 Crawford quickly determined that much of the land, being swampy, was not suitable for rails, stations, or other buildings, and that the river would freeze over in winter, rendering this shipping plan feasible for only around 150 days each year.His suggestion to extend the rail lines from Horomui Futoshi to Otaru, and to build rails straight to the piers, was approved by the Settlement Envoy, Kuroda Kiyotaka.Construction began in January 1880; a test run was done in October from Temiya to Zenibako, and regular operations began at the end of November, running from Temiya to Sapporo.