74 days after the Kumamoto quake, Kyushu's trains are running again

JR Kyushu fully restored train service on Oct 10, exactly 74 days after the July 28 Kumamoto earthquake mangled tracks and toppled utility poles. The reopened Uto-Yatsushiro section ends weeks of long bus detours that frustrated students and commuters - one passenger called the first train 'the first step of reconstruction.' The final quake-closed stretch, Yatsushiro to Higo-Tanoura, reopens Oct 13, clearing every rail closure the quake caused.