Even the way platforms are referred to varies from company to company. Take the naming of train station platforms, for example. It’s simple when there’s only one platform, as is often the case at small stations on local lines, but when there are multiple platforms, it’s common practice to number them to distinguish them. For the JNR/JR Group, the principle is to “number them sequentially starting from the station building side,” but with private railways, it’s common to see platforms numbered sequentially from the left, based on the direction of downbound trains. This is where the differences begin, but the terms used after the number also vary by company—ranging from “Track No. X,” “Platform No. X,” “Platform X,” to “Line X.” Incidentally, Hankyu Railway is well-known for using “Line No. X.” Differences in terminology also arise in the departure displays installed on the platforms when information for multiple trains is shown simultaneously. Common terms include “First Departure,” “Next Departure,” and “Next Next Departure,” but some companies use “Next,” “Following,” “Next Following,” and “After That.” Departure displays may show information not only for “trains about to depart” but also for “trains about to arrive.” However, when a train that terminates at this station arrives, you obviously cannot board it. Consequently, while some companies display “Terminates at This Station,” others use variations such as “Ends at This Station,” “Stops at This Station,” or “Terminates Here.” When entering or exiting the station premises, you pass through a ticket gate. If there are multiple exits outside the fare gate area, they are generally referred to as “○○ Exit,” but the name of the fare gate itself may also be “○○ Fare Gate” or “○○ Exit.” It’s well known that Hankyu Railway begins its station announcements with the phrase “Everyone~,” but it’s interesting to note that differences between companies also appear in the wording of these announcements.
There are also differences among rail companies regarding train cars. You go up to the platform and board the train. When an announcement is made about an incoming train, it sometimes includes information on the number of cars in the train. However, while “X-car train” is the standard phrasing, some companies announce it as “X cars coupled together.” Every now and then, I see people on social media questioning, “What’s this ‘short 10-car train’ business?” when referring to trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area. However, since the length of a train is a relative matter, it’s inevitable that differences will arise depending on the company or line. That said, the very existence of such differences is one of the joys of travel—encountering unfamiliar circumstances when visiting a new place. When a single train consists of multiple cars, they are distinguished by car numbers. However, as I’ve written before, the numbers don’t always start sequentially from Car 1; occasionally, there are gaps in the numbering. Also, while numbers are common in Japan, I was taken aback when I visited the UK and found that cars were labeled with letters instead of numbers.
Differences in Train-Related Terminology: The direction of train operation is distinguished as “upbound” and “downbound,” with the general rule being that “trains departing from the starting station are downbound, and trains heading toward the starting station are upbound.” However, exceptions do occur from time to time. On loop lines, using “upbound” and “downbound” for announcements can be extremely confusing, so—as is the case with the Metropolitan Expressway—it’s common to use “inner loop” and “outer loop” instead. However, this requires passengers to think, “Since traffic flows on the left, heading in this direction means the inner loop…” I think terms like “clockwise” and “counterclockwise”—as used on the Nagoya Subway Meijo Line—are easier to understand. Incidentally, Tokyo Metro—as it has done since the days of the Teito Rapid Transit Authority—refers to lines as “Line A” and “Line B” rather than “upbound” and “downbound.” Since all its lines run through the city center, the terms “upbound” and “downbound” are indeed somewhat inappropriate. On private railways, it seems that trains stopping at every station are mostly referred to as “local trains.” However, there are also cases like the difference between Nankai Electric Railway’s “Ordinary” and “Local” services, which I wrote about previously. That said, since only the “local” trains on the Koya Line stop at Imamiya-Ebisu Station and Hagino-Chaya Station, it would be problematic to call the Nankai Main Line trains—which pass through both stations—“local” (and, in any case, since there are no platforms there, it’s physically impossible for them to stop). On the JR East Keihin-Tohoku Line, “Rapid” service operates only during the day between Tabata and Tamachi, but here, the terms “Rapid” and “Local” are used distinctly. Whether it’s a “Rapid” or a “Local,” it remains an “Ordinary Train” that requires no special fare. However, there are still cases where announcements refer to them as “Rapid” and “Ordinary.” When an express train overtakes a local train, if both trains stop at the station where the overtaking occurs, passengers can transfer between them. It’s interesting to note that even here, there are differences between companies in how they handle this—for example, the express train’s onboard announcement might say, “You can transfer to the local train” or “We’ll connect with the local train.”
There Are Differences in English Translations, Too. These days, it’s common to hear announcements and broadcasts not only in Japanese but also in English, and sometimes even in Chinese and Korean. Even in these foreign-language announcements, differences in terminology can arise. Take “priority seats,” for example. While “Priority Seat” is the standard term, some companies use “Courtesy Seat.” To begin with, there are differences even in the Japanese terms themselves—such as “優先席” and “優先座席.” Similarly, there are variations like “弱冷房車” and “弱冷車.” A long time ago, one company translated “weak air-conditioned car” as “weak cool,” but this was, of course, completely incomprehensible and was later changed. Regarding safety announcements about the gap between the train and the platform, while “Please watch your step” is commonly used, some companies or trains use the British-style (?) phrase “Please mind the gap.” Things get even more complicated when it comes to translating train classifications. If it were as simple as “local,” “rapid,” “express,” and “limited express,” things would be straightforward, but as train classifications have become more diverse, it seems that all companies are struggling to find appropriate translations.
Differences in Terminology Invisible to Passengers One example of information that is irrelevant to passengers but crucial for operations is that “the order in which the lights installed on the ceiling of a train car are counted varies by company.” This is critical operational information that comes into play when replacing a burned-out fluorescent light. Additionally, there are differences such as whether the person in charge of operations management is called “指令” or “司令” depending on the company, and whether the work of replacing rails or ties is referred to as “交換” or “更換.” Since the naming conventions for train series also vary by company—ranging from “○○系” to “○○形”—care must be taken when writing articles.
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