Why Tokyo's Metro Is Profitable and New York City’s Isn’t | WSJ U.S. vs. Japan

Japan’s train system is ranked the most efficient in the world, according to Statista. The United States is tied with Azerbaijan for 11th best. Part of this is because Japan’s railway system has more points of connection allowing for easier commutes. A New York City subway ride often features a transfer before reaching your final destination.

Why does the MTA operate at a loss while Tokyo Metro is profitable? WSJ explains how Japan’s transportation system got so far ahead and runs so smoothly.

0:00 How many people ride the subway each day?
0:28 Commuter rail integration
1:22 Payments for trains
2:30 Profitability and funding
4:42 Subways delays

#Subway #Tokyo #WSJ

[kevinjenner]

The fact that children as young as 5 ride the train alone, says more about Japanese society than the actual infrastructure itself.

[eli]

Another thing I noticed with Tokyo is all the stations are basically giant shopping malls with train platforms attached, they're destinations in themselves. So there is probably a lot of revenue coming in from that to JR East and the other station operators. Here in the US cities there often are no vendors at all in a train station, you can't even buy a coffee.

[harumih.]

From the riders viewpoint, Japan's infrastructure and subway and bus systems are far beyond the technology-only comparisons. Connectivity, cleanness, punctuarity, safety, disruption-free technology, and manners of users, all of these are into the consideration of the infrastructure in Japan. In summer, every station has a cooling sysyem and in winter, every station has a warming system.

[TheKewlPerson]

Best part about Pasmo and Suica is they not only work in just Tokyo, but pretty much everywhere in all of Japan. In cities as far from Kagoshima to Sapporo. They all work on each others systems. On the buses, subways, commuter trains, light rail, It even works on the Disneyland monorail of all places.

[taipizzalord]

You need to continue comparing US infrastructure to that of developed countries.

[andycarlson]

It's about culture of Japan too. They are in general a culture that keeps things clean and maintained (which is a large component of efficiency). I visited a subway station in Japan that I would imagine was built/renovated in the 60s or 70s. There was a public restroom in the station and it was cleaner than some restrooms I've seen in nice hotels in the US.

[TheAdrianVillasenor]

Another aspect of Japanese transit that differs from the US is that many transit companies also double as developers/ real estate companies. This means they have diverse sources of income and a vested interest in maximizing the safety, convenience, and profitability of developments near their stations.

[Amaling]

Tokyo's metro system is a legit masterpiece. Not only are there an incredible amount of connections, but pretty much all these connections have an incredibly low amount of downtime waiting to hop onto the next train. Some times it's literally instant, which again when considering how many more connections there are... wow

[microproductions]

This video still doesn't get to the heart of the issue, which is the difference in how the two systems are funded. They got so close to explaining it when they said Japan's subways remained profitable throughout the pandemic but then just stopped. The difference is that Japan's system is heavily funded by real estate and the tax revenue from land around stations. This is called "value capture". New York's system used to be funded this way, but sometime last century the US decided it was better to fund infrastructure expansion with debt rather than with value capture.

[aceboogisback]

As an American that has lived in Tokyo and traveled to NYC, as soon as I saw the video title, I laughed out loud. I knew this was going to be embarrassing for the USA. We need more of this, please.

[x-Musashi-x]

What amazed me so much was the cleanliness of the subway. It almost didn’t feel like a subway. I was so inspired by the overall cleanliness of Japan that I’ve become much better in my cleaning habits back home. I miss you Japan 🇯🇵 we’ll be back soon!

[VernonParker]

They didn’t mention how clean and orderly the train in Japan are. They failed to mention how a lot of stations also stop in shopping centers (above, below, or next to) and drive ridership. When I lived in Japan there was seldom a time I didn’t stop at a Lawson Station for a snack before getting on the train. Rarely a restaurant I wanted to try was not near the station I was using. The station was within walking distance and walking there was always a serene and safe thing.

[ththrilldmn]

The biggest reason for income not touched here that includes most Asian rail systems, including Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, to name a few, is land ownership around the stations. By owning and leasing the station and its direct surroundings, they can turn huge profits with large skyscrapers, business centers, malls, hotels, etc. all directly attached to stations. This also fosters a central hub for the station's local communities as a destination for residents to spend time and money at, rather than just passing through on a commute.

[brandonlee]

I lived in Japan for a year, and yeah, their public transit is the best.

[thischickkej]

As a new yorker, i get annoyed daily by how pathetic our transit system is. It's genuinely so insane to me that despite being such a major city, the people in power don't do enough to make the changes that will make the system more efficient.

[shawndasilva]

Another key about Tokyo’s system is that most (99.9%) companies will pay for an employee’s commuter pass. But will not cover other forms of transportation

[andyjackson]

I think Japan having the transit card work for all modes of transportation and even to buy things (essentially a cash card) also makes using the train, bus, or taxi so much easier. You don’t need to have multiple cards or even a credit/debit card. Just one card loaded with cash. It’s always surprising how transit systems here in the US are unable to find a way to use one card especially when it comes to those that are so intertwined like that of NJ and NY

[emjayay]

Subway systems in Paris, Amsterdam, London, Vienna and other cities have added numerous entire new subway lines and extended many existing lines in recent decades. The NYC subway has managed to add a few stations in that time.

[universalobsession]

I’m in Japan right now. And it’s embarrassing how advanced, clean and better Japan is than the New York. And I’m from New York I wanna stay here so bad

[dededengo]

Japan's first railway line was Yokohama - Shinbashi (next to Tokyo) line built in 1872. The first subway line was built in 1927, between Asakusa - Ueno.
Many Japanese railway companies have various sources of income like retail, hospitality, real estate, invested in the foreign real estate markets including the US, because they are private companies.
Tokyu, for example makes only 18% of revenue from transport, 52% from retail and other services and 22% from real estate and 7% from hotels & resorts.