Bad news for freight train fans in Hokkaido

[bikkuri bahn]

The rundown of freight service on the island seems to continue:

Japan's JX to shut oil refinery operation in Muroran: Nikkei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's top refiner JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp plans to stop refining oil at its Muroran unit on the northern island of Hokkaido by March 2014, the Nikkei business daily said on Sunday.

 

JX Nippon Oil will cut about 13 percent of its group refining capacity, which is equivalent to output of 180,000 barrels per day (bpd), the report said.

 

The firm said in a statement dated on Sunday that it is considering cutting group refining capacity by 200,000 barrels per day by the end of March 2014 but no details have been decided.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-japan-oil-refiningbre89r01q-20121027,0,4719738.story

 

What this will likely mean is that these scenes will disappear by 2014: