JR West Announces Autumn Timetable Revision After 15 Years

On October 2, Reiwa 3 (2021), the timetable for JR West will be revised. This autumn revision is a major deal—it hasn’t happened in 15 years. Usually, all JR companies nationwide conduct their timetable revisions simultaneously every March. Other JR companies are not holding an autumn revision this fall; only JR West is. Why? It seems that because JR West generates 90% of its revenue from the Sanyo Shinkansen and conventional lines in Keihanshin, using those profits to cover losses on remaining conventional lines, perhaps they truly just want to operate only where they are profitable. However, maybe this revision is simply a preliminary check-in before next March’s major timetable change, done out of consideration for users, the government, local administration, and high school students…