(since the line opened, that is--not since Uzui Station opened)
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...and with that, the line finally reaches its terminal at Miyoshi, which sees 585 riders per daypic.twitter.com/JcBwKs2uNj
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It should be clear from these figures that most ridership at Gotsu and Miyoshi is from *other* lines at those stations...not the Sanko Line
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It should also be clear that maintaining the Sanko Line's stations and track is impossible to accomplish with its meagre fare revenue
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The line is run by JR West, which makes plenty of money operating the Sanyo Shinkansen and commuter lines in Greater Osaka...
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...and this is the only thing keeping the line around. Since neither the locals nor the far-off patrons in Osaka really show up to use it...
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...it makes no sense to keep the route open any longer. The money spent maintaining it would be better used in Osaka, where it comes from.
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If JR West were taxpayer instead of customer supported, than locals on this route would still be paying for it *after* it closed...
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...and indeed, taxpayer pressure is what prompted the then-nationalized JNR to build the line in the first place!
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Now, *local* tax revenue never covered the line's costs even then--but locals were paying for rail either way, and wanted something for it.
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After privatization, locals stopped paying taxes for it--but far off urbanites, who had already covered most of its cost through their taxes
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...continued to pay for its upkeep through their fares. Its closure reflects the fact that they don't see any point in paying for it either.
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