Osaka Metro to phase out magnetic tickets by around fiscal 2031: report

Osaka Metro plans to do away with magnetic tickets, which are costly and difficult to recycle, and replace them with QR code tickets by around fiscal 2031, which begins in April 2031, according to a local media report Wednesday.

Currently, passengers insert magnetic tickets into fare gates to enter and exit train platforms, but under the new system, they will scan QR code tickets to do so. Abolishing magnetic tickets will eliminate the occurrence of ticket jams as well.

Osaka Metro already has QR code readers installed on its ticket gates to accommodate passengers who purchase digital tickets using its smartphone app.

The rail operator plans to include the phasing-out of magnetic tickets in a midterm business plan to be released soon, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Wednesday. Osaka Metro said on the same day it has not made any announcements on the issue.

A majority of passengers already use integrated circuit (IC) cards — rechargeable, contactless smart cards, such as Icoca, Pitapa, Suica and Pasmo — when using trains.

Other railway operators are also planning to make the switch to QR code tickets from magnetic ones. In June, East Japan Railway Co., better known as JR East, announced plans to replace magnetic short-distance tickets with QR code tickets in spring of 2027.

Seven other rail operators in the Tokyo metropolitan area have already announced plans to phase out magnetic tickets and switch to QR code ones at the end of next March and later.