JR Kyushu has announced that the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, known as the “BRT Hikoboshi Line,” will officially begin operations on August 28. The BRT Hikoboshi Line will connect the 40-kilometer stretch between Soeda Station in Fukuoka Prefecture and Hita Station in Oita Prefecture, replacing the Hita-Hikoyama railway line that was damaged by torrential rains in northern Kyushu six years ago. Instead of reopening as a railway, the new service will use buses running on a 14-kilometer dedicated road built along the former railway track. The number of stops will increase from 12 before the disaster to 36. As operating deficit lines remain a challenge for JR Kyushu, the more cost-effective BRT system is being considered as a way to maintain regional transportation networks and is gaining attention as new infrastructure. Source: Hikoboshi Line / NHK
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