime and nighttime thanks to the special lighting and glass.



The South Gate Building, now home to Umeda’s largest department store, the Daimaru Umeda store, after the expansion.



South Gate



North Gate

[quashlo]

Ōsaka Station City redux: Part 2

Nighttime shots of the interior:
Source: http://blog.osakanight.com/

Escalators to Time Square



Time Square, facing towards the North Gate Building. To the left is JR Ōsaka Mitsukoshi Isetan (department store), to the right is Lucua (mall).



Facing the South Gate Building



The Time Square also has a café sitting atop it.





Gold and silver clocks are mounted at each end of the Time Square.



One level up, looking down.



Platform bridge and public passage from the west side.



From the east



Fish-eye lens panorama from the South Gate end.



Wind Plaza, atop the North Gate Building.

[quashlo]

Ōsaka Station City redux: Part 3

Next, the eco-taxi pick-up / drop-off zone and the former Platform 11 at the station.
Source: http://building-pc.cocolog-nifty.com/map/

A special “eco-taxi” and “eco-bus” pick-up / drop-off area at the northwest corner of the station. This is exclusively for hybrid and electric vehicles only.



Stairwell to the special taxi area.



The former Platform 11 at the station, in use for 40 years by limited expresses bound for the Hokuriku region (Fukui, Toyama, etc.) before being abandoned four years ago as part of the station renovation project. The platform has been preserved as a passage to the parking structure at the station.



Next to the old platform is the parking garage access road and queuing space for hybrid (HV) and electric (EV) vehicles.



Zoomed out a bit more. This area look a bit temporary and it’s possible that JR West is considering a future conversion of this area into more station tenant buildings as the Umeda North Yard development kicks in.



Eco-taxi area. Behind is the freight terminal.



Those stairs connect to this passage running along the inside of the North Gate Building.



This is on the less busy side of the station and there’s not much foot traffic at all.

[quashlo]

Ōsaka Station City redux: Part 4

Next, the recently-opened expressway bus terminal.

The expressway bus terminal was relocated to the first floor of the North Gate Building as part of the station renovation, together with Hankyū Bus’ Umeda stop at the North Exit of Ōsaka Station and Ōsaka Municipal Bus’ Ōsaka Ekimae stop. First relocations took place 2011.05.22, with two stops each of Hankyū Bus and Ōsaka Municipal Bus moving in, followed by 10 stops for West JR Bus (bus subsidiary of JR West) and the JR expressway bus ticket center (previously at the Sakurabashi Exit of the station) on 2011.06.01. Previously, Ōsaka Municipal Bus used the Midōsuji South Exit, West JR Bus used the Sakurabashi Exit, and Hankyū Bus used the Midōsuji North Exit, but the new terminal consolidates most (not all) of the three bus areas.

First, some pics pre-opening (2011.05):
Source: http://building-pc.cocolog-nifty.com/map/

Nice and clean.



For passenger safety, the waiting areas are separated by barricade, with gates positioned at the proper locations to align with bus doors. I suppose it’s a dumbed-down version of platform doors.



Training bus to get operators familiar with the new layout and routes



The terminal entrance is gate-controlled to prevent private autos from entering. Originally, this was on a major pedestrian access route to get from the station to Yodobashi Camera, so JR is looking into possibly adding a crosswalk and traffic signal here. Peak bus traffic is approx. 80 buses per hour, so it shouldn’t be impossible, but the Police Department refused to give approval on the grounds of safety, leaving us with no crossing at the moment.



JR expressway bus on operator training duties

[quashlo]

Ōsaka Station City redux: Part 5

Bus terminal post-opening (2011.06):
Source: http://building-pc.cocolog-nifty.com/map/

From Bay 1, looking into the terminal



With limited space, multi-structured terminals are common in Japan. However, there was also some road space for cars sacrificed… The station renovation required the relocation and narrowing of an arterial road on the north side of the station (the much narrower replacement road comes in from the bottom left corner) and constructing the North Gate Building in the road’s former location. The bus terminal sits approximately on the former arterial ROW and directly beneath the Atrium Square.



The JR expressway bus ticket center outside the Sakurabashi Exit of the station was relocated here.



They quickly installed this simple seating since the previous set of photos.



Hand-operated “platform doors”



Full-color LCD departure boards in operation:
13:10 Tōkaidō Midday Ltd. Exp. No. 16 for Shinjuku Station and Tōkyō Station
14:30 San’yōdō Midday Lts. Exp. Hiroshima No. 3 for Hiroshima Station



Hankyū Bus waiting inside the terminal.
There is a signalized crossing with crossing arms at this location.





