Since partial service started on the Kyushu Shinkansen Line on March 13, passenger numbers have surged, resulting in economic spinoffs.

Kyushu (Japan) Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, said Tuesday that about 303,000 people used the bullet train service in the first 31 days of operation to April 12.

The figure is about 2.4 times greater than the number of passengers who used the regular express train service in the same period last year, officials said.