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 in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The company operates the Utsunomiya Haga Light Rail Line 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, 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)