HOKKAIDO|
Situated in Japan’s north island of Hokkaido, the Kami-Shirataki train station has only two trains that stop by every day on a special timetable.
It all started three years ago, when Japan Railways decided to shut down it’s services in the remote location, as ridership had dramatically fallen. That is until they noticed a young girl still using it to get to school.
When the company learned of their only passenger, they decided to keep the station running until she graduates. They even went the extra mile and re-scheduled the train’s timetable according to the girl’s schedule, according to CCTV News.Since then, the train stops once to pick up the girl and only a second time to drop her off after school. The station is set to close March. when the girl finally graduates.
When news broke of the Japanese government’s efforts for this young girl, people have been all praise. “
According to CITYLAB, Japan faces a number of crises, with record-low birthrates, aging population and the possibility of losing a third of its population by 2060, which have all been contributing factors that have hit the country’s railroad system. Kami-Shirataki station, which is in a rural part of Hokkaido, lost close to 20 rail lines in the past few decades, reported Fortune.
