Nippon in My Neighborhood

Life has changed completely for me in a short space of time. Now I have a new home, a new job and a new commute. Every day I leave home by 6:00am, drive a few minutes to the train station, then take my place on the platform with the other Chicago "Metra commuters." My ride to work? A commuter train that takes me to downtown Chicago in about an hour.  Except for the train commute, I'm not new to Chicago. A decade ago I spent eight years living here, and back then I always got around by car.  Mass transit was not something I cared much about.

My transportation situation changed completely when I moved to Japan. Every single day I rode a city train to work, and took the subways all the time at night and on weekends. Sometimes I took the bus. On lucky occasions I got to travel on the fast and futuristic looking Shinkansen, Japan's network of high speed bullet trains that run like clockwork and zip you across the country to another city by the time you've finished your coffee and some lunch. They are clean, comfortable and beautiful. Train attendants wear uniforms and white gloves. Hostesses serve beverages and snacks stocked on drive-thru carts.  Life is good when you're a passenger on the Shinkansen watching the countryside go by, usually at speeds of over 100 miles per hour (especially if you're in the Green Car -- first class!).
 
Riding a train again is convenient and stress-free. Not only for getting to work but also for attending events in Chicago and other locations.  It removes the headache of parking and traffic. Metra commuter trains are comfortable, well managed and on time. Apps that run on my iPhone make checking schedules and getting updates very easy.

So, a couple of weeks ago I was standing on the train platform out here in Chicago suburbia, and noticed the tracks had "Nippon" stamped on them. Wow, we have rails made in Japan. Okay, that's interesting.

.
Not long after that I was in one of the commuter train cabins when I looked up and saw this:

Chicago Metra has contracted a Japanese company to make our commuter trains? Excellent decision!  For years I have been hoping America would tap into the engineering expertise of Japan to make some trains for us. They are SO GOOD at it.  We have Amtrak.  Twenty years ago I rode Amtrak trains a few times. The seats were so uncomfortable I had back pain for days after the train ride was over. Once the train lurched so hard I thought our train car jumped off the tracks. The ride was very bumpy, noisy and unstable. Every experience was bad, so I promised myself, never again. Japan does it differently.


Nippon Sharyo, Ltd. (日本車輌製造株式会社  (Nippon Sharyō Seizō Kabushiki-gaisha) was established in 1896, and today is a major manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its name to "日本車両" Nippon Sharyō. Its shortest abbreviation is Nissha "日車.  In 2008, JR Central became the majority shareholder of the financially struggling Nippon Sharyo making the firm a subsidiary of JR Central.

This company has been in the train business for over one hundred years. Now it designs city trains and bullet trains in Japan; each have smaller carbon footprints - so much better for the environment.  Above right is an image of the N700 series Shinkansen. Below left is a photo of the Odakyu Railway "Romance Car VSE-50000" - both are built by Nippon Sharyō. These trains are currently running in Japan. Only time will tell which train designs will be introduced to the States.

 In order to expand in the North America market, the company entered into a joint venture company with Sumitomo Corporation to form a firm called Nippon Sharyō U.S.A. The headquarters is right here in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, IL.  Nippon Sharyō U.S.A. is doing well, winning commuter train contracts besides Illinois:  Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, California and Michigan, for example. If you want to read more, here is an interesting brochure in .pdf format. This is what the brochure looks like.

The company is also reaching out to help customers internationally.  You can find Nippon Sharyō trains in these countries outside the United States:  Brazil, Venezuela, Canada, Singapore, Taiwan and the Philippines.

I love the idea of Americans learning the Japanese way of transport: 1) walking more, 2) riding public transport much more, and 3) depending less on cars and oil as individuals and as a country. I think many Americans could get used to a different way of getting from Point A to Point B besides taking to the highways or airports.  I told my brother the other day:  "Imagine if you could get on a train here in Chicago and arrive in Indianapolis or St. Louis in an hour.  Or head west and be in Denver in a couple of hours flat."  "Wow, that would be great!" he said. Right now, Americans like us have only two methods to make such trips:  driving or flying.  Both ways are getting more expensive and becoming more of a hassle.  There are trains and busses, but they are slower.  A really nice modern train would be a perfect way to travel to another American city. Nippon Sharyō to the rescue! Today, commuter trains, tomorrow...mag lev trains that can take you to another state at high speeds.  It's not in the U.S. yet, but I think we're on that track~!

Back to Chicago now. Metra, the Chicago commuter train company, has several lines that meet up in downtown Chicago.  Each line is named according to the railroad company operating it.  From what I have seen, they all have these  bi-level cars.  There is another line too. The South Shore Line operates between the Chicago Loop and northwestern Indiana. As of a recent report they have 82 rail cars built between 1982 and 2009 by Nippon Sharyō. Sixty-eight cars are single level and 14 are gallery style bi-level cars like the ones I ride to work.

According to their website, Nippon Sharyō U.S.A. was created in 1982 with a contract to supply 44 single-level EMU cars to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), and has been a consistent and steady presence in North America ever since. The contracts (totaling over 880 individual cars) have been delivered on time and within budget. 

Car body shells are manufactured in Japan. Then the company teams up with a local North American company for final assembly. Nippon Sharyō assumes responsibility for overall project management and quality control. The company is now building a factory in Rochelle, IL.  Metra has signed on for more train cars. The first car, a Gallery-Type EMU for Metra, will roll out of this facility at the end of 2012. I hope our train line will among the first of the train lines to place this car in service.

Everyone should ride on a Japanese train to experience what civilized, modern age mass transit is like.  Go for it by boarding a Japan Railways (JR) train in Japan, or in one of the places where Nippon Sharyō has partnered with local transport authorities.  You'll be in for a pleasant surprise.