More than two months after the Kumamoto earthquake, JR Kyushu Railway resumes operations on all lines

(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 10th, comprehensive foreign news report) The strong earthquake that hit Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan on July 28 severely damaged the railway. The JR Kagoshima Main Line’s Uto Station to Yatsushiro Station restarted today. The local railways representing JR Kyushu have resumed operation on all lines after 74 days. Passengers said happily, "This is a step towards revival."

"Asahi Shimbun" reported that the length of the above-mentioned section is about 24.8 kilometers. After the earthquake, about 10 kilometers of track deformed, and telephone poles and overhead tram lines were also damaged. Although JR Kyushu has arranged a shuttle bus, the one-way journey by ordinary train originally took about 30 minutes, but after switching to the bus, it took about 2 hours.

Kyodo News reported that the above-mentioned two stations were located in Uto City and Yashiro City in Kumamoto Prefecture. These two areas observed maximum earthquake magnitudes of 7 and 6 respectively on July 28.

JR Kyushu stated that due to the serious damage caused by the earthquake, it has continued to repair and replace rails and telephone poles, and install overhead tram lines in the past period.

After repairs, the entire JR Kagoshima Main Line resumed service today. Passengers happily said, "This is a step towards revival." After 5 a.m. this morning at Yashiro Station, the first train bound for Kumamoto Station started, and students could be seen getting on the train one after another around 6:30 a.m.

Takako Miyagawa, a 13-year-old junior high school student in Yashiro City, said that in order to go to Kumamoto City for classes, it took about 2 hours to take a shuttle bus and then transfer to the railway, which also forced her to give up club activities. Today, the JR Kagoshima Main Line has resumed service on all lines. She said with peace of mind, "I can finally return to my original life."

The Hisatsu Orange Railway was also damaged in the strong earthquake in July. The section from Yashiro Station to Higotaura Station is expected to resume service on the 13th of this month. By then, all railway lines suspended due to the earthquake will resume operation.

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28, 2026. The maximum magnitude of the earthquake was 7 in Ujo City and Hikawa Town. The earthquake triggered a fatal explosion at the AEON Mall Kumamoto shopping mall in Kashima Town, and the collapse of a large chimney at Nippon Paper Yatsushiro Factory.