In September 2011, six months after the line's completion, JR Kyushu reported a year-over-year increase in ridership of 64 percent to the southern part of Kyushu (between Kumamoto and Kagoshima), easily surpassing the 40 percent increase projected by the company.
Pada September 2011, setelah penyelesaian jalur, JR Kyushu melaporkan peningkatan jumlah penumpang sebanyak 64 persen ke bagian selatan Kyushu (antara Kumamoto dan Kagoshima), jauh melebihi perkiraan 40 persen dari perusahaannya.