MARS (ticket reservation system)

File:Himeji Station 20090128 013.jpg in 2009]]

The host computer of the system was previously located in Kokubunji, Tokyo until 2013, when it was moved to an undisclosed location in the northern part of the Kantō region.{{Cite web |url=https://www.jrs.co.jp/service/product/data_center/ |title=データセンターサービス｜鉄道情報システム株式会社 |access-date=2023-08-17 |archive-date=2023-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628014150/https://www.jrs.co.jp/service/product/data_center/ |url-status=live }} The system is managed by JR Systems since 1 April 1987 following the division and privatization of JNR.

Ticket offices at JR stations equipped with MARS terminals are called {{Nihongo||みどりの窓口|Midori-no-madoguchi|literally "green window"}}, selling tickets of all JR Group trains and partly highway buses and route buses and ferries. It is possible for passengers to reserve tickets of buses and trains from one month prior to the given trip.{{Cite web |url=https://www.jreast.co.jp/estation/midori/ |title=List of the stations are installed for Midori no Madoguchi in JR East |access-date=2021-06-02 |archive-date=2021-05-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508163333/https://www.jreast.co.jp/estation/midori/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/network/tel/eki.html |title=List of the stations are installed for Midori no Madoguchi in JR Hokkaido |access-date=2021-06-02 |archive-date=2021-06-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602220200/https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/network/tel/eki.html |url-status=live }} In the JR Central region, these are instead called by the name きっぷうりば kippu uriba, meaning "ticket sales counter".

Originally short for "Magnetic-electronic Automatic (seat) Reservation System", the backronym was later changed to "Multi Access Reservation System".{{Cite web |last=Kawasaki |first=Hiroshi |date=2011 |title=Advancement and Issues of Transport Management and Signal/Train Control Systems |url=https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/development/tech/pdf_20/Tec-20-07-11eng.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210205302/https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/development/tech/pdf_20/Tec-20-07-11eng.pdf |archive-date=2023-12-10 |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=JR East |series=JR EAST Technical Review-No. 20 |pages=7–11 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last1=Ogawa |first1=Tetsuya |last2=Osumi |first2=Hideki |last3=Nagai |first3=Satoru |last4=Ito |first4=Masakazu |last5=Kato |first5=Hiromitsu |last6=Fushiki |first6=Takumi |date=2011 |title=Convergence of Information Technology and Control Systems in Railway Transportation Service Systems |url=https://www.hitachi.com/rev/pdf/2011/r2011_02a_107.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420151024/https://www.hitachi.com/rev/pdf/2011/r2011_02a_107.pdf |archive-date=2024-04-20 |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=Hitachi |series=Hitachi Review Vol. 60 |language=en}} It has since been reverted to its original meaning.{{Cite web |title=Products and Solutions |url=https://www.jrs.co.jp/english/Products_and_Solutions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205184248/https://www.jrs.co.jp/english/Products_and_Solutions/ |archive-date=2023-12-05 |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=JR Systems |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=MARS-1-Computer Museum |url=http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/dawn/0030.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128110817/http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/dawn/0030.html |archive-date=2023-11-28 |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=IPSJ Computer Museum}}{{Cite web |title=Hitachi Origin Story |url=https://www.hitachi.com/corporate/origin/story.html?p=railway_1960 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021063146/https://www.hitachi.com/corporate/origin/story.html?p=railway_1960 |archive-date=2021-10-21 |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=Hitachi}}

File:MARS1(1).jpg]]

The MARS-1 system was created by Mamoru Hosaka, Yutaka Ohno, and others at the Japanese National Railways' R&D Institute (now the Railway Technical Research Institute), and was built in 1958.{{cite web| url=http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/dawn/0030.html| title=Hitachi and Japanese National Railways MARS-1| publisher=Information Processing Society of Japan| website=IPSJ Computer Museum| access-date=2017-04-19| archive-date=2016-10-27| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027114741/http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/dawn/0030.html| url-status=live}} It was the world's first seat reservation system for trains, and entered service in February 1960, initially only providing bookings for the Kodama and Tsubame limited express services.{{cite web| url=http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/dawn/history.html| title=Early Computers: Brief History| publisher=Information Processing Society of Japan| website=IPSJ Computer Museum| access-date=2017-04-19| archive-date=2017-05-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502231330/http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/dawn/history.html| url-status=live}} The MARS-1 was capable of reserving seat positions, and was controlled by a Hitachi mainframe transistor computer with a central processing unit consisting of a thousand transistors and a magnetic drum memory unit for data storage, which was where the MARS acronym originated from.

In 2008, the MARS-1 system received a "One Step on Electro Technology -Look Back to the Future-" commemorative plaque from the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan.{{Cite web |url=https://www.iee.jp/foundation/list01/photo06/ |title=展示状況「座席予約システム：マルス1／みどりの窓口の先がけ」 |date=26 March 2019 |access-date=2023-08-17 |archive-date=2023-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817100436/https://www.iee.jp/foundation/list01/photo06/ |url-status=live }}

File:MR12W MARS.jpg

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Introduced in stages between 2002 and 2004, the MARS 501 introduced the concept of an Ethernet-based client–server model. Also, the ticket paper type was changed to thermal paper.

The latest version of MARS uses the MARS 505 system which was introduced in April 2020, which expanded on contactless, and ticketless boarding and booking capabilities brought along by the rise of mobile apps on smartphones and tablets.{{cite web | url=https://news.kotsu.co.jp/Contents/20200617/44d4f2ca-8ac4-4ace-84df-0f23bfcf7956 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212144638/https://news.kotsu.co.jp/Contents/20200617/44d4f2ca-8ac4-4ace-84df-0f23bfcf7956 | archive-date=2021-02-12 | title=交通新聞 電子版｜Ｊｒシステム 新たなステージに対応 各種基盤整備の「マルス５０５」 }}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.jrs.co.jp/english/aboutJRS/ JR Railway Information Systems]

{{Japan Railways Group}}

Category:Passenger rail transport in Japan

Category:Travel technology

Category:Computer-related introductions in 1960

Category:Train-related introductions in 1960

Category:1960 software

Category:Computer reservation systems

Category:Route planning software

Category:Hitachi products