https://tabiris.com/archives/jrwest-fare2025/JR West will readjust fares in Keihanshin area from April 1st 2025
>currently there are two special fare zones to stay competitive with competing railways>one is Osaka Loop Line(dark blue)>the other spans Kyoto, Nishi-Akashi, Wakayama, Nara, and Nagao(light blue)>they will be merged and get extended northbound and westbound(red)>impact on prices mixed, between -30 to +30 yen>in general prices go up for short trips within Osaka Loop Line while going down for longer trips>this also inadvertently nerfs the split ticket trick>for example going from Osaka to Kusatsu with a stop in Kyoto currently saves 170 yen, but that will go down to 130 yen. 