[JP] Linimo: First Fare Increase Since 2005

[Miss Maglev]

First Fare Increase Since Opening for Japan’s First Linear Motor Railway, Linimo: 13.9% Fare Hike Planned for Autumn 2026

Aichi High-Speed Transportation, operator of the Tobu Kyuryo Line (Linimo), has applied for approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to raise passenger fares for the first time since the line’s opening. If approved, fares will increase by 13.9% in autumn 2026, excluding effects from the consumption tax hike. The basic fare up to 2 km will rise from 170 yen (approx. €0.98 / $1.19) to 210 yen (approx. €1.20 / $1.47), and fares for distances over 8 km will increase from 380 yen (approx. €2.18 / $2.66) to 420 yen (approx. €2.41 / $2.94).

Linimo, an 8.9 km railway connecting Fujigaoka Station on Nagoya Municipal Subway’s Higashiyama Line and Yakusa Station on Aichi Loop Railway, opened in 2005 as a key route for the Aichi Expo. It was Japan’s first permanent operation of a magnetic levitation linear motor car. Annual ridership dropped sharply from about 21.3 million in 2005 to 5 million in 2006 but has steadily recovered with local housing, commercial development, and the opening of major park facilities like Ghibli Park, reaching over 10 million riders in fiscal 2024.

Aichi High-Speed Transportation cites increased costs due to inflation, rising labor costs, maintenance, equipment renewal, and high electricity prices as making the current fare structure unsustainable for stable service. After 20 years, aging infrastructure requires planned investments. Financial data shows a 2024 fiscal year deficit of around 3.88 billion yen (approx. €22.3 million / $27.2 million). Without a fare increase, a projected deficit through 2027-2029 would reach about 11.7 billion yen (approx. €67.2 million / $81.9 million), but with the fare hike, the deficit would reduce to roughly 3.19 billion yen (approx. €18.3 million / $22.3 million), helping stabilize the railway’s finances.

This fare revision marks a notable development in Japan’s transport sector, reflecting economic pressures and infrastructure aging on innovative transit lines like Linimo.

Info based on: https://news.railway-pressnet.com/archives/80904 Accessed 2025-09-23

[Miss Maglev]

Railway news net

リニモは常電導吸引型の磁気浮上式リニアモーターカーを採用している。【撮影：草町義和】
Photo: https://news.railway-pressnet.com/archives/80904 Accessed 2025-09-23

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Railway news net

リニモの列車。【画像：ネライト／写真AC】
Photo: https://news.railway-pressnet.com/archives/80904 Accessed 2025-09-23