JAPAN NEWS




 

More train cars with large open areas are appearing in the Tokyo metropolitan area, allowing passengers with baby strollers or in wheelchairs to board without hesitation.

Seibu Railway Co. was a pioneer in introducing these cars, and Keio Corp. will also begin operating similar cars from early next year.

Parents who often travel with young children have been pleased with the change, as it makes it easier to use trains.

In late October, Keio Corp., the operator of Keio and other lines, held a ceremony to unveil a new model of train car with large open spaces. Miki Fujimoto, a 44-year-old TV personality and the mother of three children aged 5 to 13, took to the stage as a guest speaker and shared her difficult experiences in the past.

“Until recently, other passengers complained and told me to fold up [my stroller],” she said.

Fujimoto said she often traveled by train with her children, pushing a stroller and carrying lots of bags. She was pleased with the introduction of the new train cars.

“We will have a space allowing various people [including those raising children and wheelchair users] to ride trains with a sense of relief.”
Each of Keio’s 2000 series trains, which will begin operation in late January, has 10 cars. Fourteen seats have been removed from one of the cars to create an open space.

The new car is also characterized by its large windows so that even little children can watch the scenery outside.

The company decided to introduce these cars to encourage people raising children and the elderly, who tend to avoid traveling by train, to ride the trains more readily. The reason behind this move is that the number of commuters on its lines dived during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the company’s 84 trains and 726 cars currently in use, it plans to replace one regular car with one with the large open space in four trains by March 2027.

“We want people of any generation to use our trains,” said a Keio official.

 

Little known, few in number

A council set up by the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry compiled a report in 2014 that said, “Operators of public transportation should accommodate those with baby strollers so that they do not need to fold them up.”

However, according to sources at railway companies, the reality is that people with baby strollers avoid catching trains during rush hour when train cars are congested or travel with their babies in slings.
Given this situation, Seibu Railway set up large open spaces in its trains in 2017.

Currently, one such car has been introduced for each of its 26 trains, which are being operated on train lines including the Ikebukuro and Shinjuku lines.
The Tokyo metropolitan government, operator of Toei Subway lines, introduced train cars with large spaces in 2019 to assist those raising children.

Two such cars are included in each of its 71 trains on the Mita, Asakusa, Shinjuku and Oedo lines. The walls inside the cars are decorated with characters popular with children.

However, one task remains. Cars with large open spaces are still few in number and therefore not well known. As there are only a few trains with these cars, there are limited opportunities to use them.

“These high-quality measures for accessibility are a new movement,” said Chuo University Prof. Tetsuo Akiyama, who is an expert in urban transport planning. “It is necessary to spread the word so that not only child-rearing generations but many other people will understand that good spaces have been introduced.”

The central government promotes the smooth movement of the elderly and those with baby stroller in the belief that it is important for everyone to be able to use the railway safely, securely and smoothly.

“We will make efforts to increase the number of train cars in which everybody can easily ride,” said Takuya Ogawa, deputy chief of the transport ministry’s Policy Division for Inclusive Society.