>>1915165Yeah, it's like a decade too late, that'd only work if Shikoku Shinkansen was either already being built or was about to be. JR Shikoku needs to shed dead weight right now to survive, and giving more of the Hagi line to Asa Coastal Railway is arguably the easiest way to do it. JR Shikoku doesn't publish convenient usage charts like JR Hokkaido does, so I made one myself in a spreadsheet with 2019 numbers from Japanese Wikipedia.
Yuki station has a passing loop, and is near an already-opened section of the E55 expressway to Hiwasa. The solution of running trains to Yuki/Tainohama and then giving up the remainder to Asa Coastal railway while also running buses bypassing the red and black stations comes to mind naturally.
