Ali Mahran - the importance of railways for development of reigional communities

Kuwait Metro and Rail Conference & Exhibition

19 - 20 April 2011Towards the Importance of Railways for

Development of Regional Communities. (Japan, JR Model)

Dr.Eng. Ali Mahran HeshamProf. of Environment and Urban Planning

http://kenanaonline.com/drmahran2020

1 .Introduction• Passengers traveling across town and country get

their safely and quickly with the use of trains and railway systems. Trains and railways are cheaper

way to travel when compared with airlines, train travel has become a popular way for development

and tourists to see the sights of the country. • The main Challenges in Japan Railways is the declining birthrate and aging population, a large-

scale increase in railway transport demand cannot be expected in the future. In addition, due to the

sophistication and diversification of the riding public’s sense of value and lifestyle, railway

transport must improve the quality of time and space during the ride.

2 .Objectives of The Study • To describe and focus on the situation of Japan,

especially transportation means )e.g. JR, ( and its development.

• To focus on the huge role of railways systems for development ) e.g. time, cost, safety, recreation,

economy, … ( . Additionally, it shows how the Japanese railways helps the decision maker of

Japan to stand on the top level of developed and rich countries.

• It promotes regional development as well as improve the function of large Cities and other communities

by providing a comprehensive system of railways construction.

3 .Profile of Japan in Relation to the Transportation Systems

• Japan consists of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku,

Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people and area about 378000 km2.

• Japan emerged as the most developed nation in Asia. The period of overall real economic growth

from the 1960s to the 1980s has been called a "Japanese miracle": it averaged 7.5 percent in the 1960s and 1970s, and 3.2 percent in the 1980s and

early 1990s.

3.1 .Japan At a Glance:

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Takayama.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Kanazawa.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Osaka.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Okayama.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Kurashiki.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Hiroshima.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Fukuoka.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Nara.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Kyoto.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Nagoya.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Yokohama.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Tokyo.phtml

http://www.infomapjapan.com/sight_Sendai.phtml


• Japan ranks 12th of 178 countries in the 2008 Ease of Doing Business Index and has one of the smallest

tax revenues of the developed world.• According to both UN and WHO estimates, Japan is

the longest life expectancy in the world.• Japan is a major economic power with the world's

third-largest economy by nominal GDP.

3.1 .Japan At a Glance:


• A 2007 UN estimate puts the population at 35,676,000 making it the world's most populous

metropolitan area by far. It covers an area of approximately 13,500 km² )5,200 mi²(, giving it a

population density of 2,642 person/km². • Railways in the Tokyo Metropolitan area provide 56%

of travel needs.• Tokyo's public transportation system is the most

comprehensive in the world. It is also cleaner and safer.

3.2 .The Greater Tokyo


• Hokkaido ) Hokkaidō (, literally "North Sea Circuit", formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is

Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectural-level subdivisions.

The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by

the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel. The largest city on Hokkaido is its capital, Sapporo, which is

also its only ordinance-designated city.• The population of Hokkaido exceeds 5.5 million person in 2010 , with area about 83454 km2 and 68

Districts ) 180 Municipalities ( .

3.3 .Hokkaido Island


• The railways that serve the public daily are a safe and environmentally friendly means of transport.

• There have been ZERO accidents invloving passenger fatalities.

• The demand on the transportation sector to reduce CO2 emissions is growing stronger and the

expectation that railway transport become a more energy-e cient means of transportation than ffimotor vehicles and other modes of transport is

increasing.

3.4 .Environmental Protection

• Rail transport in Japan is a major means of passenger transport, especially for mass and high-speed travel between regions , major cities , rural and urban communities and as well for commuter

transport in metropolitan areas.• There are 27,268 km of rail criss crossing the

country. Japan's railways carried 22.24 billion passengers in fiscal 2006. In comparison, Germany

has over 40,000 km of railways, but travels only 2.2 billion passengers per year.

