Kagoshima Trams Provide Post-Retirement Jobs as the first grass-mowing trains in the world

Kagoshima Trams Provide Post-Retirement Jobs « Akihabara News

Kagoshima, the southernmost prefecture on the four main islands of Japan, brings us this interesting end-of-the-day stub: two old trains cars, having been retired two years ago after spending over fifty years serving passengers, came out of retirement to become the first grass-mowing trains in the world.

Mostly surrounded by the prefecture across Kagoshima Bay is Sakurajima, an active volcano that has seen small-scale eruptions with regularity since 1955. The constant spewing of ash means the city is very well fertilized, and some of the city tram rails are carpeted in greenery. The two reactivated train cars take care of overgrown grass on the five-kilometer stretch of rails in the city at night, turning a former (outsourced) human-powered endeavor into a three-day operation.