Average Rail Crowding Rises in Tokyo and Osaka, Flat in Nagoya
Overview
The Railway Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism published average crowding rates for major sections in Japan’s three major metropolitan areas for fiscal 2025. The rate was 143% in the Tokyo area, up 4 percentage points from the previous fiscal year, and 117% in the Osaka area, up 1 percentage point. The Nagoya area remained unchanged at 126%. The survey is conducted annually with the cooperation of railway operators to assess crowding during urban commuting hours.
Key points
- Average crowding rates for major sections in Japan’s three major metropolitan areas were published for fiscal 2025.
- Rates increased in the Tokyo and Osaka areas and remained unchanged in the Nagoya area.
- The Railway Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducts the survey annually with the cooperation of railway operators.
Overview
In the Railway Bureau’s fiscal 2025 survey, average crowding rates for major sections in Japan’s three major metropolitan areas were 143% in the Tokyo area, 117% in the Osaka area, and 126% in the Nagoya area. The previous fiscal year’s rates were 139%, 116%, and 126%, respectively.
Compared with the previous fiscal year, the rate increased by 4 percentage points in the Tokyo area and by 1 percentage point in the Osaka area, while the Nagoya area saw no change.
Details
The survey is conducted annually with the cooperation of railway operators to assess rail crowding during urban commuting hours. The crowding rate refers to the average rate during the busiest one-hour period and was calculated mainly from passenger boarding data for one or more days in October or November 2025.
The published materials include trends in average crowding rates for major sections in Japan’s three major metropolitan areas, crowding rates on major sections, and rates for the most crowded sections of urban railway lines. Crowd conditions for major railway operators are presented on their respective websites and elsewhere.