• Japan's railways carried 51.9 million tons of goods in fiscal 2006 . The share of railways in the national

logistics is as small as 0.84% )2005(.

4 .The Role of Railways for Development of Japan


• The Japan Railways or commonly known as JR is predominant in the railway network in Japan and it accounts for approximately 70 percent of the entire network. Approximately 30 percent is ran by private

sectors that mostly operate local lines in urban areas.

• Line names are shown on a ticket to indicate the route of the ticket. Passengers refer the railway by

the name of line )e.g. "Tōyoko Line"( or the name of operator )e.g. "Hanshin"(.

4.1 .Japan Railways, JR


• The JR development are viewed, as a part of Railway Landscape – a railway infrastructure

considered in terms of visual amenity and functional efficiency. Railway stations are becoming as

uniform and rationalized, with too many commercial advertisements, and their comparison with World's

Developed ones.• JR, subsidizes the projects to implement

improvements required for the reorganization of the stations and train tracks, changes in operation

schedules, in addition to services, etc.



• The JR has its own rechargeable card system called SUIKA. Its advantage is that it makes it faster. It does

not need to be passed through the ticket gates. The SUIKA card can be recharged for the desired amount

of money at the ticket machine. • To protect railway facilities from deterioration and

prevent or limit the spread of damage caused by natural disasters such as earthquake, and fire,

subsidies are provided for the enhancement facility soundness based on a comprehensive safety plan,

and the promotion of safer train operation and passenger safety.



• Financial assistance is provided for facility reinforcement/ improvement projects planned for

aging bridges and tunnels used by local railways. • To promote railways that are more comfortable and

easy-to-use with local authorities. JR publishes its “Guide Book on Railway Assistance” annually to

help you understand the railway assistance provided by the national government .

• Railway Day )October 14( was established in commemoration of the day in 1872 when the first

railway in Japan opened, and in celebration of railway development.


http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3016.html









• Since the inauguration of the first Shinkansen in 1964 connecting Tokyo and Shin Osaka, the

Shinkansen network, comprising the Tokaido, Sanyo, Tohoku, Joetsu, Hokuriku, and Kyushu

Shinkansen lines, has played a key role in intercity passenger transport, thereby contributing to the

well-balanced development of land and the growth of the national economy.

• Financial assistance is provided for the improvement of non-Shinkansen trunk railway lines to increase train speed and enhance accessibility to

Shinkansen lines.

4.2 .New Shinkansen ) Bullet Train ( Lines


• The world's longest railroad tunnel, for example, currently under way in Japan, is the 34-mile )54-

kilometre( Seikan undersea rock tunnel between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido; the 14.4 mile )23-

kilometre( pilot tunnel, completed in 1983 after 19 years of work, was utilized as a proving ground for

several new types of moles.• Compared with air transport, the Shinkansen has

several advantages, including scheduling frequency and flexibility, punctual operation, comfortable

seats, and convenient city-center terminals.

4.2 .New Shinkansen ) Bullet Train ( Lines


• To ensure trouble-free living environments, financial assistance is provided for such projects as the

construction of facilities that ensure safe and stable railway services and the installation of crossing

safety devices )crossing bars, crossing signals( for smooth flow of traffic and the prevention of

accidents at crossings. Subsidy for Improvement of Railway Modernization Facilities, Subsidy for

Development, and Subsidy for Post-disaster Restoration have been granted directly from the

National Government as of FY2010.

4.3 .Safety and Disaster Prevention Measures


• Financial assistance is provided for earthquake-proofing projects planned for existing stations which

presently lack earthquake-proofing, whose daily rider ship exceeds 10,000 persons, and which can

function as emergency passenger transport bases. • The safety of railway line sections against strong

winds can be improved by setting up anemometers in locations where wind speeds frequently exceed the

critical wind speed of overturning. In order to ensure optimum location of the anemometers, wind speed values need to be estimated over an N-year return

period along railway lines.

