Navitime Japan’s Transportation Data Business has released preliminary results of its analysis of the changes in search conditions resulting from the opening of the “Hokuriku Shinkansen” extension, based on the usage of navigation applications.
An analysis of “route searches between Tokyo Station and Fukui Station” before and after the extension showed that northbound searches increased after the extension (between Tokyo Station and Fukui Station, and between Omiya Station and Fukui Station). Before the extension, many searches were for the southbound route (via Yonehara Station), but after the extension, the northbound route is more likely to be displayed because there are no more transfers along the way.
In terms of “stations searched as destinations (compared to 2023)” in public transportation route searches, Tsuruga Station, a stop on the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train line, increased 8.35 times, while Fukui Station increased 3.61 times. Ashihara-onsen Station and Komatsu Station were also more than double the number of searches.
Although not Shinkansen stations, Sabae Station and Obama Station are 2.38 times and 2.18 times higher, respectively, and it is expected that visitors will not only travel along the Shinkansen lines but also to other areas in the prefecture, creating an economic ripple effect.
In East Japan, searches for departures from Toyama, Nagano, Takasaki, Omiya, and Tokyo stations were up, as were searches for departures from the first station of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line. In western Japan, searches for Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya stations, which are the starting points of limited express trains to Fukui Prefecture, increased, indicating that demand for travel using the new stations is expected.
The survey was based on data from NAVITIME Japan’s route search service (“NAVITIME” and “Transfer NAVITIME” apps), and covered route searches that specified the first two weeks after the opening (March 16 to 29, 2024) and the same period the previous year (March 18 to March 31, 2023) as the travel dates. The data is based on the “MIME” application data.
© Source travel watch