JR Hokkaido’s 115-Year-Old Rumoi Main Line Ends Service

Numata, Hokkaido, March 31 (Jiji Press)–Hokkaido Railway Co., or JR Hokkaido, ended service on its Rumoi Main Line on Tuesday as local residents and railway enthusiasts bid farewell to the 115-year-old local line. The line, which opened in November 1910 in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, used to be a major artery transporting coal and herring but has suffered sluggish passenger demand in recent years. The average number of passengers per kilometer per day on the line stood at only 90 in fiscal 2021, compared with 2,245 in fiscal 1975. A partial closure in April 2023 shortened the line to 14.4 kilometers between Fukagawa Station in the city of Fukagawa and Ishikari-Numata Station in the neighboring town of Numata, making it the shortest among the “main” lines operated by the Japan Railways, or JR, Group companies. At a commemorative ceremony held at Ishikari-Numata Station on Tuesday morning, Numata Mayor Shigeru Yokoyama said in tears, “The Rumoi Main Line, which transported many stories and hopes, will remain in service in your memory.” JR Hokkaido said in 2016 that it would be difficult to maintain 13 sections on its own, and decided to abolish five of them, including the Rumoi Main Line. The other four sections have already been closed. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]