TOKYO - A 47.6-kilometer (29.5 miles) section of JR Hokkaido's Sassho Line that had been slated for permanent closure due to diminished passenger numbers has seen its end come early due to the coronavirus pandemic. The last run on the section between Hokkaido Iryo Daigaku Station and Shintotsukawa Station, both in central Hokkaido, had originally been scheduled for the Golden Week holiday period, which is from late April to early May, but the final train rolled on Friday.