Rapid transit and commuter rail in Japan - statistics & facts
Rapid transit and commuter rail are significant infrastructural foundations of Japan. They support its urban world, where more than two in three of the population reside, densely permeating the metropolitan areas. These two kinds of railways are complemental, intra-regional networks designed to carry masses of people at a high frequency. Millions of suburban residents commute via rail to an urban center and transfer, if necessary, to rapid transit, such as a subway line, to reach their desks in an office building. This track has been Japan's railway-shaped urbanism – until the COVID-19 pandemic forced society to avoid crowds.
