[Kobe Electric Railway] February 2022: Announcement of timetable changes effective March 12, 2022!

Kobe Electric Railway announced on February 9 that it will implement timetable changes starting March 12, 2022.

This timetable revision is in response to
declining ridership due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and
the need to secure time for maintenance work,
and it appears that revisions to the number of trains, operating sections, and train types,
as well as the advancement of the last train times, will be implemented on both weekdays and weekends/holidays.

The outline of the timetable changes is as follows.

Timetable change effective date
From March 12, 2022

Main timetable changes
○ Arima/Sanda Line
[Weekdays]
● Morning rush hour
《Change of train types》
Train types changed for 3 inbound and 1 outbound train.
・Inbound: Two "Express" trains from Sanda changed to one "Semi-Express" and one "Local" each.
・Inbound: One "Special Rapid Express" from Sanda changed to "Express".
・Outbound: One "Express" from Shinkaichi changed to "Semi-Express".

《Review of number of trains》
Reduction of 2 inbound and 5 outbound trains.
・Inbound: 1 train reduced between Arimaguchi and Shinkaichi.
・Inbound: 1 train reduced between Okaba and Shinkaichi.
・Outbound: 3 trains reduced between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Shinkaichi and Okaba.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Suzurandai and Arimaguchi.

● Evening rush hour to late night
《Change of train types》
Train types changed for 1 inbound and 1 outbound train.
・Inbound: One "Express" from Sanda changed to "Local".
・Outbound: One "Express" from Shinkaichi changed to "Semi-Express".

《Review of number of trains》
Reduction of 8 inbound and 10 outbound trains. Increase of 2 inbound and 1 outbound train.
・Inbound: 7 trains reduced between Suzurandai and Shinkaichi.
・Inbound: 1 train reduced between Arimaguchi and Shinkaichi.
・Inbound: 1 train increased between Okaba and Shinkaichi.
・Inbound: 1 train increased between Okaba and Suzurandai.
・Outbound: 6 trains reduced between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Shinkaichi and Arimaguchi.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Suzurandai and Tanigami.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Suzurandai and Okaba.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Suzurandai and Dojo-minamiguchi.
・Outbound: 1 train increased between Okaba and Dojo-minamiguchi.

[Weekends/Holidays]
● Morning rush hour
《Change of train types》
Train type changed for 1 outbound train.
・Outbound: One "Express" from Shinkaichi changed to "Semi-Express".

《Review of number of trains》
Reduction of 2 inbound and 4 outbound trains.
・Inbound: 2 trains reduced between Suzurandai and Shinkaichi.
・Outbound: 3 trains reduced between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Suzurandai and Arimaguchi.

● Evening rush hour to late night
《Change of train types》
Train types changed for 1 inbound and 1 outbound train.
・Inbound: One "Express" from Sanda changed to "Local".
・Outbound: One "Express" from Shinkaichi changed to "Semi-Express".

《Review of number of trains》
Reduction of 8 inbound and 9 outbound trains. Increase of 1 outbound train.
・Inbound: 7 trains reduced between Suzurandai and Shinkaichi.
・Inbound: 1 train reduced between Arimaguchi and Suzurandai.
・Outbound: 6 trains reduced between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Shinkaichi and Arimaguchi.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Suzurandai and Tanigami.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Suzurandai and Dojo-minamiguchi.
・Outbound: 1 train increased between Suzurandai and Dojo-minamiguchi. (Change in operating time)

[Common to Weekdays and Weekends/Holidays]
《Advancement of last train times》
・Inbound: Last train from Sanda to Suzurandai changed to terminate at Tanigami
→ The last inbound train between Tanigami and Suzurandai is advanced by approximately 15 minutes.
・Outbound: Last train from Shinkaichi to Sanda is advanced by approximately 10 minutes and
changed to terminate at Dojo-minamiguchi
→ The last outbound train between Shinkaichi and Dojo-minamiguchi is advanced by approximately 10 minutes.
The last outbound train beyond Shintetsu-Dojo is advanced by approximately 27 minutes.

○ Ao Line
[Weekdays]
● Morning rush hour
《Change of train types》
Train types changed for 3 inbound trains. As a result, "Express" trains will disappear from the Ao Line.
・Inbound: Two "Express" trains from Ao changed to "Semi-Express".
・Inbound: One "Express" train from Ono changed to "Semi-Express".

