Minamiaso railway resumes operations

Minamiaso Railway Co. in Kumamoto Prefecture partially resumed train operations on Sunday, after the 18-kilometer-long railroad was closed 108 days ago due to severe damage caused by powerful earthquakes that struck the prefecture.

The restart of train services on the seven-kilometer section between Takamori Station in the town of Takamori and Nakamatsu Station in Minami-Aso is expected to help the local tourism industry recover from the slump after the disaster.

A celebration event was held at Takamori Station, with a popular torokko sightseeing train leaving the station, a market set up to sell local specialties, and a railway museum opened.

Source and image: Yomiuri