Kyushu shinkansen line damaged by quakes

The operator of the Kyushu shinkansen bullet train line says the major earthquakes in southwestern Japan have caused extensive damage to tracks and stations.Kyushu Railway Company said on Sunday that its emergency inspections had found damage at about 100 locations in the worst-hit Kumamoto Prefecture.Shinkansen services have been suspended since the quake on Thursday. A section of the line has become uneven in Kumamoto City. At Shin-Yatsushiro Station, 20 concrete beams supporting the platform have been dislocated.A chimney has fallen onto the line between Shin-Tamana and Kumamoto stations. Officials also found cracks in about 25 pillars of an elevated bridge betweenShin-Tamana and Shin-Yatsushiro stations.A maintenance depot also suffered extensive damage.The transport ministry says officials are unable to inspect electrical equipment and railway signals due to continuing aftershocks.The ministry says it expects more damage to be found, adding that it remains unclear when shinkansen services can resume.   Source and image: NHK...