4.3 .Safety and Disaster Prevention Measures

5 .Rules and Criteria for Improving the JR

• While railways are popular mode of land transportation in Japan and their role is greater than

in Europe )in 2001 the Japanese traveled 3034 km per person per year, while Europeans only 810

km/p(, the majority of existing “convenient stations” satisfy basic needs but not aesthetic. In most

European countries, train operation and management of stations has been separated from track business )management and development of

rail infrastructure(.

5.1. The Japan Railways, JR to compared with the European one


• . In Japan, the Japan National Railways was divided in 1987 into six regional operators. JNR did not divide the train operators and infrastructure like

some European countries did. Unlike in Europe, new private railways – JRs – have been in charge of all

components of railway operation – all infrastructure including rolling stock, railroad tracks, maintenance

facilities, train operation, station maintenance, as well as for other businesses )kiosks, shops,

restaurants( at the stations.



• Some trains of Japan now have some women-only cars. It is the center of rail transportation in Tokyo

and most of the other JR and private company lines begin at one of the Yamanote stations and travel to different places within the loop. The company runs an English information. All of the JR lines, as well

are color coded. The JR Yamanote Line is green and does a circle around the central Tokyo.



• In Germany and England they are subsidized by public authorities, in France railways are national

and they are controlled and subsidized by the government through regional organizations.

• In Japan government controls infrastructure development and issues guidelines but station design depends on railway companies, which

prepare their own guidelines. It is difficult to expect that railway companies will prepare strict guidelines

on sensitive design because their policies are mainly profit-oriented.



• Railways and trams are respectively regulated by the Railway Business Act ) Tetsudō Jigyō Hō, Act No. 92

of 1986( and the Tram Act ) Kidō Hō, Act No. 76 of 1921(.

• Under the Railway Business Act, operations of "railways" )in the legal meaning( are divided into

three categories: Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 .

5.2 .Categories of Railways


• Railways electrification are usually taking one of two forms - via wires suspended over the tracks or

by way of one )or two( extra 'electrified' rail)s( located alongside the tracks. The overhead

)catenary( wire system is more usual for long distance lines whilst the electric rail)s( system

)which is usually referred to as 3rd [or 4th] rail( is more often used on city-specific urban rail systems

)sometimes called metro / subway / rapid transit(.



• “Master Plan for Technology Development”were approved by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and

Transportation in January 2007, and are pursuing technological development in an effort to establish the relevant technology required for implementing

an ultra-high-speed mass-transport system that has a clear competitive edge compared with other means

of transportation by 2016.


6.Conclusions • Rail transport in Japan is a major means of passenger transport, especially for mass and

high-speed travel between major cities and for commuter transport in metropolitan areas.

• Railroads were long the most important means of passenger and freight

transportation in Japan, ever since they were established in the late nineteenth century.

Government policy promoted railways due to lack of fossil fuels and nearly complete

dependence on import.

6.Conclusions • The major private railways companies are

operating 2,870.1 kilometers of railways. In one year period from April 2009, a total of 9.46 billion

passengers )118 billion passenger kilometers( traveled on these major railways.

• Japan's railway, JR network is advanced and provides an easy way to get around with its

safeness, comfortableness, speed, and punctuality. ticket price is based on the type of seat , the type of

train, and the traveling distance.

6 .Conclusions • Environmental protection is mainly, taken into

consideration in all the phases of JR, implementation ) Design, construction, operation,

services, etc. (, which makes the Japanese transportation systems more beautiful, safety,

comfortable and attractiveness model.• All of the JR lines, as well as are color coded.

• Some trains of Japan now have some women-only cars.

• The JR Model are successfully assisting the development of regional communities in addition to

rural and urban areas.

والله المستعــان،،

،

Dr. Ali Mahran Hesham Dr. Ali Mahran Hesham