Japan has been upgrading its transport systems to more modern options at a very fast rate. Although this has made public transport very reliable and fast for many users, several have also become abandoned or terminated because they are not keeping up with the modernization.
This holds true in many rail systems across the country, especially in the remote and rural areas.
One such example is the Kami-Shirataki train station in the northernmost island of Hokkaido, Japan. In the past decade, 10 train stations have become defunct in the region. Kami-Shirataki train station would have suffered the same fate but the authorities noticed that although the number of commuters has been dwindling at a fast rate, one girl has been using the station regularly to reach school.
So, instead of closing up the station and stopping the line, the authorities have kept it open just for her!
In fact, the government has promised to keep the line open until the girl graduates – the time table of the line even adjusts with her schedule! It fetches her every morning and sends her home in the afternoon, in hours that depend on her schedule.
This has been going on for over 3 years now. With the girl expected to graduate in March this year (2016), this line will soon be shut down. Still, the story has earned the government praise from its citizens as it showed that it values education and is willing to go the extra mile, so to speak, even for just one person!
Travel by Train
The train is, by far, one of the fastest modes of transportation on land. In fact, many of the train systems such as those in Japan are so fast that they can cover thousands of miles in mere minutes.
Even in the past, train travel is preferred for long distances although travel is limited in that the train could not work past its rails. Thus, passengers might still have to find other means of transport to reach their final destination from the nearest train station.