Through service concept - there are many operators in Japan. And there are a few routes which will span across several routes operated by different operators. To enhance the experiences of passengers, the companies came together with this through service concept. What happens is that a single physical train will be run through the entire route, but at various sections operated by different companies. What this does for passengers is that they no longer have to change to another line. Complications of fare splitting will only be done in the background by the companies only, easier for passengers.
No fare increase for past 27yrs except for tax increases - it's really quite amazing to hear this. I initially thought that it was due to exorbitant prices was set since 27yrs ago hence there was no need to increase fare prices. Thankfully that's not the case. The main reasons are the excellent streamlining of procedures and cost reductions within the companies. The backdrop of the Japan's deflating economy for the past few decades also contributed largely to it. This is likely to change in the future in their economic recovery.
Declining birth rates - I've always known that Japan had a greying population issue. But what I saw in their presentation was a physical decrease in population due to aging and declining birth rates. Astonishingly, they are predicting a drop in population of about 20% in 2030!!
Demand drives supply of rail lines - at the railway museum I saw and roughly read through the time line and development of rail in Japan. First rail began in Japan in the early 1800s. Developments then were slower and largely led by the population trends and movements. The really boom in development took place in the few decades prior to WWII. Amount of tracks more than doubled during this period of time. By end of WWII, Japan is already very well connected and additional developments of new lines in Japan had been much slower. In fact the network does not look much different.
A very diversed portfolio managed by train operators - East Japan Railway (JR East), is one of the largest transport companies in Japan. A subsidiary of the Japan Railway group of companies, the east sector covers Tokyo and deals with the highest traffic volume. But JR don't just operate trains. They operate buses/trams/Shinkansen as well. What's a little further fetched is that they run their own power plants to supply power to their trains. They build their own trains and sell to others as well. The winner for me is that they own and operate shopping malls and a chain of hotels as well!!
Financially profitable train service - for many countries companies are struggling to balance their accounts and get out of the red. Rail and bus are meant to be low cost travel and are typically not very profitable. Yet in Japan they are able to be profitable, particularly in Tokyo as their ridership is extremely high. Majority of citizens in Tokyo actually use the public transport. However we did note that over services in relatively rural area are finding it hard to break even and some were eventually withdrawn.
