JR Central's Meisyou-line to be closed

[Kabutoni]

Another local line down

 

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20091029-00000058-mai-soci

 

It's being bussified, like most abolished local lines. Very sad as this line was built with a lot of potential, but was never finished... The last services were run with KIHA11 Series DMU.

[bikkuri bahn]

Don't despair too much, it's just the final 17.7 km of the line (Ieki Sta. to Iseokitsu Sta.) that will be abandoned.  The remaining 25.8km will remain in operation.  This line seems especially vulnerable to typhoon damage.  Given that the line only averages 700 passengers a day (probably almost all elderly people with a few high school students thrown in), repairing the damaged stretch was probably not seen as viable.  But it is surprising to see a good portion of a JR local line axed nowadays. 

 

BTW, this line was the last one in the JR Tokai region to have semaphore signaling.  That was removed in 2004.

[Kabutoni]

Ah, then I misread the article. I need to practice my Japanese more intensively!

 

Well, it's still a shame these lines are being closed, but somehow I can understand that it's not economically rewarding to repair the damaged section.