Utsunomiya light rail

Utsunomiya light rail
Route length:	14.6 km
Gauge :	1067 mm ( cape track )
Power system :	750 V  =
Maximum slope :	60  ‰
Minimum radius :	25 m
Top speed:	70 km / h
Dual track :	whole route
Legend ↔ Tōhoku Shinkansen ↔ Tōhoku main line Utsunomiya-eki higashi-guchi ( 宇 都 宮 駅 東 口 ) Shukugō-chō ( 宿 郷 町 ) Higashi-Shukugō ( 東 宿 郷 ) Imaizumi-chō ( 今 泉 町 ) Yōtō ( 陽 東 ) Bell Mall ( ベ ル モ ー ル ) Hiraide-chō ( 平 出 町 ) Depot Shimo-Hiraide ( 下 平 出 ) Kinu Shita-Takeshita ( 下 竹 下 ) Sakushingakuin-kita ( 作 新 学院 北 ) Kiyohara kanri sentā-mae ( 清 原 管理 セ ン タ ー 前 ) Kiyohara Kōgyōdanchi-kita ( 清 原 工業 団 地 北 ) Technopolis-nishi ( テ ク ノ ポ リ ス 西 ) Technopolis-chūō ( テ ク ノ ポ リ ス 中央 ) Technopolis-higashi ( テ ク ノ ポ リ ス 東 ) Haga-dai ( 芳 賀 台 ) Haga Kōgyōdanchi kanri sentā-mae ( 芳 賀 工業 団 地 管理 セ ン タ ー 前 ) Kashinomori-kōen ( か し の 森 公園 ) Hondagiken-kitamon (本田技研北 門 )

The light rail Utsunomiya ( Jap. 宇都宮ライトレール, Utsunomiya raitorēru ; Engl. Utsunomiya Light Rail ) is under construction, light rail line in the Japanese city of Utsunomiya , the capital of Tochigi Prefecture . The Cape-gauge line will be 14.6 km long and connect Utsunomiya station with the neighboring city of Haga . After almost four years of construction, it is scheduled to open in March 2022 . The operation in Utsunomiya is the first completely new construction of a light rail in Japan; Existing operations are conversions of earlier railway lines .

Project development

Utsunomiya is located in the north of the Kantō plain in largely flat terrain. The regional rail network is oriented from north to south, while connections from west to east are completely absent. On the other hand, there are extensive industrial parks with thousands of jobs in the east of the city and in the adjacent Haga . This results in heavy commuter traffic, most of which is handled by private cars. For these reasons, the degree of motorization in Utsunomiya is the second highest of all Japanese cities. A study commissioned by the prefecture and city administration came to the conclusion in 2003 that an efficient east-west connection was essential in order to counteract urban sprawl , to enable the increasingly aging population to be more mobile and to develop a city ​​with short distances . She proposed a modern light rail system that could be linked to existing railway lines at a later date based on the Karlsruhe model .

Due to political disputes and resistance from local bus companies, the project was delayed for several years. Finally, on November 6, 2015, the company Utsunomiya Light Rail Kabushiki-gaisha ( 宇 都 宮 ラ イ ト レ ー ル 株式会社 ) was founded as the owner and future operator of the light rail. This is a “ third sector rail company ”, i.e. a public-private partnership . The city of Utsunomiya holds 40.8% of the share capital, Tochigi prefecture 10.2% (as of 2018). The rest is accounted for by various private companies, including the Tōbu Tetsudō railway company .

The opening was originally planned for December 2019, but this goal soon turned out to be too ambitious and the completion date was postponed by a little more than two years to March 2022. In October 2016, the MLIT issued the building permit. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on May 28, 2018.

route

The route begins in front of the eastern exit of Utsunomiya station and initially runs eastwards along the main road. Shortly before bridging national road 4, there is the junction to the depot . The river Kinu is crossed on its own bridge. In the middle of the Kiyohara industrial park, the route turns north, then crosses the city limits to Haga and leads to the Haga-Takanezawa industrial park. The eastern terminus is next to the Honda Research Center.

After completing the first stage, the route will be 14.6 km. 9.1 km of the route run in the median of existing roads, the remaining 5.1 km on independent railroad tracks . All 19 stops will be completely barrier-free . A speed of 40 km / h is planned, while 70 km / h is to be driven on the Kinu bridge. The tram should run from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every 10 minutes, every six minutes during rush hour . The construction costs are estimated at 45.8 billion yen (approx. 367 million euros in January 2019), with 16,300 passengers daily. The Cape Gauge (1067 mm) , which is widespread in Japan, was chosen as the track width in order to be able to link the light rail with existing railway lines in the future.

vehicles

The Japanese manufacturer Niigata Transys produces 17 three-part, low-floor articulated trams , the specifications of which are based on those of the Fukuram F1000 type of the Fukui – Echizen tram . They have a length of 30 meters, a width of 2.65 m and offer space for 155 people. The line is electrified with 750 V  DC .

Web links

• Operating company's website (Japanese)
• Utsunomiya City Information (Japanese)
• Route map on urbanrail.net (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hirotaka Koike: Mobility perspective for a local city in Japan. (PDF, 1.6 MB) IATSS Resarch, June 2, 2014, pp. 34–35 , accessed on January 11, 2019 . 
2. ↑ 事業 報告. (PDF, 386 kB) (Annual Report 2018). Utsunomiya Light Rail, 2018, accessed January 11, 2019 (Japanese). 
3. ↑ Utsunomiya light rail line approved. October 7, 2016, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Utsunomiya light rail line approved. Railway Gazette, October 7, 2016, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
5. ^ Utsunomiya light rail line breaks ground. Metro Report, May 30, 2018, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
6. ↑ LRT 整 備 事業 の 概要. (PDF, 740 kB) Utsunomiya Light Rail, 2018, accessed on January 11, 2019 (Japanese). 
7. ↑ ^{a b} LRT 車 両 部 会 の 検 討 状況 に つ い て. (PDF, 765 kB) City of Utsunomiya, 2016, accessed on January 11, 2019 (Japanese).