《Review of number of trains》
Reduction of 1 inbound and 1 outbound train.
・Inbound: 1 train reduced between Shijimi and Shinkaichi.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Shinkaichi and Nishi-Suzurandai.

● Evening rush hour to late night
《Review of number of trains》
Reduction of 1 outbound train.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Nishi-Suzurandai and Shijimi.

[Weekends/Holidays]
● Morning rush hour
《Review of number of trains》
Reduction of 1 inbound train.
・Inbound: 1 train reduced between Nishi-Suzurandai and Shinkaichi.

● Evening rush hour to late night
《Review of number of trains》
Reduction of 1 outbound train.
・Outbound: 1 train reduced between Nishi-Suzurandai and Shijimi.

[Common to Weekdays and Weekends/Holidays]
《Advancement of last train times》
・Inbound: Last train from Ao to Suzurandai changed to terminate at Miki
→ The last inbound train between Miki and Suzurandai is advanced by approximately 30 minutes.
・Outbound: Train from Shinkaichi to Miki changed to terminate at Shijimi
→ The last outbound train between Shijimi and Miki is advanced by approximately 24 minutes.
・Outbound: Last train from Shinkaichi to Shijimi changed to terminate at Suzurandai
→ The last outbound train between Suzurandai and Shijimi is advanced by approximately 20 minutes.

The above is an outline of this timetable revision.
For details, please see the official Kobe Electric Railway release below.
⇒ Regarding the implementation of timetable changes (PDF)
⇒ Details of major train timetable changes (PDF)

In addition, timetables for each station will be published on the official Shintetsu website on February 22.

Since the details of the timetable are not yet known, this is purely speculative, but
from here on, I would like to look at the published timetable in my own way.

This time, the number of train reductions due to section changes and cancellations exceeds 30 across the entire line,
and since "Express" trains have disappeared from the Ao Line and all trains will stop at every station,
this is a timetable revision with quite an impact.

However, the basic cycle, such as the 15-minute interval on the Arima/Sanda Line and the 15-30 minute interval on the Ao Line,
seems to be maintained as before,
and the reductions are mainly focused on the consecutive train operations during the morning and evening rush hours and late-night hours.

There are three key points to this timetable revision.

① Downgrading of superior trains & reduction of local trains running before and after them
・With the abolition of the "Express" on the Ao Line, superior trains on the Ao Line have disappeared.
・Downgrading of some "Special Rapid Express" and "Express" trains on the Arima-Sanda Line.
・Reduction of local trains that were running before and after superior trains for the purpose of serving bypassed stations.

By downgrading some of the superior trains and reducing the local trains before and after them,
they are aiming to improve transport efficiency.

Currently, the stations bypassed by the "Express" beyond Suzurandai are
only Minotani and Shintetsu-Rokko on the Arima/Sanda Line, and only Aina and Kizu on the Ao Line.
The time-saving effect of bypassing is only a few minutes, and the current situation is that it lacks speediness.
The number of passengers has also been almost halved since the peak in 1992,
and the necessity of operating superior trains to separate long-distance and short-distance passengers has also decreased.

Regarding the Arima/Sanda Line,
due to the transfer of the Hokushin Kyuko Railway to the Kobe City Transportation Bureau & the fare reduction,
the Subway Hokushin Line is fulfilling the role of an "Express" properly.
Also, since the only station bypassed by the "Express" beyond Tanigami is Shintetsu-Rokko,
the significance of the "Express" is already being lost,
and it seems that downgrading the "Express" will not have much of an impact.

On the other hand, on the Ao Line, all 3 "Express" trains will become "Semi-Express" trains,
and literally only "Local" trains will run within the Ao Line.
The impact of abolishing the express is quite strong,
but in terms of travel time, the effect is minimal.

Of the 3 trains being downgraded, 2 will only be delayed by 3-4 minutes,
and the remaining 1 will actually have its travel time shortened by 3 minutes.
The fact that the travel time is shortened despite the downgrade in train type
clearly shows the poor track alignment and the difficulty of adjusting passing on a single track,
and I think it is a phenomenon that makes one rethink the necessity of superior trains.

