Greater Tokyo’s railway service reputation is under threat due to its eroding punctuality. The first-ever government study into rush hour train delays revealed that, surprisingly, 29 out of the 45 lines experienced delays on at least ten of 20 working days per month. So what’s changed? We examine the issues facing commuter rail in and around Japan’s bustling capital.

In the US, Amtrak has said it may suspend services that haven’t introduced positive train control technology by the end of the year, in accordance with the upcoming Congressional deadline. But implementation of the safety system is a mammoth task, and here we explore the technical and organisational challenges involved in rolling out PTC for passenger and freight services.

Also, we find out what’s entailed in the UK plans for a diesel engine phase-out, take a look inside the new Alstom tram which features a ground-based static charging system, learn how the Loco2 platform connects European rail operators to help passengers travel across countries on a single booking, and speak to a group of committed fare dodgers to find out why they believe public transport should be free and hear how they manage to consistently evade paying for train travel. 

Read on for all this and ­­­­join the conversation on Twitter.

Ceri Jones, editor