New Shinkansen bullet train line opens in Kyushu, Japan

Nagasaki, Sept. 23 (Jiji Press) — A new 620 billion yen Shinkansen bullet train line linking neighboring Saga and Nagasaki prefectures in southwestern Japan’s Kyushu region opened on Friday.

The 66-kilometer Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen Line runs from Takeo-onsen Station in Saga City to Takeo and Nagasaki Station in Nagasaki City in as little as 23 minutes, using six-car trains, nicknamed Kamome.

Yoji Furumiya, chairman of Kyushu Railway Co. <9142>, which operates the Shinkansen line, said the company is committed to operating it safely during an opening ceremony at Nagasaki Station. Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito expressed hope that the new Shinkansen line will be popular with users and residents.

A 35-year-old man from Tokyo who took the first train from Nagasaki Station said, “I look forward to sightseeing along the line, including Ureshino Onsen hot spring resort.

Akira Watanabe, a 46-year-old man from Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo, who plans to travel to Nagasaki from Takeo-onsen station, said: “I will enjoy the scenery of Omura Bay” .

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]