JR West Japan 2025 Passenger Density: 26 Sections on 14 Lines Below 1,000 Daily Riders

JR West Japan published on August 6 the average daily passenger count per kilometer (passenger density) for each section in fiscal 2025. Under the criteria for establishing "reconstruction councils" - forums where the national government, JR and local authorities discuss the future of regional railways - sections with fewer than 1,000 daily passengers cover 26 sections across 14 lines, including the Geibi Line and the Kisuki Line. Among them, the Geibi Line's Tojo to Bingo-Ochiai section in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and the Kisuki Line's Izumo-Yokota (Okuizumo Town, Shimane Prefecture) to Bingo-Ochiai section both recorded 25 passengers, while the Kishin Line's Chugoku-Katsuyama (Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture) to Niimi (Niimi City, same prefecture) section had 95.

The Geibi Line, which in 2024 became the first line in Japan to establish a reconstruction council, has remained below 100 passengers for five consecutive years. The Mine Line in Yamaguchi Prefecture, which was damaged by heavy rain in 2023 and is set to resume operations as a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, recorded 300 passengers on the Asa (Sanyo-Onoda City) to Nagatoshi section.