Astram Line

Hiroshima New Transit Line 1 (広島新交通1号線, Hiroshima Shin Kōtsū 1-gō-sen), also known as the Astram Line (アストラムライン, Asutoramurain), is a rubber-tired transit system operated by Hiroshima Rapid Transit in Hiroshima, Japan. Astram opened on August 20, 1994, for the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. The line connects central Hiroshima and Hiroshima Big Arch, which was the main stadium of the Asian Games. On March 14, 2015, a new station, Shin-Hakushima, opened to make a new connection between the Astram Line and JR lines.

Astram Line
(Hiroshima Rapid Transit Line 1)
A 7000 series train on the Astram Line in December 2019
Overview
OwnerHiroshima Rapid Transit
LocaleHiroshima
Termini
Stations22
Service
TypeRubber-tyred metro
Services1
Depot(s)Chōrakuji
History
Opened20 August 1994 (1994-08-20)
Technical
Line length18.4 km (11.4 mi)
Number of tracks2
Electrification750 V DC third rail
Route map

Stations
Station Japanese Distance (km) Transfers Location
Hondōri 本通 0.0 ■ Hiroden Ujina Line (at Hondori) Naka-ku
Kenchō-mae 県庁前 0.3
Jōhoku 城北 1.4
Shin-Hakushima 新白島 1.7
Hakushima 白島 2.1
Ushita 牛田 2.9 Higashi-ku
Fudōin-mae 不動院前 4.0
Gion-shinbashi-kita 祇園新橋北 5.0 Asaminami-ku
Nishihara 西原 6.0
Nakasuji 中筋 7.0
Furuichi 古市 7.8  
Ōmachi 大町 8.4  B  Kabe Line
Bishamondai 毘沙門台 9.6
Yasuhigashi 安東 10.6
Kamiyasu 上安 11.4
Takatori 高取 12.0  
Chōrakuji 長楽寺 12.7
Tomo 伴 13.9
Ōbara 大原 14.9  
Tomo-chūō 伴中央 16.0  
Ōzuka 大塚 17.6
Kōiki-kōen-mae 広域公園前 18.4

Rolling stock
  • 6000 series 6-car EMUs (23 sets)
  • 1000 series 6-car EMU (1 set)
  • 7000 series 6-car EMUs (11 sets on order)

As of 1 April 2016, services on the line are operated using a fleet of 23 six-car 6000 series trainsets (sets 01 to 23) and one six-car 1000 series (set 24).[1]

The entire fleet of 24 sets is scheduled to be replaced with a new fleet of six-car trains delivered in two batches. The first of 11 new 7000 series sets was delivered in 2019.[2] They are scheduled to enter service in March 2020.[3]

6000 series
6000 series set 19 in September 2012

The 6000 series trainsets (01 to 23) are formed as follows, with all cars motored.[1]

Designation McMMMMMc
Numbering 61xx62xx63xx64xx65xx66xx

Priority seating is provided in each car, and wheelchair spaces are provided in the end cars.[1]

1000 series
1000 series set 24 in January 2010

The 1000 series trainset (24) is formed as follows, with four of the six cars motored.[1]

Designation TcMMMMTc
Numbering 112412241324142415241624

Priority seating is provided in each car, and wheelchair spaces are provided in the end cars.[1]

History

Plans to build a new transit system linking the city centre of Hiroshima with the suburban area to the northwest were first proposed in July 1977.[4]

The third-sector Hiroshima Rapid Transit was founded in 1987, funded primarily by the city of Hiroshima.[4] Groundbreaking for the rapid transit line project began on February 28, 1989, and construction would continue over a five-year period. However, on March 14, 1991, 15 people were killed when a girder collapsed on a section of the line's elevated viaduct near the Kamiyasu station's construction site. The line opened for revenue service on August 20, 1994.[4]

When the line originally opened in 1994, it had 21 stations, of which Ōmachi provided the line's only transfer with a JR West line (the Kabe Line). On March 14, 2015, Shin-Hakushima opened as an infill station between Hakushima and Jōhoku in order to provide a transfer point with the Sanyo Main Line.

See also

References
  1. 私鉄車両編成表 2016 [Private Railway Rolling Stock Formations - 2016] (in Japanese). Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 25 July 2016. p. 171. ISBN 978-4-330-70116-5.
  2. "Hiroshima rubber-tyred light metro train delivered". railwaygazette.com/metro-report. DVV Media International. 11 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  3. "広島高速交通，7000系を報道陣に公開" [Hiroshima Rapid Transit, 7000 series released to reporters]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 11 October 2019. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  4. Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 166. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Astram Line.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.