All aboard Japan’s shut-down train linesーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
Local rail services across Japan are being reduced as passenger numbers drop, but a few of those are bouncing back in an entirely new form that’s breathing life into their regions. These once silent tracks and rural Kyushu’s Takachi hotel are thring again. This open top tourist train jugs through the mountains on a 30 minute round trip, usually 10 times a day. Up to 60 riders take in the view at a leisurely 15 km hour until the high point of the journey. [Music] [Music] [Music] At over 100 meters tall, the old railway bridge was once Japan’s highest. And in a nod to social media, the driver fires a bubble gun to create some magical photos. The shots have attracted attention from across Japan and around the world. Last year saw a record 130,000 visitors board the train. But getting to this point hasn’t been easy. Since opening here around 50 years ago, the train was vital for local residents. But after a powerful typhoon struck the region in 2005, it was clear the cost of repairs would be prohibited, and the line was decommissioned. Former employees and ordinary people pulled together to preserve what they could. Their efforts ultimately helped bring the line back to life as a tourist attraction. We’re doing it to revive the railway as a place for people to meet. Meanwhile, in Fukuoka Prefecture, the site of another former line is also drawing crowds. Its tracks long gone, the old railway in the town of Soya is now a walking path through the forest. It leads to an adventure facility hidden among the trees. Since opening two years ago, it has attracted young people and families from outside the prefecture as well. Damage caused by torrential rains in 2017 rendered a section of track here unusable. Local officials say the surrounding forest was then left to the wild. The town purchased the land and areas around it for redevelopment. There were few opportunities to take pictures on the tracks. We’ve combined an unused station and an abandoned forest for the benefit of Soeda. People have high hopes for the facility. Journeys like these prove that the termination of a service doesn’t always have to be the end of the line. Instead, new hope and fresh purpose can bring people together again.
Many of Japan’s local railways have had to close after natural disasters or due to a lack of passengers. Now, some are bouncing back in an entirely new form.
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