However, in northern Kyushu, where there is fierce competition with conventional JR rapid service, the private Nishi-Nippon Railroad, and expressway buses, Shinkansen ridership increased by only 38 percent (compared to the now-discontinued conventional express Relay Tsubame), falling short of estimates.
Namun di Kyushu utara, ada persaingan ketat antara layanan cepat konvensional JR, kereta swasta Nishi-Nippon, dan bus cepat, julah peningkatan penumpang Shinkansen hanya 38 persen (dibandingkan dengan Relay Tsubame yang sudah dihentikan), sedikit di bawah perkiraan.