Overview
- JR East will advance downbound last-train departures on the Tōhoku and Jōetsu Shinkansen by about 10–20 minutes starting spring 2026, with detailed timetables to follow.
- The change is intended to expand nightly track time for renewal and seismic-strengthening work on older sections such as Tokyo–Morioka and Ōmiya–Niigata.
- JR East reports its line-maintenance headcount has fallen roughly 20% over the past decade and says a 2024 last-train shift on the Jōetsu line boosted construction efficiency by about 10%.
- Following emergency checks ordered after the Oct. 5 Tokyu accident, MLIT reported signal-setting mistakes at 15 conventional-line stations across 10 operators, all since repaired, with no Shinkansen faults found.
- Inspections at more than 1,200 JR East and JR West conventional stations remain unfinished, and MLIT has ordered strengthened monitoring and driver communication until completion, with JR West due by end-November and JR East by next September.