TOKYO -- As emerging countries race to build their own transit systems, Japanese rail companies are trying to land orders by helping those nations adopt Japan's know-how on its world-famous train punctuality.
A Japanese consortium made up of Mitsui & Co., West Japan Railway and the public-private fund Join spent 20 billion yen ($188 million) to purchase a roughly 90% stake in SuperVia, a Brazilian railway operator. The goal is to turn around its troubled operation by applying their experience running trains back home.
