Utsunomiya Light Rail
- Utsunomiya Station East
- Haga Takanezawa Industrial Park
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Utsunomiya Light Rail Co., Ltd. (宇都宮ライトレール株式会社, Utsunomiya raitorēru Kabushiki-gaisha) is a light rail transit (LRT) company serving the Utsunomiya metropolitan area [ja] in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The company operates the Utsunomiya Haga Light Rail Line [ja] that links Utsunomiya, the capital city of Tochigi, with the nearby town of Haga. It is a 14.6 km line between Utsunomiya Station East, a tram stop in front of the East Exit of Utsunomiya Station in central Utsunomiya, and Haga Takanezawa Industrial Park in Haga.
History
The project was approved in 2016.[3] Construction started in 2018, with a target opening date of March 2022, but it was eventually moved back to March 2023.[4] This date was later further postponed to August 26, 2023.[5] On April 3, 2023, ten round trips a day of driver proficiency training using the new light rail vehicles began.[6]
On November 19, 2022, an LRT train derailed during a trial run. There were no injuries.[7]
The line started operation on August 26, 2023. Utsunomiya became the first city in Japan to have a new tram system in 75 years after Takaoka, Toyama.[8]
Services
Rolling stock
The line is served by the Utsunomiya Light Rail HU300 series [ja], branded Lightline.[9] Niigata Transys built and delivered 17 sets of three-section low-floor light rail vehicles.[9]
Stations
No | Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | Transfers | Location | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Between stations | Total | ||||||
01 | Utsunomiya Station East | ja:宇都宮駅東口停留場 | – | 0.0 | JR East (Utsunomiya Station) | Utsunomiya | Tochigi Prefecture |
02 | Higashi-Shukugo | ja:東宿郷停留場 | 0.4 | 0.4 | |||
03 | Ekihigashi Park | ja:駅東公園前停留場 | 0.4 | 0.8 | |||
04 | Mine | ja:峰停留場 | 0.7 | 1.5 | |||
05 | Yoto 3-chome | ja:陽東3丁目停留場 | 0.6 | 2.1 | |||
06 | Utsunomiya University Yoto Campus | ja:宇都宮大学陽東キャンパス停留場 | 0.7 | 2.8 | |||
07 | Hiraishi | ja:平石停留場 | 0.9 | 3.7 | |||
08 | Hiraishi-chuo Elementary School | ja:平石中央小学校前停留場 | 0.5 | 4.2 | |||
09 | Tobiyama Castle Site | ja:飛山城跡停留場 | 1.9 | 6.1 | |||
10 | Seiryo High School | ja:清陵高校前停留場 | 1.3 | 7.4 | |||
11 | Kiyohara District Civic Center | ja:清原地区市民センター前停留場 | 0.8 | 8.2 | |||
12 | Green Stadium | ja:グリーンスタジアム前停留場 | 0.8 | 9.0 | |||
13 | Yuinomori-west | ja:ゆいの杜西停留場 | 1.7 | 10.7 | |||
14 | Yuinomori-central | ja:ゆいの杜中央停留場 | 0.5 | 11.2 | |||
15 | Yuinomori-east | ja:ゆいの杜東停留場 | 0.5 | 11.7 | |||
16 | Hagadai | ja:芳賀台停留場 | 0.7 | 12.4 | Haga | ||
17 | Haga Industrial Park Management Center | ja:芳賀町工業団地管理センター前停留場 | 0.5 | 12.9 | |||
18 | Kashinomori Park | ja:かしの森公園前停留場 | 0.9 | 13.8 | |||
19 | Haga Takanezawa Industrial Park | ja:芳賀・高根沢工業団地停留場 | 0.7 | 14.5 |
See also
- List of light-rail transit systems
- List of urban rail systems in Japan
- List of railway lines in Japan
- List of railway companies in Japan
References
- ^ a b Project Shiryou utsunomiya.tochigi.jp
- ^ "宇都宮ライトレール株式会社".
- ^ Barrow, Keith (3 October 2016). "Japan approves Utsunomiya light rail project". International Railway Journal.
- ^ "宇都宮ライトレールの開業がさらに延期か?…交通量が多い交差点での工事が難航" [Utsunomiya Light Rail's Opening to be Further Delayed? ...Construction work at a busy intersection encountered difficulties]. news.yahoo.co.jp (in Japanese). 4 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022.
- ^ "3月1日からライトラインの試運転(第二弾)が開始されます".
- ^ "4/3~ 習熟運転を開始します".
- ^ "Next-generation tram derails during trial run". 19 November 2022.
- ^ "Japan's 1st new tram system in 75 years starts operating north of Tokyo". Kyodo News. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
- ^ a b "First Lightline tram arrives". Metro Report International. 1 June 2021.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)