Apr 07 (Japan Times) - A railway line in Iwate Prefecture will reach a crucial turning point next year, returning to service after sustaining heavy damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
In March 2019 a 55.4-kilometer section between Miyako and Kamaishi stations on the of East Japan Railway Co.-operated Yamada Line, which was damaged in 2011 by the giant tsunami caused by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake, is set to go back into service after an eight-year suspension.
At the same time its operations will be transferred to Sanriku Railway Co., which currently operates other lines in the region.
Sanriku Railway’s 71-km Kita-Riasu Line runs through Pacific coast areas in the northern part of Iwate and links Kuji and Miyako stations, and its 36.6-km Minami-Riasu Line is located along the coast in the southern part of the prefecture and connects Kamaishi and Sakari stations.
Both lines were fully restored to service in April 2014, about three years after the disaster.
The reopening of the Yamada Line section will links Kuji and Sakari via Miyako and Kamaishi.
Communities are increasingly hoping that will help lift spirits in the tsunami-hit areas and promote their reconstruction.
While confronting these challenges Sanriku Railway is also struggling with tough financial circumstances due to a shrinking local population.
But its trains, viewed as a symbol of the region’s post-disaster reconstruction, continue to operate as a vehicle not only for passengers but also for people’s hopes.
