Japan Railway Journal S2018E18 - Seibu Railway: Setting its Sights on the Chichibu Region

Seibu Railway operates between western Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture. Facing an aging population and a declining birthrate, the company is working to attract visitors to the Chichibu region of Saitama Prefecture. To that end, the company has developed a new vehicle that can connect Yokohama directly to Chichibu. In addition, the company renewed Seibu-Chichibu Station and built a hot spring complex where visitors can also shop and dine. As a result, visitor numbers saw an increase of more than 1.5 million between 2012 and 2017. See Seibu Railway's strategies. "In Trains in Focus," join us on the restaurant train "fifty two seats of happiness."