JR East will expand the service area of “Ekinet Q Ticket,” which allows passengers to board Shinkansen and conventional lines in the Tohoku area with just a smartphone, to the Tokyo metropolitan area on October 1 (Wed), 2025.
“Red QR reader” at ticket gates
As a ticketless service that allows passengers to board and disembark without buying a ticket, the company has developed a ticket gate entry and exit service using the transportation IC card “Suica” and a Shinkansen boarding service “Shinkansen e-Ticket” using Suica. In addition to these, Ekinet Q Ticket, which was launched in the Tohoku area in October 2024, is a service that allows passengers to pass through automatic ticket gates using a boarding QR code issued when purchasing a ticket on the internet reservation service “Eki-net.”
There is no need to collect tickets at the Midori window or ticket vending machine, and since the boarding ticket and express ticket are combined into a single QR code, you can seamlessly transfer from the Shinkansen to local trains, etc. Red QR readers are installed at ticket gates in the corresponding area, and you can enter and exit by holding up the QR code displayed on the “Eki-net Ticketless App” on your smartphone. It can also be used at stations outside the Suica area, and if you are boarding at a station without a ticket gate or an unmanned station, you can start using it by checking in on the app.
More versatile than Suica
Currently, Ekinet Q Ticket can only be used on Shinkansen and conventional lines in the Tohoku area, but from October, the service area will be expanded to all Tohoku Shinkansen stations between Koriyama Station and Tokyo Station, and conventional lines within Tokyo. The condition is that the section used must be completed within the Ekinet Q Ticket area, and it is particularly convenient when boarding from a station outside the Suica area or without a ticket gate, such as “Kami-Morioka Station to Shibuya Station (via Morioka Station and Tokyo Station)”. It does not apply to stations that are not included in the Ekinet Q Ticket area, and it cannot be used in conjunction with Suica or paper tickets.
The coverage area of Ekinet Q Ticket will continue to expand, adding the Joshinetsu area and the Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines (between Omiya and Niigata stations, and between Takasaki and Joetsu Myoko stations) in the second half of fiscal year 2026. Furthermore, it is scheduled to be available in all areas under the jurisdiction of JR East by the end of fiscal year 2026, and at that point, its high versatility may even surpass Suica-type services, which have the weakness of area restrictions.
