JR West will revise its timetable on October 14 (Sat), 2025, expanding the line and time slots for its paid seating service, “Ure Seats,” and will also revise its timetable in connection with the end of the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
First “Ure Seats” on the Hanwa Line
Ure Seats, a service that allows commuters to sit while commuting to school or work by adding a reserved seat ticket for 300 yen per seat (for ticketless services), was launched in October 2023 on some rapid trains on the Yamatoji Line and Osaka-Higashi Line. The service’s concept of using “noren” curtains on existing trains to demarcate paid areas rather than using dedicated carriages to provide affordable seating service, led to its receiving a 2024 Good Design Award. Due to its popularity, the service has been gradually expanded to include the Nara Line, Biwako Line, JR Kyoto/Kobe Line, Sagano Line, and JR Takarazuka Line. With this timetable revision, the service will also be launched on the Gakkentoshi Line, JR Tozai Line, and Hanwa Line.
Ure Seats will be available on the JR Tozai Line on two weekday morning trains heading from Nara Station or Kizu Station to Kyobashi Station, Kitashinchi Station, or the JR Takarazuka Line, as well as five evening and night rapid trains heading from the JR Takarazuka Line, Kitashinchi Station, or Kyobashi Station to Kizu Station. All trains on this route are operated with long-seat carriages where passengers sit sideways in the direction of travel, so this will be the first time that Ure Seats will be offered on these long-seat carriages. Additionally, on the Hanwa Line, which operates convertible cross-seat carriages, new Ure Seats will be available on two weekday morning trains departing from Hineno Station to Tennoji Station, and three evening and night rapid trains departing from Tennoji Station to Hineno Station.
Kakogawa Line increased service frequency experiment ends
On the Biwako Line, JR Kyoto Line, and Kobe Line, which already have Ure Seats, service will be extended to the terminal stations of Yasu and Maibara stations on three rapid trains from the JR Kobe Line, which previously discontinued Ure Seat service at Osaka Station on weekday mornings. In addition, four rapid trains from the JR Kobe Line to the Biwako Line in the weekday evening and nighttime will now be eligible for Ure Seats, and the service will be expanded to include departure and return times on weekends and holidays. Additionally, two more rapid trains on the Sagano Line will have Ure Seats installed in the weekday evening and nighttime.
With the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, currently being held in Yumeshima, Osaka, ending on October 13 (Mon/national holiday), service of the “Expo Liner” special train between Shin-Osaka Station and Sakurajima Station will cease. The additional service on the Osaka Loop Line, JR Yumesaki Line, and Hanwa Line will also end. In addition, the operation of additional trains between Nishiwakishi Station and Tanigawa Station, which was a demonstration experiment on the Kakogawa Line in conjunction with the Expo, and the temporary stopping of some of the Kounotori limited express trains at Tanigawa Station will also end on October 13 (Mon/national holiday).
