Japan operates a variety of through-services (直通運転, chokutsu-unten) or nori-ire (乗り入れ) or through trains which are direct seamless connections between rail operators, using leased trackage rights and junctions, to cut cross metropolitan area commutes without having to change trains, wait, figure out connections, or cross platforms/stations. Most of these junctions have been constructed well after the lines have been operating. Some far-flung spur lines have been shortened (abandoned stations and track due to low patronage); through service is a frequently used method to integrate the surviving short stub lines into multiple rail operator's systems, enhancing convenience and ridership. Through-service proliferation is increasingly common phenomenon as the railway networks, urban density (an