The JR Rikuwansei Line (43 km from Shinjo Station to Yome Station), which had been suspended since May 2022, resumed service on January 16. A number of local train lines in various areas have been closed for long periods of time due to damage from typhoons and torrential rains, and subsequently discontinued. However, in the case of the Rikuu-Nishi Line, the situation was somewhat different, and there were also problems with the usability of the substitute buses that covered the entire line. It seems that the “Rikuu-Nishi Line” played a role that substitute buses could not easily play. Let us consider the circumstances leading up to the resumption of operations and the role that railroads are likely to play in the future, along with photos taken when we rode the substitute buses there.
Yamagata Prefecture wants to increase use with subsidies For local residents, the completion of the bypass of National Route 47, “one-third of the 63 million annual cost of increased school bus service in winter,” “49 full road closures in the past 10 years,” and “the most frequent accident in Yamagata Prefecture,” may be more familiar and more gratifying. On the other hand, the completion of a bypass of the Rikuhansei Line may be closer to home and more welcome. On the other hand, when it comes to local use of the Rikuu-Nishi Line, the village of Tozawa is particularly focused on expanding the number of school buses, and it is worrisome that there has been little movement to increase the number of users. However, Yamagata Prefecture has established its own “Yamagata Railway Line Revitalization Grant” and is trying to attract users of the Rikuu West Line as well as the Ou Main Line (service between Shinjo and Innai stations will resume in April 2025), which suffered a long-term suspension due to the disaster, and the Rikuu East Line (service between Shinjo and Naruko Onsen stations will likely resume around 2027), which is still suspended. The inconvenient substitute bus service is now being relegated to a mission. The inconvenient substitute buses have completed their mission, and the convenient and fast railroads have returned. It is certainly convenient, but with the lack of travel between the Mogami and Shonai regions and the scarcity of population along the line, it is unlikely that use of the line will grow that much. …… How far will the JR Rikuhansei Line, which has such problems, go in gaining users? We will keep an eye on the line’s future.
© Source travel watch