Talk about no child left behind… On Japan’s most northern island of Hokkaido, a rural train station has only one person who regularly waits for her train.
 
At the Kyu-Shirataki station, a single high school student is the train’s sole passenger in the morning, and its sole passenger in the afternoon.

It may seem like a waste of taxpayer dollars at first, but the taxpayers themselves want it. Even though train ridership has fallen dramatically in the rural areas of Japan, the rail network that runs the line (Japan Railways) has kept it open for good reason and at the request of the locals.

Students had long depended on the train for transit, and parents had asked for the network to keep the line open for their children. As a result, Japan Railways has promised to keep the line and the station operating until March, which is both when their fiscal year ends and when the teen is expected to graduate.

Many people have been shocked to discover this story, and many have applauded the dedication and customer service that has been involved. Even though the infrastructure may be disappearing forever, the rail service will no doubt be remembered for decades to come.