If you look at Kanto, the rolling stock used by JR East is all new. There's E233-0 on the Chuo Line, E233-1000 on Keihin-Tohoku, E233-3000 on the Tokaido and Tohoku Lines, Joban Line has various new stock (like E531), the new E129 series is starting to replace rural 115 and 211 series trains (like in Niigata), the E235 just rolled out on the Yamanote Line, Nambu Line got new E233 series trains, there are new trains for the limited express services (E259, E353).
But in Osaka and Kyoto, all the trains are *old*. The Osaka Loop Line still uses 103 and 201 series trains from 40 years ago. Other suburban lines use the 207 series which is 25 years old. And even the newer rolling stock (like 521 series in Kanazawa) still use those old JNR signs to indicate whether it's a local, rapid, etc. service. The only exception is the 227 series in Hiroshima which uses LED signs. In rural areas 115 series trains have been used since the 60s.
So, what's up with JR West? Why does it spend all this money on Shinkansen trains, but cheap out on commuter/suburban rolling stock?
>>913212
Can you read moon runes?
http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1088681355
http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q11137572006
The answers generally agree that JR West doesn't have the financial resources that JR East does to replace its JNR stock.
Personally I'm a JNR fanboi so I prefer older trains than the newer, flashier ones.
>>913212
Because newer doesn't necessarily = better and why waste money on upgrading rolling stock if the old stock works just fine?
>>913230
Which then raises the question: why is JR East richer than JR West?
Did JR West spend all its money on Shinkansen?
>>913232
The top-voted answer from the first link states that JR East gets a lot of revenue from its lines in the Tokyo area whereas JR West doesn't make nearly as much from its lines in Keihanshin area.
>>913212
Well, JR West already announced that they will be introducing the new 323 Series EMU to replace the older stocks starting in 2016
http://www.westjr.co.jp/press/article/2014/12/page_6517.html
>>913231
Probably operating costs since they do use more electricity among other things (maintenance, parts, etc.)
>>913231
There will be a time when buying new trains is more cost effective than refurbishing older ones. These trains are revenue-making assets, not private properties. Sure you could refurb a trainset or 2 for nostalgia rides (which they're doing to some of the older ones), but how about the majority of the old sets.
That's why JR (JR east usually) wouldn't hesitate to donate them to backward countries the moment they get the new shit.
>>913231
This. For example here in Paris, we have trains that were put in service in 1967 (pic related). Of course they went through some refurbishment, but they still are fucking beasts.
In Switzerland as well, they still have a lot of old trains, because they know how to build good trains and know how to maintain them.
I like the old trains. I really like the Hankyu 6300 on the Arashiyama line and I hope they keep it rolling forever.
>>915746
The MS 61s are being retired though.
Because everything wrong with Japan happens in Kansai...unless it feels particularly close to home in which case it happens in Saitama. Kind of gives the area some culture though I guess
Also, JR West doesn't spend that much on Shinkansen. They have a lot less sets than JR Central (which runs through) and also have JR Kyushu half sets running through. They're just poorer in general. And there's less W7 sets than E7. Although I guess you could argue they are forking out for the new Shinkansen line. But hey, their situation at least isn't as bad as JR Hokkaido!
Also this
>>915753
Because Hankyu is classy like that
>>915746
>no aircon
>>915860
>no aircon
>putting aircon on trains that are in the process of being retired
There aren't any plans to stick AC on the remaining S sets either.
Ooops fuck. I completely forgot. No, everything wrong with Japan actually does happen in Tokyo. Right in Nagatacho
>>915878
>implying S sets don't have aircon
You just need to know the right people or stand in the right places
>>915860
>Hanshin is occupied by yobbos
topkek.jpg
Well, comparing anyone with JR Central is sort of unfair since the Tokaido Shinkansen is basically the busiest HSR corridor in the world and the service is extremely frequent. Just for the sake of comparison (and perhaps for lulz), here's the current fleet breakdown for all 5 JR companies that have Shinkansen rolling stocks
JR Hokkaido: 4 sets, 40 cars
- 4 x 10-car H5
JR East: 147 sets, 1325 cars
- 4 x 8-car E2-0, 7 x 10-car E2-0, 25 x 10-car E2-1000
- 3 x 7-car E3-1000, 12 x 7-car E3-2000, 2 x 6-car E3-700
- 24 x 8-car E4 (JR East says they will be retired a few years ago, but nothing much has happened yet besides P2 and P3 were scrapped in 2013)
- 28 x 10-car E5
- 24 x 7-car E6
- 18 x 12-car E7
JR Central: 97 sets, 1552 cars
- 36 x 16-car 700-0 (Initially they had 60 sets, 16 sets were scrapped and 8 sets were transferred to JR West. JR Central already announced they will be replaced by new N700 sets by 2019 or so)
- 81 x 16-car N700-0/2000, 13 x 16-car N700-1000
JR West: 94 sets, 1116 cars
- 8 x 8-car 500-7000
- 8 x 16-car 700-0 (all transferred from JR Central), 15 x 16-car 700-3000, 16 x 8-car 700-7000
- 16 x 16-car N700-3000/5000, 1 x 16-car N700-4000, 19 x 8-car N700-7000
- 11 x 12-car W7
JR Kyushu: 20 sets, 142 cars
- 9 x 6-car 800
- 11 x 8-car N700-8000
That aside, no one can possibly be worse off than JR Hokkaido in terms of accidents and other problems in recent times
>>913212
ihgf
