Japan railway line closures totaled 1,366 km over the past 30 years. That equals about 5% of the national railway network.

Japan rail closures hit 1,366 km over 30 years
Photo: Kyodo News

Japan railway line closures accelerated by decade

RailwayPro reports on a Kyodo News analysis. The analysis is based on data released by the Ministry of Transport. It says 68 sections were discontinued between fiscal 1996 and fiscal 2025. Most were in regions affected by depopulation. That reflects growing pressure on local public transportation in rural areas.

Up to fiscal 2005, 387 km were closed. The figure rose to 445 km in the following decade. It reached 534 km in the decade ending with fiscal 2025. Each successive decade accounted for more discontinued track than the one before.

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Hokkaido accounted for about one-third of closed lines

Hokkaido, Japan’s northern island, accounted for roughly one-third of the discontinued lines. The analysis said one local railway company closed a 140 km route there. Another discontinued service on an additional 116 km.

Of the 1,366 km closed overall, 680 km were operated by railway companies. Those companies resulted from the breakup of the former national railway. The remaining 686 km belonged to other operators.

Shinkansen network expansion accounted for most new lines

Meanwhile, Japan opened 1,913 km of new railway. Of that total, 1,156 km belonged to the Shinkansen high-speed network.

That leaves a contrasting picture. Some rural areas gradually lost rail access. At the same time, the government continued to invest heavily in high-speed corridors. It also invested in infrastructure deemed strategic.

Professor Ikuhiro Nasuno of Ryutsu Keizai University commented on the issue. He said it should not be left solely to operators.

“We should not leave this matter solely to the operators, but rather view railways as a public transportation system,” he said.

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