World · East Asia & Pacific · 2 days ago
JR Kyushu resumes train service between Uto and Yatsushiro after quake repairs
JR Kyushu resumed local train service between Uto and Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Oct.
10.
The line had been suspended after the July 28 earthquake damaged tracks and utility poles.
Repairs included replacing rails and installing new poles and overhead wires.
Until service returned, substitute buses made the trip take about 1 hour and 50 minutes, compared with around 30 minutes by train.
The route is used by students, some of whom had faced long commutes to school.
The reopening brings passengers closer to normal travel, while another local service between Yatsushiro and Higo-Tanoura remains suspended.
That service is scheduled to resume on Oct.
13, which would end all railway suspensions caused by the quake.
JR Kyushu restored service on the Uto–Yatsushiro section in Kumamoto Prefecture on Oct. 10, 74 days after the July 28 earthquake.
The restored section is used by many students, who had relied on substitute buses and other rail services during the suspension.
The first train from Yatsushiro to Kumamoto departed shortly after 5 a.m., and students were seen boarding from around 6:30 a.m.
Repairs addressed major damage, including deformed tracks and broken utility poles, and involved replacing rails and installing poles and overhead wires.
A separate service between Yatsushiro and Higo-Tanoura remained suspended and was scheduled to resume on Oct. 13.
- Who
- JR Kyushu and passengers, including students who use the affected rail line
- What
- Train service resumed between Uto and Yatsushiro, restoring JR Kyushu's lines affected by the quake except for a separate service still awaiting reopening.
- When
- Oct. 10, 74 days after the July 28, 2026 earthquake
- Where
- Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan
- Why
- The service had been suspended because the earthquake severely damaged railway infrastructure.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
An earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture and damaged railway infrastructure.
JR Kyushu began running substitute buses between Uto and Yatsushiro.
Passengers gained access to the Kyushu Shinkansen between Kumamoto and Shin-yatsushiro without limited express tickets.
Train service resumed between Uto and Yatsushiro, 74 days after the earthquake.
The separate Yatsushiro–Higo-Tanoura service was scheduled to resume.
- Earthquake date
- July 28, 2026
- Restoration date
- Oct. 10, 2026
- Time to restore Uto–Yatsushiro service
- 74 days
- Substitute bus journey
- About 1 hour and 50 minutes, compared with around 30 minutes by local train
- Remaining suspended service
- Yatsushiro–Higo-Tanoura, scheduled to resume Oct. 13
What people are saying
I can finally return to normal life
the first step of reconstruction
Sources
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