The Day The JR's Started

[Jcarlton]

They started with a whistle concert and bells ringing. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBlMezJAvVM

A good way to start.

[Densha]

It was strange hearing the JNR staff singing a song (https://youtu.be/zzcWPu7dxSw) of which the melody is the same as a Dutch song (https://youtu.be/CwLsYHzwYCA). Then I found out that it's actually based on the same song: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Lang_Syne#In_non-English-speaking_countries

[kvp]

It was a start for the JR-s, but a funeral for the JNR and the end for any plans to connect the south end of Kyusu with the north of end Hokkaido by a direct shinkansen service. Also this was the point where the line closures and the 3rd sectorisation really began. The JNR wasn't worse or less efficient than the new JR companies, but after the change, the railroads weren't seen as a public service anymore, but as a for profit operation, which allowed the restructuring that could have been done with the JNR intact.

[westfalen]

Every time I watch this I get the impression that most of the old railwaymen look like they are at an old friend's funeral rather than the start of a new era.

[ToniBabelony]

Longer live report of the event (including ads):

 

 

And yes, for the old men it was like a funeral. Especially when you take into account the long raging battle (sometimes close to a real one) that went before the split up into commercial JR Groups. And no, the JR Groups still see trains as a public service, as well as the dozens and dozens of other commercial, 3rd sector and other railway operating companies. They just had to cut down on many local services, because those lines were the one of the major causes of the monstrous debts JNR left behind. It is now as it is.

[kvp]

 

And no, the JR Groups still see trains as a public service, as well as the dozens and dozens of other commercial, 3rd sector and other railway operating companies. 

Imho, the JNR and the 3rd sector railways were/are public service. The JR-s and the for profit small privates aim strictly for profit. Otherwise they wouldn't discard every country line along new shinkansen routes. I do understand the JR split was required for the line closures, as the old JNR leadership and employees wouldn't let that happen. Imho the main reason the split was required was that politicians were unwilling to reform the JNR and it's easier to hide the service cuts and line closures behind 3rd sector railways which nobody cares about except the locals. A government which would have said that 'we'll just close every nonprofitable line and replace it with local bus service and fire everyone who works for those lines' would have been very short lived but if successful the JNR could have been kept in once piece. Now the same effect takes place as a creeping problem and takes many years. On the other hand, railway (and generally public services) privatisation was an idea at that time that was looked upon as a solution for all problems. It was tried in the UK, in eastern Europe, in Japan and even in Canada around the same time and it failed in various ways. It crippled the UK infrastructure, nearly collapsed it in Europe and resulted in line closures and suspension of passenger traffic on many lines in Japan and Canada. But investors gained lots of profit, so it was justified as a success everywhere. Imho pushing around and even distributing the blame is not a success, especially when local communities have to pay the price many years later.

[ToniBabelony]

Your opinion on the matter doesn't take away the JR Groups see themselves as public services though.