108-kilometer-long railway in western Japan ends service

April 1, 2018

Gotsu, Shimane Pref.- The 108.1-kilometer-long Sanko Line of West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, ended its service on Saturday, the final day of fiscal 2017, with many residents and train enthusiasts bidding farewell to the local railway.

It was the first time for a train line more than 100 kilometers long in areas other than Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, has been scrapped entirely since the Japan Railways (JR) Group was launched in April 1987 as a result of the breakup and privatization of the Japanese National Railways.

The Sanko Line, linking Gotsu Station in the city of Gotsu in Shimane Prefecture and Miyoshi Station in the city of Miyoshi in neighboring Hiroshima Prefecture, fully went into service in 1975.

But demand had continued to fall, with the average daily number of passengers coming to only 83 in fiscal 2016, compared with 458 in fiscal 1987. In September 2016, JR West announced a decision to abolish the line. Jiji Press