Why Japan Keeps a Defunct Train Station Open To Pick Up One Passenger
January 10, 2016
A Japanese train station in the rural parts of Hokkaido, Japan, has been operating for years solely to pick up one passenger.
The train stops at the Kami-Shirataki train station situated in the northernmost island of Japan only twice a day. Its first stop is to pick up a high school girl to take her to class and its second is to drop the student off after school.
Officials of Japan Railways, the company that operates the country’s railway network, established an agreement for the girl over three years ago, reports CCTV News.
The story goes that as the Japan Railways group prepared to shut down the station because of a drastic drop in riders and the dissolution of its freight services, they were surprised to find that the railway was still being used everyday by a lone high school student.
The company reportedly made the decision to continue operating the train station so that she can make it to school. They even tailored the train’s timetable to fit its loyal passenger’s school schedule. Kami-Shirataki station will remain open for her until she graduates in March 2016.
The post by CCTV on its Facebook page yesterday has since gone viral with over 36,000 people liking it and over nearly 13,000 shares. Many Facebook users are offering words of praise for the Japanese government’s value on education.
Forget Harry Potter and platform 9¾ this station only has one passenger
The Kami-Shirataki train station is located…
Posted by CCTVNews on Friday, January 8, 2016
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