The Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the operators of Tokyo’s train network. A drastic decline in passenger numbers forced the city’s major railway lines to shorten service hours and reduce the number of trains per hour. Despite Japan reopening to overseas tourists in October, ridership has continued to decline, forcing several train operators in Tokyo to raise fares.
Tokyo Metro will increase fares for the first time in 28 years, not taking into account consumption tax hikes. The base fare on all Tokyo Metro subway lines will increase by ¥10 from the current ¥170 to ¥180 from March 2023. Commuter passes will get a hike of ¥370 for the one-month pass, ¥1,050-¥1,060 for the three-month pass and ¥1,990-2,000 for the six-month pass. Good news for students, though, as there is no price revision for passes used to commute to school or university.
Another reason for the fare hikes is the expansion of safety measures and barrier-free elements throughout the stations, including the installation of elevators, platform safety doors, security cameras inside the cars and obstacle detection devices on crossings. To cover the cost of these improvements, fares on JR East, Tokyu, Odakyu, Tobu and Seibu line trains will increase by ¥10 from March 2023.
According to Nikkei, 278 stations on 16 JR East lines will be affected by the fare increase, including every station on the Yamanote line as well as those between Omiya and Osaki stations on the Saikyo line. On top of that, the six-month commuter pass will increase by ¥1,420.
Tokyu Corporation announced that the basic fare on the Toyoko, Meguro, Denentoshi, Oimachi, Ikegami and Tamagawa lines will increase by ¥10 from ¥130 to ¥140, while the Setagaya line’s basic fare will change from ¥150 to ¥160. You’ll also need to spend more on a one-month commuter pass, which increases from ¥10,110 to ¥11,510, and from ¥5,390 to ¥6,140 on the Setagaya line. There won’t be any price revisions for the three-, six- and 12-month commuter passes, or for student passes. Train fares on the Kodomo-no-Kuni line will also remain unchanged.
According to Nikkei, Tobu, Odakyu and Seibu will follow suit and raise train fares on all lines by ¥10. Tobu Railway will also increase its one-month commuter pass by ¥600, the three-month pass by ¥1,710 and the six-month pass by ¥3,240. There won’t be any price revisions for commuter passes used by students.
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