Kyushu Shinkansen Bullet Train Line Fully Reopens 52 Days After Magnitude-7 Quake Amid Earthquakes Today
A magnitude-7 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in late July damaged sections of Japan's Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line, with the final suspended segment reopening 52 days later on Friday after repairs amid earthquakes today. [3] The section between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations reopened on Friday, restoring full operations on the line linking Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture and Kagoshima-Chuo Station in Kagoshima Prefecture. [3]
Kyushu Shinkansen Fully Reopens After July Quake
Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Pref. – A section on the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line that had been halted due to the impact of a major earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture in late July returned to service on Friday. [3] All sections on the high-speed train line linking Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture and Kagoshima-Chuo Station in Kagoshima Prefecture are now back to operations 52 days after the July 28 temblor, which measured up to 7, the highest level, on Japan’s seismic intensity scale. [3] Restarted on Friday was the section between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations, both in Kumamoto Prefecture. [3] Kyushu Railway, or JR Kyushu, the operator of the line, said that trains will travel at a reduced speed of 70 kph on a section of about 10 kilometers near Shin-Yatsushiro Station, located between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations, for the time being to ensure safe operations. [3] The section sustained heavy damage from the earthquake. [3] Therefore, the number of the trains linking Kagoshima-Chuo and the Sanyo Shinkansen line will be reduced by 10% from the normal level. [3] As the travel time between Kumamoto and Kagoshima-Chuo stations will be about eight minutes longer, the departure time at Kagoshima-Chuo will be moved up by up to nine minutes. [3] The Kyushu Shinkansen line was halted on all sections after the earthquake. [3] Services between Hakata and Kumamoto stations were resumed July 31, three days after the quake. [3] The section between Shin-Minamata and Kagoshima-Chuo was reopened Aug. 7 while the number of trains in operation was reduced. [3] Operations between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations had remained suspended, however, due to damage, including rail distorti. [3] These operational adjustments reflect the ongoing need for caution on the affected 10-kilometer stretch where heavy quake damage persists, directly tying into broader patterns of earthquakes today that continue to influence infrastructure recovery timelines across multiple regions. [3]
Impact on Passengers and Commuters
At Shin-Yatsushiro Station on Friday, passengers formed a long line from slightly after 6 a.m., waiting for the day’s first trains. [3] A 53-year-old male corporate worker from the city of Yatsushiro who commutes to the city of Minamata said: “The reopening (of the section between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations) was earlier than I had expected. I’d like to express gratitude to those who worked hard for the restoration.” [3] One 17-year-old local student is using the line as an alternative route for commuting to the city of Kumamoto, where his high school is, because a train line he regularly uses is still being halted due to the impact of the quake. [3] He said that he now leaves his home 30 minutes later than usual. [3] “I’m grateful because I don’t have to wake up early,” he added. [3] These personal accounts highlight how the full reopening eases daily routines disrupted by the July event, even as reduced speeds and fewer trains maintain safety amid earthquakes today. [3]
Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line reopens fully 52 days after magnitude-7 Kumamoto earthquake. — Source: nzherald
Nuclear Test Linked to Prolonged Seismic Activity and Earthquakes Today in North Korea
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- Unexpected, prolonged seismic activity has been detected around North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site, notably after the regime's final and most powerful test in 2017, scientific experts said Friday. [5] The latest findings were discovered by a joint research team from South Korea's Pusan National University and China's Chengdu University of Technology and published in Science, a prominent academic journal. [5] According to an analysis of seismic wave data analyzed over the past 17 years from 2008, researchers detected a sudden rise in the number of earthquakes near the areas around the Mantap mountain, where the North detonated a total of six nuclear devices at underground tunnels from 2006 to 2017. [5] During the 11-year period, researchers detected some 60 earthquakes occurred after the North's first nuclear test conducted in 2006. [5] Such seismic activities appeared to have occurred more frequently around 2013, following the North's third nuclear test, the researchers said. [5] Notably, tremors intensified following the North's largest and final nuclear test in 2017. [5] A total of 1,330 earthquakes have followed since, concentrating on a fault zone spanning some 24 kilometers wide, researchers found. [5] Although earthquakes that followed previous nuclear tests were mostly short-lived, those that erupted after the 2017 test intensified in both frequency and magnitude throughout 2025, they added. [5] Professor Kim Kwang-hee, who led the South Korean research team, warned that North Korea could experience an earthquake as strong as 6.4 magnitude should the fault zone where previous quakes were concentrated become active. [5] These findings underscore how earthquakes today remain elevated in the region long after the 2017 test. [5]
Recent Minor Earthquakes in Puerto Rico
M3.0 Earthquake - 4 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico. [1] Magnitude 3.0 earthquake at depth of 7.0km. [1] 4 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico. [1] M2.7 Earthquake - 4 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico. [2] Magnitude 2.7 earthquake at depth of 6.3km. [2] 4 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico. [2] These two small-magnitude events were recorded by USGS at shallow depths near the specified locations. [1] [2]
Wellington Earthquake Insurance Claim Settled
Former Wellington BNZ building: $130m earthquake claim settled on eve of lengthy High Court trial. [4] The confidential settlement averts a 10-week High Court trial in Wellington. [4]
What to watch next: Professor Kim Kwang-hee warned that North Korea could experience an earthquake as strong as 6.4 magnitude should the fault zone where previous quakes were concentrated become active. [5]
