Asia & the Pacific



For three years, Japan Railways has supposedly kept open a remote train station solely for the use of one rider—a high school student who relies on the train to attend class.

Hokkaido train.

Hokkaido train. Image by Shinji W / CC BY 2.0

Located on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, trains stop at Kyu-Shirataki train station twice a day, but the times depend on when the student needs to attend class, according to CCTV.

Because of its remote location and the cessation of freight service to the station, Japan Railway had planned on closing Kyu-Shirataki train station three years ago. When the company learned that the student relied on it to get to class, however, it decided to postpone the closure until she completed her studies.

The student is set to graduate on 26 March 2016, at which point the train service to Kyu-Shirataki station will stop.

Looking to check out the station—and maybe catch a ride from it, if you happen to be there at the right time? Here’s Japan Railways Hokkaido route map. Kyu-Shirataki is stop A46 on the Sapporo–Asahikawa–Abashiri line.

[H/T Mental Floss]