As described, if you look only at the travel time, the impact of the downgrade is minimal,
but I am still worried about whether passenger loss due to psychological effects will progress.

② Review of operating sections & reduction of section trains
・Reductions due to changes in operating sections & cancellations ⇒ 33 trains on weekdays (*), 30 on weekends/holidays
(*) 32 trains in newspaper reports
・Increases ⇒ 3 trains on weekdays, 1 on weekends/holidays

This figure includes the reduction of local trains running before and after superior trains,
but the reduction of 33 trains on weekdays and 30 on weekends/holidays is still a major impact.

However, if you look closely at the trains subject to reduction,
you will notice that the majority are "section trains" between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai.

Currently, to ensure convenience from Shinkaichi to areas north of Suzurandai,
three types of trains are operated between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai.
・"Arima/Sanda Line through trains" connecting Shinkaichi to areas north of Kita-Suzurandai
・"Ao Line through trains" connecting Shinkaichi to areas north of Suzurandai-Nishiguchi
・"Section trains" operating only between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai

There are times when these three types of trains run in succession at intervals of a few minutes,
which could be considered an oversupply of transport capacity just between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai.
For this reason...

・Shorten "Ao Line through trains" to start/end at Suzurandai, and connect them to "Arima/Sanda Line through trains" at Suzurandai.
・Shorten "Arima/Sanda Line through trains" to start/end at Suzurandai, and connect them to "Ao Line through trains" at Suzurandai.
・Discontinue the operation of "section trains" between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai.

By using the methods above,
the consecutive operation of trains between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai has been abolished, and service reductions have been implemented.

Looking at the entire line, there is a major reduction of 33 weekday trains and 30 weekend/holiday trains, but
the focus of the reduction is strictly on the trains running in succession between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai,
and the reductions affecting sections north of Suzurandai (excluding changes to the final train sections) are limited to
9 weekday and 5 weekend/holiday trains on the Arima/Sanda Line,
and 3 weekday and 2 weekend/holiday trains on the Ao Line.

While a major reduction in service north of Suzurandai has been avoided for now,
the decline in convenience due to the added hassle of transferring at Suzurandai is undeniable.

③ Moving up the final train times
・Inbound: Moved up by about 15 minutes between Tanigami and Suzurandai, and by about 30 minutes between Miki and Suzurandai.
・Outbound: Moved up by about 10 minutes between Suzurandai and Dojo-minamiguchi, by about 27 minutes beyond Shintetsu-Dojo,
by about 20 minutes between Suzurandai and Shijimi, and by about 24 minutes between Shijimi and Miki.

On the Ao Line, both inbound and outbound services between Suzurandai and Miki are moved up by 20–30 minutes.
The final train departure times from Shinkaichi are:
For Ao 21:48 (currently 21:48), for Ono 22:49 (currently 22:49),
for Miki 23:20 (currently 23:43), for Shijimi 23:43 (currently 24:03),
which significantly reduces convenience between Suzurandai-Nishiguchi and Miki.

On the other hand, for the Arima/Sanda Line, inbound service is moved up by 15 minutes between Tanigami and Suzurandai.
Outbound service is moved up by 10 minutes between Suzurandai and Dojo-minamiguchi, and by 27 minutes beyond Shintetsu-Dojo.
The final train departure times from Shinkaichi are:
For Sanda 23:33 (currently 24:00), for Dojo-minamiguchi 23:50 (currently 24:00 for Sanda),
for Suzurandai 24:03 (currently 24:03 for Shijimi).

Although there are more people returning home from Osaka than from Kobe in the Sanda area,
the 27-minute move-up for outbound trains beyond Shintetsu-Dojo seems likely to have a significant impact.

Outbound service between Suzurandai and Dojo-minamiguchi is also moved up by 10 minutes,
which at first glance makes it look like convenience has decreased.
However, looking at it from the perspective of the connection with the final subway train at Tanigami,
while the current timetable requires a 9-minute wait, the new timetable requires only a 1-minute wait,
significantly improving the transfer time from the subway to the Shintetsu line.
Since the travel time from Subway Sannomiya to the section between Kayano and Dojo-minamiguchi is improved,
one could also view it as only the section between Kita-Suzurandai and Minotani experiencing a decrease in convenience.

