Bullet trains in Japan are a huge attraction for all the tourists who visit this country. The bullet train rail pass offers 14 days of unlimited travel across the country. But now the tourists visiting the country will have to pay about 70% more than what was paid earlier as JR Central raises the cost of the pass. Yes, the prices are now 70% higher than they actually were!
Japan’s Bullet Train Rail Pass Cost Hiked By 70%
From this month on, the Japan bullet train rail pass costs ¥80,000, which earlier was priced at ¥47,250. They also have options where one can buy one or three-week passes. They also have first-class tickets to offer.
The price hike for all the tickets varies from 65% to 77%. The JR group of six train operators mentioned that the previous cost was fixed when there were fewer bullet train destinations. They said that the hike in prices is completely justified as the services are now extended to the northern regions of Japan.
The JR network actually covers over 19,000 kms across the country. Koki Mizuno, spokesperson for Central Japan Railway Co., said that they had never raised prices except for the small adjustments made during consumer tax hikes. (As per Hindustan Times)
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Effect On Other Travel Options
The official also mentioned that the system upgrades that took place over the years were also not reflected in the pass costs. These upgrades include the use of automatic ticket gates and online seat reservations.
All the travellers can also pay extra fees and ride the fastest Shinkansen bullet train services, like Mizuho and Nozomi. This way, they can ditch the ones that are slow and also make more stops.
People who are residents of Japan cannot purchase the passes. With these passes, one can access express trains, some ferries, and also local lines.
According to Denise Wong, a Bloomberg intelligence analyst, the increase in prices may affect other travel options. For long-distance intercity travel, travellers might shift to Jetstar and All Nippon Airways Co.’s Peach. These are low-cost carriers and cost less. (As per Hindustan Times)
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What are your views on this hike?
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