Trains and Buses Compete For Passengers On Tokyo-Narita Route

Above, the Keisei Skyliner at Terminal One of Narita Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's nothing like good, old fashioned competition for your travel dollars, or rather, yen.

Tourism to Japan has been on the rise for the past several years and with the 2020 Olympics coming to Tokyo next year, various transportation companies are in competition for the tourist's business. This includes trains and buses to and from Narita Airport and Tokyo.

Japan Today has an article on this and they begin it with:

TOKYO - In the run-up to next year's anticipated rise in international travel demand, last month, the curfew on landings at Narita Airport was extended to midnight. 

Weekly Playboy (Nov 25) also noted that the Keisei Railway Co introduced a new schedule from Oct 26, in which the number of Skyliner special expresses running between the Narita airport terminals and Keisei Ueno Station would be increased 1.4-fold, effectively shortening waiting time between train departures from 40 minutes to 20. 

This new development has not escaped notice of JR East, operator of the Narita Express trains,  which service the capital at 30-minute intervals. 

A writer who covers rail transport tells the magazine that Keisei clearly has the upper hand. 

"Connections by the Skyliner from Keisei Ueno to Narita Terminal 1 take 43 minutes, at a cost of 2,520 yen," he points out. "In contrast, a ticket from Tokyo Station to Narita Airport takes 53 minutes and costs 3,070 yen. Keisei has always been faster, but now with increased frequency, they've become the train of choice." 

The newly introduced aerodynamic 3100-type Skyliner cars boast a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour, making them the fastest non-Shinkansen trains in Japan.

Above, a Narita Express car at Terminal One of Narita Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I have used both the Keisei Lines and the Narita Express several times over the years. I really depends upon where in Tokyo I am staying at when I choose which train line. If I stay in the Ueno/Asakusa area, I'll use the Keisei trains. If I am staying elsewhere in Tokyo, I'll use the Narita Express.

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