JR East to Raise Standard Fares for 1st Time since Privatization

Tokyo, Dec. 4 (Jiji Press)--East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, will raise its standard fares as early as March 2026, to secure funds for necessary capital investment at a time when users are decreasing due to shrinking population, it was learned Wednesday.

Prices of commuter and student passes are also expected to go up in the first full-fledged fare hike by the railroad operator since its creation through the Japanese National Railways’ privatization in 1987.

According to people familiar with the matter, the Yamanote Line’s base fare will be raised from 150 yen to 160 yen.

JR East plans to shortly file its fare hike application with the transport ministry. The company will be able to carry out the markup upon approval by the Transport Council.

Among JR Group companies, Hokkaido Railway Co. and Kyushu Railway Co. are scheduled to put up their standard fares by 8 pct and 15 pct on average, respectively, in April next year.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]