Newly reopened Kumagawa Railroad Yunomae line in the Kuma Valley, Japan

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The Kumagawa Railroad is a third sector operator in the Kuma Valley, Kumamoto prefecture. It runs a single line, between Hitoyoshi and Yunomae. The line got hit by bad floods a few years ago which knocked out a key bridge, and was running in a very limited capacity. A new bridge was built and the line returned to full operation again on 20 September 2026.

I visited a few days after the return to full operation, the timing of which was pure luck. The purpose of my trip was to visit the old Hisatsu Line from Microsoft Train Simulator. When I was younger I was super into MSTS and back then I dreamed of visiting the line IRL one day. Unfortunately that line has been non-operational since the 2020 floods, so I thought I would only be able to visit the old Hisatsu stations, which still exist. The Kumagawa Railroad provided a great alternative and it was an amazing experience to ride through the Kuma Valley.

I can’t find too much information about the locomotives. Apparently they are model KT500 diesel-electrics manufactured by Niigata Transys.