SAPPORO - "Onion trains" that transport fresh onions harvested in Hokkaido, northern Japan, across the Japanese archipelago are now facing an uncertain future as a local train operator reviews its business.
The potential termination of a local train route that is a critical link in the transport network that delivered nearly 29,000 tons of onions in fiscal 2025 from Kitami, the largest producer of the vegetable in Japan, could affect consumers seeking seasonal produce at affordable prices.
"The weather was fine and we had a good harvest for the first time in four years," said Hideyuki Utagawa, an onion farmer in the Kitami area that produces about 20 percent of the total harvest in Japan.
Freight trains can carry larger volumes of onions at lower cost than trucks.
A local train service linking Abashiri and Shin-Asahikawa stations is among the eight unprofitable routes under review by Hokkaido Railway Co. The route is critical for onions to be transported out of Kitami to various parts of Japan via Sapporo, a major city in Hokkaido.
The operator is struggling to find ways to maintain the routes, with its plans to continue operations by seeking local government support in managing infrastructure such as tracks and stations hitting a snag.
A total of 28,435 tons of onions were transported via railway networks nationwide in fiscal 2025, with about 8,410 tons, or 29.6 percent, going to Tokyo and nearby areas. The Kyushu region in southwestern Japan received about 5,945 tons, or 20.9 percent.
"We won't be able to deliver onions to the mainland" without the local train route, an official with a freight company said ahead of the start on Monday of this year's onion train operations.
The eight train routes had a combined operating loss of 15.5 billion yen ($97.3 million) in fiscal 2025, with the line linking Abashiri and Shin-Asahikawa accounting for 5.2 billion yen, according to the operator.
