The NARITA, Chiba - The familiar airplane and N'EX logo has been removed from the front of Narita Express trains, which connect Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture and the greater Tokyo area, as passengers diversify.
The logo on the front of the first train cars has been replaced with letters indicating the train type since May. A representative at operator East Japan Railway Co. JR East explained, The new logo represents the trains as intercity limited expresses that meet the diversified demands of passengers. The first-generation Narita Express, Series 253, started services in March 1991, and the second-generation, Series E 259, began operating in October 2009. The trains depart from the Ofuna Station in Kanagawa Prefecture and Shinjuku and Hachioji Stations in Tokyo in the metropolitan area. In about one hour, the trains link Tokyo Station and Narita Airport at speeds of up to130 kilometers per hour. As many as 54 Narita express trains are operated daily.
JR East has reformed the design of trains based on the concept of evolution as the new Series E 259. The new SERIES E 259 logo is now on the front of the first cars, and the base color has been changed to silver. The Narita Express's symbol and the letters N'EX, which has been on the front since the beginning of its operations, are being moved to the side of the train. The design for a total of 22 trains is planned to be repeated sequentially over the next year, besides the first and last cars of the trains.
The design update aims to return passengers to the levels they were before the pandemic's dramatic drop. Chiba Station, between Tokyo and Narita airport, is operated by Narita Express trains, except during morning and evening hours. Since March 2022, JR East has risen the number of Narita Express trains that stop at Chiba Station from seven to 29 a day to draw in not only passengers but also commuters and other travelers.
In May this year, the daily average of 700 passengers on weekdays and 1,450 on weekends and holidays got on or off Narita Express trains at Chiba Station. We've increased the number of trains stopping at Chiba Station since the Narita Express services saw fewer passengers due to the coronavirus, and many customers now use them between Chiba and areas like Shinjuku and Yokohama for commuting, leisure and so on. We continue to promote the use of this service, he said. Narita Express passenger numbers have been restored because of an increase in inbound foreign travelers at Narita airport. This year, the Narita Express trains carried 127,600 passengers, or 84% of the pre-pandemic figure recorded during the same period in 2018.