A Word of Caution on Foreign Language Timetables

[bill937ca]

Recently it has been discussed on the Yahoo Jtrains list that while most train services are back to the new normal (which I read as full rush hour, 80% other hours, and very limited special operations) but railway websites are in very poor shape.  

 

"Though operations are normal or near normal on the physical lines, the websites are still in a state of disarray. Many companies provide pre-earthquake timetables on their official websites. The Japanese pages

have words of caution in most cases but the foreign language pages are largely unmaintained."

 

Good luck planning a trip with any accuracy.  

 

Now that "nobody is going to Japan" its hard to say how long it will be before foreign language pages will be updated.  I'm guessing the foreign language pages may actually disappear if the topic is brought up.  Right now the priorities of the railways lay elsewhere.

[bikkuri bahn]

A good excuse to concentrate your travel in the Tokai, Kansai, and western Japan regions.  Japan is much, much more than just Tokyo

[bill937ca]

One exception is the Odakyu Electric Railway, which has posted a timetable for April 16th to April 28th.  April 16th was the resumption of Romancecar service and April 29 was the first day of Golden Week.

 

http://www.odakyu.jp/english/news/sys/201104151858307911fbc3.pdf

 

Odakyu's normal Romancecar timetable:

 

http://www.odakyu.jp/english/rc/rc_timetable_a01.html

[westfalen]

I've got to say I've very rarely used English language timetables while I'm in Japan or planning trips there with the exeption of Hyperdia in recent years. I'm always wary that something is being left out, either by accident or on purpose because they think foreigners wouldn't be interested.

[gmat]

Taken on Monday night.

The Super View Odoriko doesn't go to Shinjkuku or Ikebukuro for the time being. It does go to Tokyo.

 

The Narita Express has a modified schedule, mostly eliminating the earlier and later runs, I believe.

 

 

Last wed., a golden week holiday, I noticed the 215 series Holiday View Rapid for Kobuchizawa. It must have stared on tues., also a golden week holiday. I didn't see it on fri., the first golden week holiday, the week before.

I haven't checked to see if the 215 Home Liner Odawara is running in the morning yet nor if the late night Home Liner Odawara is a 250 series. The electronic arrival/departure board says the latter is a 10 car train.

 

My upper case w key is on the fritz, so many of the capitalizations are lower case. Sorry.

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[scott]

I wish I needed to worry about this problem. :-/