Issues of Local Railway Converting to the Third Sector : A Case Study of Hitachinaka Seaside Railway

Today, public transportation based on a self-supporting accounting system is facing management difficulties in regions other than major urban areas. Financial aid is essential for ensuring public transportation's position within the overall transportation network and for maintaining and energizing it. This requires an accurate understanding of passengers flow and characteristics, establishment of transportation plans and management policies, and citizen consent to financial aid. The purpose of this paper to clarify the issues of local railway converting to the third sector. This paper studies the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway, which took over the operation of Ibaraki Kotsu's railway line after it announced its withdrawal from the railway business. It clarifies the line's usage, problems and the citizens' assessment of making it a third-sector railway; moreover, it discusses issues to be considered in the future. Specifically, a passengers flow analysis was conducted on the basis of origins, destinations and ticket types of passengers and a questionnaire survey was conducted to examine characteristic information such as passenger attributes, the purpose of use and the frequency of use and the users' assessment of the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway. Also, a questionnaire survey was conducted among citizens throughout the city in order to clarify the citizens' overall assessment and awareness. As a result, it was found that the main users of the railway are high school student commuters, citizens who reside along the railway line and use it for commuting to/from work, shopping, hospital commutes and leisure activities, and tourists from outside the area. There are numerous student commuters on weekday mornings, making it necessary to add more train cars during those hours. The discount rate on the commuter passes of high school students is high, and the railway company shoulders part of the commute fares of high school students. These fares should be borne by the educational administration, and it is necessary to reconsider the conventional fare system for high school student commuters and acquire financial aid for commuter fares from the educational administration. In addition, there are a considerable number of tourists on weekends and holidays, and therefore, promoting tourism is effective for the management of the small-scale railway company. Regarding the passenger flow patterns of the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway, approximately half of the total number of passengers uses the railway line between the Katsuta Station and the Nakaminato Station. Furthermore, more than half of the passengers whose main destination is the Mito Station board/disembark at the Katsuta Station and transfer to the JR line. Therefore, coordination with the JR Joban Line is essential, and when considering the overall transportation network of the area, it is necessary to coordinate train schedules and ticket fares with passenger buses and community buses as well. A solution for this issue can be public transportation systems, as seen in Europe, or a transportation association. The majority of citizens are in favour of financial aid for the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway and its continuance, and thus, although regional disparities exist between areas along the railway line and other areas, it is clear that the railway has the citizens' support. This is a result of active publicity by the administration, which should be continued. Moreover, activities that increase the citizens' interest in not only the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway but also in improving the city's overall transportation situation are anticipated.