70% of Japan's local railways say pre-COVID ridership won't return

Combined losses more than double from before pandemic, survey shows

Japanese local railway operators are struggling to attract as many passengers as they had before the COVID-19 pandemic.

YUSUKE SAKURAI and TAKEMI NAKAGAWA, Nikkei staff writers

May 5, 2023 09:00 JST

TOKYO -- While a number of economic indicators in Japan are returning to pre-COVID levels, along with some listed companies' earnings, not all are rejoicing. Among those still struggling are local railway operators.

Passenger volumes are expected to remain below where they were before the pandemic at nearly 70% of these smaller operators. Some are weighing the option of shutting down their train lines altogether and switching to buses.