I have looked at the key points of the timetable revision above,
and my impression is that there were fewer service reductions on the Ao Line than I had expected.

Amidst the ongoing decline in users, the fact that service reductions on the Ao Line were kept in check
is likely due to the measures currently being implemented by Miki City.

Miki City has been conducting a social experiment to increase service between Shijimi and Miki since March 2020,
which increased service from one train per hour to two trains per hour between 11:00 and 14:00.

The social experiment funded by Miki City was scheduled to end in March 2022, but
last December, they decided to extend the social experiment until March 2024.
It is presumed that this is why they were spared from daytime service reductions this time.

However, if the increased service does not yield results in the future and Miki City's subsidies are cut off,
there is a possibility that service reductions, including daytime hours, will be implemented after March 2024.

While service reductions on the Ao Line were kept in check this time, the number of through trains to Shinkaichi has decreased,
and with the increase in section trains requiring a transfer at Suzurandai,
it appears that the Ao Line is gradually being treated as a "branch line."
Depending on the results of Miki City's social experiment, a difficult future may lie ahead.

As for the Arima/Sanda Line,
the focus here is on the reduction of "section trains" between Shinkaichi and Suzurandai, and
the reduction of "local trains" due to the downgrading of superior train services.

On social media, some say this is the effect of the municipalization and fare reduction of the Hokushin Kyuko Railway,
but since the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is also involved, the actual cause is unclear.

As a regular user of the Shintetsu line,
I don't think the municipalization and fare reduction of the Hokushin Kyuko Railway have had much of a negative impact.

On social media, there are concerns about a decrease in passengers between Tanigami and Shinkaichi, but
originally, there were not that many passengers
traveling from north of Tanigami to the Sannomiya area via Shinkaichi.
This is just my personal impression, but
I get the impression that many of the passengers continuing on to the Shinkaichi area are students heading to the Suzurandai district or Nagata.
Since they will continue to use the Shintetsu line,
I don't think there will be a large-scale decrease in passengers between Tanigami and Shinkaichi due to the fare reduction.

Conversely, I feel that the number of passengers north of Tanigami is gradually increasing.

Before the municipalization and fare reduction of the Hokushin Line were implemented,
the buses running between Sannomiya and Arima were packed with elderly people using their senior passes, but
after the municipalization and fare reduction, the number of users dropped sharply, and the buses are now empty.

Comparing the travel time and fares from Sannomiya (fares in parentheses are for senior pass holders):
Train / Bus
Tanigami 11 min 280 yen (140 yen) / 24 min 530 yen (270 yen)
Hanayama 15 min 460 yen (320 yen) / 29 min 610 yen (310 yen)
Oike 18 min 520 yen (380 yen) / 33 min 640 yen (320 yen)
Rokko 20 min 580 yen (440 yen) / 34 min 650 yen (330 yen)
Karatodai 22 min 580 yen (440 yen) / 36 min 650 yen (330 yen)
Arimaguchi 24 min 630 yen (490 yen) / 39 min 690 yen (350 yen)
Arima 30 min 680 yen (540 yen) / 50 min 710 yen (360 yen)

As you can see, the train is superior in both travel time and fare.
Even when using a senior pass, the fare difference is minimal, and since the train is more punctual,
the buses between Sannomiya and Arima are empty, and a shift to the train can be observed.
The situation is clearly different from that of the Ao Line and the Koen-Toshi Line.

Currently, in areas along the line near Tanigami, such as Kitasuzurandai and Oike,
the rebuilding of municipal housing is progressing, and the construction of new detached houses is also increasing.
In addition, in cooperation with Kobe City, Shintetsu
has also begun rebuilding station buildings and improving station front areas at Hanayama, Oike, and Karatodai.
It is thought that Shintetsu and Kobe City will focus on the development of areas north of Tanigami from a long-term perspective,
thereby promoting the use of the Hokushin Line and the Shintetsu line.

At present, service reductions are unavoidable due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but
I think the situation surrounding the Ao Line and the Arima/Sanda Line is slightly different. Since there were upgrades in train types and service increases during the March 14, 2020, timetable revision,
I would like to keep a close eye on what kind of timetable revisions will be made after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed.

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