55 percent fewer passengers using Tokaido Shinkansen as virus halts travel

Japan Times -- Mar 28

The number of passengers using Tokaido Shinkansen line services between March 1 and Wednesday tumbled 55 percent from a year earlier, Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Central) has said.

The sharp drop reflects the large number of cancellations in business and sightseeing trips as COVID-19 continues to spread.

The cumulative number of passengers on the shinkansen line connecting Tokyo and Osaka from April 1 last year to Wednesday fell 3 percent, the operator said Thursday, indicating that the full fiscal 2020 passenger count is set to be worse than the previous year's result.