Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, Japan, as an example of Transformational Projects Action Planning | Planning and executing complementary improvements across the transit network + advances in transit marketing

I watch NHK's "Japan Railway Journal" quite regularly.  It's a show about Japan's railway network, and learning about how rail transit is set up in Japan has significantly influenced my thinking about how railroad passenger planning and service should be organized in the US.

Creating multi-state regional transportation districts. Based on Japan's organization of rail service, anchored by high speed rail and "limited express" service in six districts of the country, complemented by regional rail services run as for profit separate companies, and "third sector" rail services that are usually subsidized by local governments to ensure transit access, I propose creating six regional transit districts across the Continental United States, with national (cross district) and regional Amtrak services as the foundation, complemented by the creation and extension of railroad services within and across the states, further complemented by inter city bus services, but also water-based ferry transit where appropriate (e.g., in parts of New England, Washington State, California, Maryland, etc.).

-- "Two train/regional transit ideas: Part 1 | Amtrak should acquire Greyhound," 2021

Transformational Projects Action Planning.  I have a bunch of articles on what I call Transformational Projects Action Planning, TPAS aims to leverage projects to drive the realization of master plans and to deliver innovative programs at the scale of individual projects ("A wrinkle in thinking about the Transformational Projects Action Planning approach: Great public buildings aren't just about design, but what they do").

TPAS and transit.  A number apply this to transit, using the examples of the Suburban Maryland Purple Line light rail ("Codifying the complementary transit network improvements and planning initiatives recommended in the Purple Line writings"), maglev between Washington and Baltimore ("DC, Transformational Projects Action Planning, and the Baltimore-Washington Maglev project"), Northern Virginia's Silver Line subway ("Using the Silver Line as the priming event, what would a transit network improvement program look like for Northern Virginia?"), the Blue Line Metrorail ("A "Transformational Projects Action Plan" for the Metrorail Blue Line,"), and Maryland's passenger rail system ("A "Transformational Projects Action Plan" for a statewide passenger railroad program in Maryland") in showing how new transit infrastructure can be leveraged to drive a simultaneous program of improvement across the transit network, with the aim of improving the success of the new infrastructure alongside the existing network.

Transit oriented development is economic development.  It presupposes the opportunity to coordinate economic development and revitalization programs alongside the transit program, as laid out in such entries as:

-- "Creating a transportation development authority in Montgomery and Prince George's County to effectuate placemaking, retail development, and housing programs in association with the Purple Line," 2017

-- "Prince George's County's newly announced transit oriented development program for the Blue Line," 2022

-- "Revisiting New Carrollton and the opportunity of transit oriented development: New train hall to be built at transit hub," 2022

-- PL #5: Creating a Silver Spring "Sustainable Mobility District," 2017
- Part 1: Setting the stage
- Part 2: Program items 1- 9
- Part 3: Program items 10-18
- Part 4: Conclusion
- Map for the Silver Spring Sustainable Mobility District
- (Big Hairy) Projects Action Plan(s) as an element of Comprehensive/Master Plans
- Creating the Silver Spring/Montgomery County Arena and Recreation Center

Shinkansen.  The Shinkansen are high speed rail services operating at a speed of 150-200 mph.  The trains are the backbone of the railroad passenger system and a symbol of Japan's capacity for innovation.

Unlike the US, where a lot of intra-national travel is captured by airplane, the high speed of Shinkansen, the compactness of the country, convenience, and highly populated cities means that the majority of longer distance intra-Japan travel is by train.

Because of the high cost of construction, and the importance to national transportation policy goals, the national government has created an agency to handle construction, and it provides a majority of funding for construction, although prefectures also provide significant funding as well.

The Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, marketed as the Kamome, or "Seagull," is a new high speed service in the JR Kyushu district.  For various reasons it is disconnected from the national Shinkansen network, although the intent is that it be connected.  

The full line is intended to speed up, but duplicate existing service, and Saga Prefecture believes that this comes at a higher cost, and less frequent service overall, so creating the service has been difficult because of that prefecture's resistance.

The Shinkansen + limited express connection between Fukuoka Hakata Station and Nagasaki will take 90 minutes, cutting 30 minutes off the trip.

The line, 66km, between Nagasaki and Takeo-Onsen, opened in September, although the intent is to connect to Fukuoka where it would connect to the national network of Shinkansen trains.

Japan Railway Journal recently featured a new episode on it, "Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen: Half a Century since its inception.

