Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Pref., Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)–Train services on a section of the Hisatsu Orange Railway line in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, resumed Tuesday after having been suspended due to damage from the July earthquake. All railway lines in affected areas are now back in operation, 77 days after the July 28 temblor. On Tuesday, services resumed on the 23.6-kilometer section between Yatsushiro and Higo-Tanoura stations. Located near the epicenter, the tracks had been deformed and the platforms had been damaged. “I’m glad because I had been hoping that the entire line would resume operations as soon as possible,” said a 52-year-old part-time worker, who uses the Hisatsu Orange Railway line two or three times a month for hospital visits and shopping. Seiki Nakamura, president of Hisatsu Orange Railway Inc., a third-sector railway operator, said, “I’m delighted that we are finally able to operate trains along the entire line.” The Hisatsu Orange Railway line was separated from operations of Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, when a section of the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line opened in 2004. Hisatsu Orange Railway briefly suspended services on the entire line after the earthquake damaged more than 100 locations along the line. The heavily damaged section between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations of the Kyushu Shinkansen resumed operations Sept. 18. JR Kyushu also resumed operations Saturday on a section between Uto and Yatsushiro stations on its Kagoshima Line. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
