Putting JR Hokkaido's Abandoned Lines to Use

Affected by natural disasters, and the declining population leading to a drop in ridership,

JR Hokkaido has had to discontinue several railway lines in order to maintain its business.

At this station, the platform and train are packed with people

who've come to say farewell to the last train to run on the line.

One route was partially closed due to tidal damage, and that sections were discontinued without repair.

Over the past five years, four of JR Hokkaido's lines have been discontinued.

Across Japan, many railways have closed down.

Because the older lines were often single-track, they're not wide enough to become roads.

Instead, they are commonly developed as walkways and cycling paths, or they are used for recreational pedal trolleys.

In Hokkaido, local residents and companies have recently begun working on ways to utilize these discontinued lines.

JR Hokkaido has also been working to incorporate ideas from outside the company in its use of the discontinued sites.

In today's program, we take a look at the different initiatives

currently being undertaken to utilize Hokkaido's discontinued railway lines.

Earlier this year, Shikanotani Station on the Yubari Branch Line of the Sekisho Line, which was discontinued in 2019

moved a step closer to being restored and used again when local residents established a company

in order to revitalize the old station building to make it a central hub for the local community.

Opened in 1901, Shikanotani Station was a key station in Yubari City, which was once a flourishing coal mining town.

During its peak in the 1960s, more than twenty coal mines operated out of the city.

At the time, the population thrived with over 110,000 people.

In addition to the Japanese National Railways, three coal mining railways transported coal and passengers.

However, in the 1970s, as Japan made the change from coal to oil,

the coal mines began to close and the connecting railways followed, one after another.

In March 2019, the last remaining JR Sekisho Line, the Yubari Branch Line,

ceased operation, and Shikanotani Station closed soon after.

However, three years after the line closed, a turning point came for the Shikanotani Station building.

Establishing a company, a group of volunteers acquired the station building and grounds from JR Hokkaido.

The 3,000 square meter site they acquired included the wooden station building and approximately 100 meters of track.

To cover the transfer costs, including the cost of land surveying, the company had to pay approximately 1 million yen.

Led by Mr. Hashiba, who runs a restaurant in Yubari, and the proprietor of a store that sells railway goods,

Mr. Yasuda, the company is working to restore the station building.

We wanted to liven up Yubari. We talked
about what we should do

and thought about what would be most
memorable for the people of Yubari.

There used to be a number of
high schools in the area.

Students passed through the station every day.

We thought it would be nice to create a place
where people could look back on the past

every time they came back to Yubari.

During the restoration process, they made a surprising discovery.

When they removed the boards from the station's walls, they found the old ticket window with the ticket recess at the bottom; its glass still intact.

Old tools and equipment used by the station staff were collected to recreate the atmosphere of the old station building.

It's July and Mr. Hashiba and his team are getting ready for an event starting the next day.

Nostalgic posters from the Japanese National Railways days are displayed around the walls.

In the warehouse, they found an old station sign that also dates back to the JNR days, so they decide to use that as well.

Shikanotani station was the only station building
left on the Yubari Branch Line

that remained from the old days.

I thought it would be a shame
if it were demolished.

It's the next morning.

The old station sign is installed in preparation of the event.

With the sign in place, Shikanotani Station emerges from memory to live again.

Inside the old station building, postcards, tickets, and other related goods are for sale.

These are all Yubari Branch Line stations.

I wonder if I rode this train.

- I'm sure you did.
- Yeah, I probably did.

I used to go back to my hometown when the steam
locomotive was in service, before this train.

Across from the platform, vendors sell yakitori grilled chicken, local produce, and other items.

On the platform, visitors line up to buy traditional bento boxes.

The most popular attraction is the pedal-powered trolley.

This trolley was originally used to maintain the coal mine railroad in Yubari.

Today, the participants enjoy riding it back and forth along the 100m long track.

I hoped to see a trolley run on
the tracks after the line closed.

I'm so glad they made it happen.

The event, which ran for two days, saw Shikanotani Station crowded with people.

