JR East made headlines in early September with the announcement it would move up last train times from spring 2021. Now, Seibu Railway has revealed it’s following suit, with similar changes for trains in and around Tokyo set to come into effect from next spring.
The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a drop of more than 40 percent in passenger numbers at night, so the last train times for services departing from Tokyo will be moved up by 30 minutes. The changes will be implemented in a timetable revision next spring and will apply to ten of the 12 Seibu lines in Tokyo, including the busy Seibu Shinjuku and Seibu Ikebukuro lines. Only the Seibu Yamaguchi and Seibu Tamagawa lines are exempt from the changes.
From spring 2021, the last train on the Seibu Shinjuku Line heading from Takadanobaba Station to Kami-Shakuji Station on weekdays, for example, will depart at 12.20am.
Seibu trains serve some of Tokyo’s biggest nightlife districts, so to avoid overcrowding on the new schedule, the company is considering also adding an extra train departing shortly before the last train. Seibu Railway says the new timetable will also improve conditions for overnight maintenance workers and line inspectors.
More details will be announced in January 2021 on Seibu Railway’s official website.
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