TANOHATA, Iwate Prefecture--Train buffs from far and wide joined local residents at a small rural rail station here April 1 to mark the restoration of services on a section of track wiped out in last year's disaster.
TANOHATA, Iwate Prefecture--Train buffs from far and wide joined local residents at a small rural rail station here April 1 to mark the restoration of services on a section of track wiped out in last year's disaster.
Hundreds of people gathered for the ceremony hosted by the Sanriku Railway Co. at tiny Tanohata Station.
The restoration of services is widely regarded as a symbol of recovery efforts in areas devastated by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Sanriku Railway operated 107.6 kilometers of track, comprising two lines: the North Rias Line and the South Rias Line, which both run along the Sanriku coast of Iwate Prefecture.
Iwate is one of three northern prefectures that were devastated by tsunami following the magnitude-9.0 earthquake that struck March 11, 2011.
The restored 24.3-kilometer portion links Rikuchunoda and Tanohata stations on the North Rias Line.
The restoration of service means that 60.5 km of track, or about 60 percent of the entire Sanriku Railway, is now in operation.
One remaining section on the North Rias Line, between Tanohata and Omoto stations, has yet to reopen.
The South Rias Line remains out of service. The company expects to resume full service on both lines in April 2014.
It will cost 10.8 billion yen ($135 million) to restore tracks on both railway lines. The cost will be covered by the central government.