More than 200 people, including local residents and tourists, came to the event.

I used to get off here when I was in high school.
It reminds me of the old days.

It takes me back. They must have
worked hard on this.

Former Yubari residents, some
with tears in their eyes,

say they're glad the station is still here.
So I'm glad of the work we're doing.

Situated northeast of Sapporo City is the neighboring rural town of Tobetsu.

The section of the Sassho Line that ran through the town was discontinued in 2020.

Now, a unique project is underway on the site of the discontinued line.

Here, the land on which the tracks sit has been subdivided.

The idea is to build sheds on the land, leaving the rails intact.

This initiative is being promoted by a local construction company as part of its rural home building project.

If we removed the rails and sleepers,
there'd just be a gravel road

with no trace that there was
once a railway here.

So we decided to leave this section as it is.

In February 2022, this company acquired approximately 20,000 square meters of discontinued railway line,

including approximately 1,240 meters of track, from JR Hokkaido.

On the land acquired, 423m of track was left intact.

This section was divided into six blocks, ear marked for the construction of free-use sheds.

We wanted to do something different.

We decided to build a shed where people
can read books, listen to music, and relax.

I would love to see the tracks repurposed

in different, innovative ways.

Before the sheds are built, a solid foundation will be constructed on the tracks.

A more habitable model with insulation is currently being designed so that it can also be used during the winter.

Mr. Tsujino would like to encourage buyers to use the spaces freely.

For example, they could be used as a weekend hobby spaces, or as ateliers for selling goods.

In the case of Shikanotani station, I loved how the locals decided to send that station back in time to attract new people to come.

Speaking of that case, I think it's important to look into the history of the entire city of Yubari where railways played a very important role,

and I think that's the reason why people there still love the railway very much although the railway was closed a few years ago.

That station will look very different for people who used to commute, and for people who just coming in for the first time.

Indeed, but here, I should note one thing because we can't spent a great amount of money for each of these projects

because the local population is on the decline, there are not many people around.

So a good idea is a very important thing and to get a good idea,

I think it's important to try to reach out to the people from outside

to give them their own ideas, so that we can have more ideas.

And that is exactly what JR Hokkaido decided to do last year,

they started an initiative to recruit ideas from outside and technologies to utilize discontinued railway lines.

So, let's see how that is going.

Discontinued railway sites are long and narrow.

In order to find new ways to use them, JR Hokkaido called for ideas from outside the company.

The company is currently looking at a 16.1 km section of the Yubari Branch Line and a 116 km section of the Hidaka Line.

We started this initiative to explore ways to develop
projects using discontinued railway sites,

incorporating ideas from outside the company.

Through open innovation, we hope to
accumulate know-how

and new ideas which we can use
on new projects.

34 applications were received in response to JR's call.

Proposals from six companies were selected.

Currently in development are a wine cave, mural art, drone development, camping and glamping facilities, and a solar farm.

All were adopted as ways to make use of the long and narrow discontinued railway site.

One of the sites proposed uses was for drone development and flight training.

Behind this proposal was a company from Tokyo that develops AI software using drones designed to inspect infrastructure.

The software being developed uses "AI" to analyze images taken by drone to detect abnormalities.

The company is trying to further develop the software using the discontinued Hidaka Line tracks.

The first drone flights began in September.

For our AI program to be effective,
we need lots of photos.

However, regulations make it impractical to
fly drones over railways in urban areas.

A discontinued railway is perfect because we
can fly close to the tracks to take photos.

That's why we submitted our application.

Mr. Suzuki and his team also have plans to offer the site to drone manufacturers

to conduct performance tests, as well as drone flight schools.

Mr. Suzuki says he saw even more possibilities when he replied to JR Hokkaido's call for ideas.

One idea would be to use the lines as flight paths for logistics drones.

As of now, we've only seen the Hidaka Line,
but in the future,

I can see logistics drones following discontinued
lines all across the country.

The idea to use a disused railway tunnel as a wine cave was proposed by a venture company in Tokyo.

In general, train tunnels are great for storing products like wine and liquor because the temperature fluctuates very little.

