Why Japan have so many abandoned railways? -

Ruins of railways can be seen in many parts in Japan, including mountainsides. Why did they just abandoned it?

Japan has a lot of railways. If one line is not profitable, JR would abandon it. That s why.

In the middle of 19th century, Japan had awaken to global Competition of great powers from its peaceful sleep. Soon after that, Japanese government change Japanese island covered with railways from not only economical but also strategical aspects. They had to spread railways every cities as logistics line. About a hundred years later, after losing WW2, railways still important, or became more important to develop whole nation again. Japanese government still built new railways at that time. But at the time of motorization starting from 1960s in Japan, it became useless. After serious losses had been reported by National Railway Company, the government decided to freeze the use of non-profitable railways and privatization the company in 1980s. As a result, we can see many abandoned railways especially in rural areas in Japan.

When the government used to operate the old railway JNR (Japanese National Railways) it was running MASSIVE debts, so when it was privatized into JR (Japan Railways) man of the unprofitable lines were closed, there were mainly in the rural and mountain areas. Services were later usually replaced by local bus. Also there are other times where a rail line is abandoned in favor of a new one, or new route. For example in Yokohama, Tokyu Sakuragicho Station was abandoned for a new underground line. Though JR Sakuragicho Station still exists.

It is very simple. That is because it is not profitable. As public transportation, if the road service comes better in local area or country side, the best way is not railway but bus, cargo trucks, and passenger cars, which are very flexible to pick up and off people or products easily to and fro except the mass commuter transit in metropolitan big cities due to heavy traffic there. Many Japanese family in country side now have had enough cars as same as the adult member numbers. They don t need to rely on inconvenient railway service any more. Instead, their own automobiles can bring them anywhere as far as roads are there like door to door service 24hours/day 7days/week much better now.

because we won the war!