The Hankyū Bus and Ōsaka Municipal Bus bays are located on the island.



The fencing is taller here to discourage jaywalking, but it appears there has only been limited success. I don’t think another signal here would be a big deal (minimum crossing time should only be about 10 seconds anyways), although it would cost money. There’s going to be reshuffling of the crosswalk locations anyways as part of the build-out of the Umeda North Yard, so this is only a temporary situation.

[quashlo]

Ōsaka Station City redux: Part 6

Another set:
Source: http://saitoshika.blog119.fc2.com/



You can see the bus bay occupancy board hanging from the ceiling at right to quickly notify drivers of the parking situation. Parking should not be a problem assuming service is on-time, but the board should come in handy if there are service disruptions.



JR expressway bus departure board





Jaywalker…



Umeda North Yard buildings under construction. The bus terminal is to the left outside of the frame.The arterial road that used to cross here now curves off to the north, as shown, and was downsized to two lanes only. Pedestrian decks are supposed to connect these buildings to Ōsaka Station City and Hankyū Umeda Station.



Video tour (2011.06.04):


Source: dkkawachi on YouTube

[quashlo]

Ōsaka Station City redux: Part 7

Finish with some videos:

Short daytime tour.
Crane madness for the Umeda North Yard @ 2:20.


Source: junjun7221 on YouTube

Another assortment of daytime clips:


Source: tetsubakamovie on YouTube

Nighttime shots from the same photographer who took the night shots:


Source: OsakaNightTube on YouTube

[quashlo]

JR East considers rebuilding damaged lines as LRT
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/miy...OYT8T00263.htm

In regards to rail lines that were damaged in the earthquake and are as yet unrestored, at a panel discussion held in Sendai City on June 30 JR East director Fukuzawa Yūji remarked, “What shall we do with the Sanriku lines? I would love for the debate to consider light rail transit (LRT) as well.” It’s believed that Fukuzawa had the Kesennuma Line and the Ōfunato Line in mind when making reference to the “Sanriku lines”, and Fukuzawa indicated that he is considering LRT as an option (and not only the existing design) in the restoration of these lines.

Regarding the relocation of the lines to higher ground in the urbanized areas of coastal cities as being considered by Miyagi Prefecture, Director Fukuzawa said, “If the town is relocated, the railway moves with it. For lines with low ridership, I really would like the debate to consider passenger-friendly LRT designs.”

I was a little skeptical at first, but perhaps this may be fruitful and we could see LRT lines running in the Tōhoku area in 10 years.

[quashlo]

Yokohama’s municipal bus and subway post surpluses for FY2010
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/region/news...2490008-n1.htm

On July 4, the Yokohama City Transportation Bureau announced the FY2010 financial results for the municipal bus and municipal subway operations. The final accounts showed an operating surplus of ¥562 million for municipal bus operations and ¥1.06 billion for municipal subway operations. This is the first time both municipal bus and subway operations posted operating, ordinary, and net surpluses since the opening of the municipal subway in 1972.

According to the city’s Transportation Bureau, municipal bus operations were successful in reducing expenses, doing a thorough job of ensuring fuel-efficient operations (such as by avoiding rapid acceleration) and improving efficiency in management of replacement bus maintenance components. The municipal subway realized an increase in revenues as a result of its ekichika (station retail) business, establishing retail stores inside Yokohama Station, but was also able to reduce expenses through efforts towards electricity conservation and other measures.

The city’s Transportation Bureau says, “FY2010 is the fourth year of our five-year financial improvement plan that ends in FY2011. We’re pleased that we were able to realize an across-the-board surplus before entering the final year.”

[quashlo]

Saitama City looking at two options for new Iwatsuki Station on Saitama Railway extension
http://www.nikkei.com/news/local/art...E2E2EBE0E0E4E6

In regards to the extension of Subway Line 7 (Saitama Railway) and the location of the extension’s terminal at Iwatsuki Station, it was discovered on July 22 that Saitama City is focusing discussion on two different options: directly underneath Iwatsuki Station on the Tōbu Noda Line, and beneath the East Exit of the station closer to Tōkyō. Tōbu Railway’s Iwatsuki Station is slated to receive a new elevated station concourse in 2015, and there is the possibility that construction of a station directly beneath could inflate the original cost estimates by almost ¥10 billion, leading to consideration of an alternative option to build the station underground at the station’s East Exit.

The extension being planned is approx. 7.3 km long from the line’s current terminus at Urawa Misono Station to Iwatsuki Station. Originally, the plan was to construct the new terminal station directly beneath Tōbu Railway’s Iwatsuki Station, establishing station exits at the East Exit, home to the traditional urbanized area of Iwatsuki, as well as the West Exit, where land readjustment projects are underway.