Complementary improvements for the transit network and economic development. Watching the program was seeing TPAS in action.  

Shin Omura Station serving Nagasaki Airport.  Wkipedia photo.

Last year, in advance of the line's opening, Nagasaki opened a new convention center.  And various phases of a new central station complex --station, retail, office, hotel--are opening between now and 2024.  

There are multiple new stations along the line, including a new station providing connection to Nagasaki International Airport--whereas many US airports lack long distance rail access. Among the retail amenities are a travel bookstore in the station serving the airport.

Significant investments in tourism promotion are being made, including the creation of a new tourist train service, to provide additional ways to travel the region by rail, at a slower pace.

Bus wrapped in a promotion for the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen.

Systematic marketing of new transit services needs to be an element of improving the transit network in association with new infratructure. The show showed the various efforts by Nagasaki Prefecture to promote tourism development and transit marketing in association with the new Shinkansen.

It made me realize I that I missed this as an element of network improvement planning in association with the launch of new services. 

It's not that I haven't written about transit marketing, both good and bad, but in the writings about creating a "program of complementary improvements across the transit network" in association with the launch of new infrastructure, I didn't directly acknowledge the importance of marketing the new services.

Many agencies do launch day activities, but it occurs to me that those are more about "celebrating the infrastructure" rather than marketing new transit services in a long term sense.  

In fact Sound Transit was criticized for its marketing activities in association with the Capitol Hill extension a few years ago, even though that extension doubled ridership ("Sound Transit to spend $1.8M on Seattle Times, TV/radio, CHS advertising," Capitol Hill Seattle blog).  

I had chalked that up to government agencies being criticized for spending on marketing, even though it's a natural element of exchange, in this case communicating about the availability of public services.

But I think it's another example of what the book Strategic Marketing for Not For Profit Organizations calls publics. The author says all organizations have three publics: the input public that gives you resources; the throughput public that does that work; and the output public to whom your efforts are addressed.

Celebratory marketing efforts are more about reaching the input and throughput publics.  Ongoing marketing is about reaching the output public, who in the case of transit, are the riders.

Complementary marketing efforts in Nagasaki go a step beyond.  Featured on the JRJ program were various Nagasaki Prefecture promotional efforts, which include bus and taxi wraps promoting the new Kamome Shinkansen trains.  

I can't say I've seen substantive promotion for new transit services in bus wraps and definitely not taxis in the US.

Photo provided by Discover Nagasaki tourism office.

Many years ago I wrote about a tourism promotion program in Greater Detroit, teaching residents on how to help visitors.

There definitely needs to be that kind of training on new transit infrastructure and marketing for transit workers--eg while riding buses I've listened to how DC Circulator bus drivers don't provide information in response to queries about Metrobus and vice versa--as well as tourism and hospitality professionals.

Imagine transit promotions in local restaurants and hotels, the convention center, area airports, obviously the rail stations. Subway stations do provide some of this, but not usually enough.

Transit marketing for tourism.  Especially because with cities, it's possible to visit and tour without a car, but instead by sustainable mobility--transit especially and sometimes biking.  See "City Break Tourism, the rental car shortage, and transit/sustainable mobility as a way to get around: Part 1."

I've been remiss in writing follow up pieces.  I did collect a number of vintage transit tourism marketing pieces, in preparation.  For example, a brochure from Chicago Transit Authority dating to 1958.

Although to CTA's credit, they continue to produce tourism marketing brochures.  For a time Transport for London and its predecessors produced great tourism guidebooks.  

While there are many other good examples, they are often from the past. Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, now PATH, used to produce great shopping promotions, encouraging people to ride the train into Manhattan to shop.

But in the present, most transit agencies don't do a good job of tourism marketing.

A more comprehensive program would include:

• tourism centers, especially at key entrypoints like railroad stations and airports ("2019 (US) National Travel and Tourism Week: A visitor centers agenda for DC")
• Liverpool and Tokyo Metro (1, 2) and other rail operations in Japan provide this, London too, although I didn't think their transit tourism centers were particularly noteworthy
• marketing materials like brochures for tourists linking transit access to popular destinations
• advertising materials including posters, ads, bus and taxi wraps
• transit wayfinding and interpretation systems (Ride Newcastle, Alexandria Virginia)
• training programs for transit workers
• training programs for workers in tourism and hospitality
• marketing promotions in hotels, convention centers, restaurants, etc.