From Wednesday through
According to the company commonly known as JR Kyushu, a total of 38 crew including train drivers and conductors have been infected with COVID-19 or identified as close contacts as of Monday.
While the operator had been rearranging staff holidays and procuring employees from other operations with crew experience to deal with the shortage, the rapid spread of the virus has forced them to decide on the suspension, JR Kyushu said.
"The number of crew postponing their time off has increased, and it has become necessary to temporarily rearrange the work system," a JR Kyushu official said.
No other services have been affected, and customers with tickets for the suspended limited express trains will be eligible for refunds without a cancellation fee, the operator said.
==Kyodo
© Kyodo News International, Inc., source