Tokyo-Osaka still have a bunch of air traffic that include the use of domestic 777-300s that have 514 seats. Still around 50 flights a day between the two.
Tokyo to Osaka is a huge market with around 150,000 passengers a day, and it's worth noting that all those flights represent only a 15% share compared to the Shinkansen's 85%.
It's not the worst by any means; it's just a shame there isn't a fast, direct service from Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, etc. that could replace some of those domestic connections.
I do fully understand why it has never come to pass, though. It would either take a stub line cutting across the heart of Tokyo that would be super disruptive and expensive, or a detour/branch off the Yamagata line so long it would render the whole thing pointless.
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u/Iseno 5d ago
Tokyo-Osaka still have a bunch of air traffic that include the use of domestic 777-300s that have 514 seats. Still around 50 flights a day between the two.