After the line closed, we felt like
we should do something.

The company used a wine cave built in a disused railway tunnel in Yamanashi Prefecture,

Japan's largest producer of wine, as a reference.

The Chuo Main Line's Fukasawa Tunnel first opened in 1903.

When a new tunnel opened in 2005, the local government obtained the old tunnel free of charge from JR East.

It's now being used as a wine cave.

Built 120 years ago, this brick tunnel is a valuable part of the railroad's cultural heritage.

Inside the 1.1 km-long tunnel, the temperature remains constant throughout the year,

which is perfect for the long-term storage and aging of wine.

Up to 600,000 bottles can be stored here.

In addition to the 440,000 bottles of wine stored here by local wineries,

there is also a dedicated storage unit for private individuals.

I was curious to see if we could do
the same thing in Hokkaido.

So I proposed the idea of a wine cave.

Of course a wine cave is just one example.

It would be interesting to see the various ways
in which other railway tunnels might be used.

JR Hokkaido is currently meeting with each business and conducting on-site inspections in order to realize the adopted plans.

If there are development ideas that
can be used in other areas,

we will consider implementing
them in the future.

Instead of just abandoning the railway, we see that sometimes in Europe,

JR Hokkaido is trying to find solutions and ideas to use those discontinued railways again.

Here, I should repeat that ideas are important and I should repeat that inviting people from outside is also very important

and actually JR Hokkaido is not a small company, there are many people within the company.

But those people may not be able to throw away their long accustomed way of thinking,

and other people from outside will give them stimulus.

Mentioning the stimulus, there is a precedes for the wine cellar, which I founded interesting,

and the drone testing site but I hope that the minds will be open to include even more ideas

so we can really make something new and fresh happen.

Here I think it's important to think that some projects will be successful,

but some project will not be as successful as others,

and here we should probably learn the lesson from them and use the knowledge in the future project that will follow.

- Yeah, and hopefully good ideas will then be used all across Japan.
- Yes indeed.

Mentioning all across Japan, Next up is Tourist Trains in Style,

where we introduce amazing tourist trains from all across Japan.

Operated by JR East, Koshino Shu*Kura is a tourist train that showcases the wonderful sake and food of Niigata Prefecture.

This three-car train was converted from an old diesel train.

Half of Car 1 features pair-seats.

On one side, the seats look out over the ocean.

On the other, the seats have been raised 10 cm so their occupants can also enjoy the same stunning view.

The window height has also been increased from 80 cm to 120 cm.

The other half of Car 1 has box-seats for four people.

Car 2 doesn't have seats.

Instead, there is a service counter where passengers can buy sake and snacks,

plus sake-barrel shaped standing tables.

The latticework on the windows was inspired by the windows of a sake brewery.

Car 3 has two-person seats that recline.

This train operates on different routes depending on the day.

Today, we are taking the train from Joetsu-Myoko to Echigo-Yuzawa station.

The train departs Joetsu-Myoko Station.

Passengers in Car 1 are treated with a special meal.

The menu changes with the seasons.

Today, the menu includes chirashi-zushi and tempura made with produce from along the line.

The meal comes with a small bottle of sake that is exclusive to the train.

In addition, two more types of sake are available on request.

Try this premium "sake."

It's best with a pinch of salt.

My daughter and I both like "sake."

I love it!

We're enjoying the scenery and the "sake."

I love "sake." I'd like to try them all.

Car 2 resembles a standing bar.

From the service counter, passengers can order from 8 to 10 types of local sake

from Niigata Prefecture, as well as soft drinks and appetizers.

The counters by the windows allow passengers to enjoy the view.

On the way, the train stops for about 10 minutes at Omigawa Station,

located right on the edge of the coast by the sea.

Many people get off the train to take pictures.

It's a perfect photo spot.

About three hours after leaving Joetsu-Myoko Station,

we arrived at our final destination, Echigo-Yuzawa Station.

Koshino Shu*Kura operates mainly on Fridays and weekends, with one round trip per day.