JR East Shinkansen Bullet Train Operator Presents Office Cars For Online Workers

Illustration of a Gran Class seat on a Japanese shinkansen bullet train. (Wikimedia Commons/Asacyan)

JAKARTA - East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) on Monday launched 'office carriages' aboard select shinkansen bullet trains, on the line linking Tokyo and the north and central parts of the country, to meet growing demand for new work styles amid the coronavirus pandemic.

At no extra cost and only on weekdays, passengers in carriage No. 8 on the Tohoku line, Joetsu and Hokuriku can now talk on the phone and participate in online meetings from their seats, an activity not allowed on other carriages.

"We want to support a new way of working that is not bound by time and place," said an official with the train operator known as JR East, which started the service after a successful trial run, citing Kyodo News Nov. 22.

Media were given access inside the running Hokuriku bullet train on Monday, where a sticker reading "office carriage" had been posted on the door of carriage No. 8, with a leaflet explaining the service placed on the chair.

A JR East staffer demonstrated to the media how he works remotely, using noise-canceling headphones.

Illustration of Gran Class seating on Japanese shinkansen bullet train. (Wikimedia Commons/yisris)

Passengers can also borrow 'smart glasses' capable of projecting the contents of their laptop screen in front of their eyes. On bullet trains on the Tohoku line, they will also be able to use a small barrier free of charge, to place around their desks, with the same size being considered for the Hokuriku and Joetsu lines.

Remote workspaces within the shinkasen are also available on the shinkansen lines of different train operators in Hokkaido, which are directly connected to the Tohoku line.

JR East hopes the new service will help people make 'work' trips, where they combine online work with travel, while also stimulating demand for business travel, which has been declining due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to avoid overcrowding, workcars will not be available on weekends, public holidays and New Year's holidays.

In the meantime, the exterior appearance of the office carriages and seats will not change, although JR East said they would consider making changes in the future.

Please note, Central Japan Railway Co. and West Japan Railway Co. has also been piloting the introduction of in-car workspaces since October on the Nozomi superexpress train on the Sanyo Shinkansen and Tokaido Shinkansen lines that traverse Japan's major cities of Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka .