Kyushu Shinkansen resumes full-route service 52 days after Kumamoto quake

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Bullet train services on the Kyushu Shinkansen Line resumed along the entire route Friday for the first time in 52 days after a powerful earthquake struck southwestern Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture in July, as operations were restored in the last remaining section suspended for repairs.

Train runs will be reduced to around 90 percent of the pre-disaster schedule for the time being, operator Kyushu Railway Co. said. Trains will slow near Shin-yatsushiro Station in one of the hardest hit areas, adding up to 8 minutes in travel time between Hakata and Kagoshima-chuo stations, the line's northern and southern terminuses.