1.
shuttle operation; partial operation with turnback (trains, buses)
The practice of operating trains or buses only along part of a line and turning them back before the usual terminus, typically because a section further along is blocked by an accident, weather, or other disruption.
Composed of 折返し (turning back, U-turn) + 運転 (operation). A standard railway-announcement term in Japan used when a portion of a line is blocked and trains cannot run through to the normal terminus. Trains are instead operated back and forth between an intermediate station and one endpoint.
Common collocations
- 折返し運転を実施する: to operate shuttle service
- 折返し運転となる: to go to shuttle operation
- 折返し運転区間: section under shuttle operation
- 折返し運転中: currently operating shuttle service
Related words
- 運休: service suspension — no trains running at all
- 間引き運転: reduced service — fewer trains, not a turnback
- 直通運転: through operation — the normal, full-route operation; the opposite concept
- 平常運転: normal operation — the baseline
Usage
Heard frequently in Japanese train-line status updates ("山手線は折返し運転を実施しています"). Passengers may need to change trains or use alternative routes beyond the turnback point.