A Shinkansen appeared in front of JR Hakata Station on the 8th! It’s the Kyushu Shinkansen “Tsubame,” which was damaged and derailed in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. To coincide with milestones such as the 15th anniversary of the full opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen line, it departed from Kumamoto, where it had been undergoing restoration work, at the end of March and made a long journey to Hakata Station. We followed the “nighttime journey” of the Shinkansen “Tsubame” closely.
★Report by announcer Yuki Yoshida: “Wow! It’s huge! A Shinkansen in front of Hakata Station!” The Kyushu Shinkansen “Tsubame” arrived in front of Hakata Station on the 8th. How did it get to the station? In fact, it took place in the middle of the night. Just before 2 a.m.
★Report by Kentaro Hara: “Look, look! There’s a Shinkansen!” The train weighs approximately 30 tons. The “Tsubame,” which was transported by ship from Kumamoto, is finally heading to Hakata Station, where it will be displayed, by “land route.” Kentaro Hara reports: “The Shinkansen has just departed. Amazing! The Shinkansen is running on the road!” It carefully makes its way around the curve at the intersection.
Kentaro Hara reports: “The Shinkansen is now passing through Ohakudori. What an incredible sight.” “People are following it!” The “Tsubame” turns off Ohakudori onto Giondori and then goes through Hakata Ekimae-dori to Hakata Station. Kentaro Hara reports: “I went ahead to Hakata Station, and there are so many people gathered here!” Fans are waiting in front of the station, eagerly anticipating its arrival. And then, at around 2:45 AM. Kentaro Hara reports: “It has arrived at Hakata Station.” After approximately one hour of land transport, it has safely arrived at Hakata Station.
■ Parent-child interview Child (2 years old): “Look, that’s the swallow that was in the car.” Mother: “He loves bullet trains and he really likes Plarail, so he asked us to go.”
■ Railway fan: “There was the terrible earthquake, but I think it’s good that it’s been restored so nicely and we can see it again.” The “Swallow” will be on display at the JR Hakata Station Plaza until the 19th.
The lead car of the Kyushu Shinkansen “Tsubame,” which was damaged in the Kumamoto earthquake 10 years ago, was moved across the roads of Fukuoka City in the early hours of April 8, 2026. This was a scene from the 15th anniversary project of the full line’s opening. 26 cameras followed the event.
A train car is lifted by two giant cranes. It is about 25 meters long and weighs about 30 tons. It is the JR Kyushu Shinkansen “Tsubame,” which derailed during the Kumamoto earthquake 10 years ago and has been unable to operate. It has been repaired for about six months in conjunction with the 15th anniversary of the full line’s opening.
Instead of running on the tracks, it was loaded onto a barge and embarked on a “thank you voyage” across Kyushu. On the 3rd, it docked at a pier in Kagoshima City. Here, a rare sight unfolded: Sakurajima and the Shinkansen in a collaboration. Visitors said, “I came to see it after hearing that the Shinkansen was coming.
This is the first time in my life I’ve seen something like this,” “Tsubame. (Q. What’s that behind it?) It’s the Shinkansen!”, and “I thought it was cute.” On the 6th, it docked at Hakata Port in Fukuoka Prefecture, ending its long voyage. Then, in the early hours of the 8th, it arrived in front of JR Hakata Station, its final destination. It will be open to the public starting with an event that begins on the 10th. FNN Prime Online
