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Japan’s New Year Rail Travel Sets Post-1991 Daily Record With 5% Rise

New figures from Meitetsu plus Kintetsu show leisure-driven increases alongside a decline at Centrair station.

Overview

  • JR’s six passenger companies reported 13.71 million users on major Shinkansen and limited express routes from Dec. 26 to Jan. 4, up 5% year over year and the highest daily average since records began in 1991.
  • Traffic peaked outbound on Dec. 27 and inbound on Jan. 4, reflecting concentrated holiday travel patterns.
  • Carriers said added train services and strong leisure demand contributed to the uptick in rail use.
  • Airlines tallied 3.48 million domestic passengers (+1%) and 0.72 million international passengers (+10%) over the same period, with ANA at 1.50 million domestic and 0.28 million international, and JAL at 1.10 million domestic and 0.22 million international.
  • Meitetsu logged 994,000 non-commuter trips over the first three days of the year (+7.4%), including increases at Meitetsu Nagoya (169,000, +7.6%) and Inuyama-Yuen (8,000, +10.5%), while Centrair Airport station fell to 30,000 (−7.9%); Kintetsu reported 3.585 million non-commuter trips from Dec. 31 to Jan. 3 (+5.6%), boosted by demand for Ise-Shima and Nara.