Under the original vision, the construction cost of the extension would be ¥75 billion. As a result of optimistic forecasts, new estimates by the city and others project a higher cost for the extension. In addition, if the new station were to be constructed directly beneath Tōbu Railway’s station building, which will be reconstructed with an elevated concourse, there will be a need for additional works to strengthen the foundation of the station building, increasing the cost to ¥80 billion.

The city is hoping to avoid cost increases. As the elevation of the Tōbu station concourse would secure some level of convenient access to and from the West Exit, a proposal to keep down costs by building the new station underneath the station’s East Exit has surfaced.

In related news, another article says that Saitama City conducted a survey of companies in late February and early March, targeting 6,500 companies in the Greater Tōkyō area in the health / sports, health care / nursing, and agricultural production / food production industries regarding their level of interest in the proposed extension of the line—specifically, whether they would consider establishing new businesses or relocating their businesses along the extension. The city received responses from 587 companies. A total of 355 companies (60.5%) said intermediate stations on the extension would not be candidates for relocation or business expansion, and only 34 companies (5.8%) said they would consider relocation or business expansion.

I’m guessing they wanted to determine how much employment concentration they could expect around the proposed stations among businesses already in the general area.

[quashlo]

JR East formally apologizes to Tōkyō Metropolitan Government for post-earthquake response
http://www.nikkei.com/news/category/...E39191E2E2E2E2

As a strategy for passengers stranded and unable to reach home during an earthquake or other large-scale disaster situation, JR East revealed plans on June 24 to institute measures such as opening up station buildings at major terminal stations. After suspending service on all of its zairaisen (conventional lines), rolling down shutters at stations, and forcing stranded commuters out of stations immediately following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, JR East received criticism from the Tōkyō Metropolitan Government, and decided to re-evaluate its policies.

The railway will now discuss with concerned agencies regarding which sections of stations should be opened up as standby spaces. The railway is also considering supplying major terminal stations with a fixed amount of blankets, drinking water, and first-aid supplies.

Regarding the railway’s response on the day of the earthquake, the Tōkyō Metropolitan Government filed objections in May, saying JR East had “abandoned its duties and responsibilities as a railway operator.” On June 20, JR East president Seino Satoshi visited the Tōkyō Metropolitan Government offices and apologized to Tōkyō governor Ishihara Shintarō, saying, “The end result was that we forced out our passengers.”

Tōkyō MX news report (2011.06.20):

[quashlo]

Tōkyō Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation to roll out rewards points program

On 2011.08.01, the Tōkyō Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation will launch its new rewards points program, allowing passengers who use Toei transport to accumulate points that can be charged back as value on PASMO cards. All forms of Toei transport are part of the program:

• Toei Subway
  • Asakusa Line
  • Mita Line
  • Shinjuku Line
  • Ōedo Line
• Nippori–Toneri Liner
• Toden Arakawa Line
• Toei Bus

There are three different point accumulation methods:

• Basic Points: Awarded depending on how many times you use Toei transport.
• Weekend Bonus Points: Awarded for how many Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays you use Toei transport.
• Transfer Points: Awarded for how many days you use two or more of the four types of Toei transport.

Accumulated points can be recharded to your PASMO card at all Toei Subway stations, and at Nippori Station, Nishi-Nippori Station, and Kumano Station on the Nippori–Toneri Liner.

Campaign website is here:
http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/tokopo/index.html

Tōkyō Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation also selected an Edokko as their campaign mascot, model / talent Kinoshita Yukina. She was born and raised in shitamachi area (Katsushika Ward) and apparently took the Asakusa Line and Ōedo Line frequently.

Sankei News footage of press conference:



Toei infomercial:

[la.risa.el.olvido]

Great redux quashlo.

[ukiyo]

Weren't they going to remove the canopies or something in Osaka station?

[quashlo]

Yeah, they devised a solution using glass canopies on the platform sections that are getting wet, but will remove the rest of the platform canopies.

Images:
Source: JR West

Blue = glass canopy
White = no canopy







Work will begin late August and be completed in March 2012. On the sections where there will be no canopy, they will finish by September of this year. I was hoping they’d clean up the structural frames supporting the canopies a little bit more, but it looks like they will be keeping most of them in. Granted, some of them are used to support the departure boards and other signage, but I was expecting them to remove more like in the original renderings.

[ukiyo]

Thanks for the reply.

What is wrong with the structural frames?

[quashlo]

Too bulky. Blocks views of the canopy.