The business environment surrounding passenger rail has changed dramatically in both Japan and the U.S. since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. Currently, demand for passenger rail has not returned to pre-pandemic levels in view of a diversification of work styles, including more remote work.

 

At the same time, we have witnessed significant milestones for the passenger rail industry in the past few years. The Biden administration in the U.S. has made a generational investment in rail and public transportation infrastructure under the IIJA (the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted in November 2021). In Japan, high-speed rail projects such as the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension scheduled for March 2024 and development projects around terminal stations such as Shibuya in Tokyo and Umeda in Osaka are progressing smoothly.

 

As the world moves toward carbon neutrality, passenger rail is attracting attention as an environmentally friendly means of transportation. As natural disasters become more frequent, it is becoming increasingly important to strengthen urban resilience.

 

This symposium aims to present and discuss how the value of passenger rail (high speed, intercity, commuter, heavy and light rail) is being articulated and measured in both Japan and the U.S., reaffirming the social and economic role that passenger rail plays by connecting cities and enhancing their attractiveness and resilience.