Utsunomiya Light Rail

Utsunomiya Light Rail
Utsunomiya Light Rail
	Utsunomiya Light Rail HU300 series "Lightline"
Overview
Other name(s)	Haga Utsunomiya LRT
Native name	宇都宮ライトレール
Status	Operational
Owner	Utsunomiya City and Haga Town
Locale	Utsunomiya and Haga, ; Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
Termini	Utsunomiya Station East; Haga Takanezawa Industrial Park;
Stations	19
Website	https://www.miyarail.co.jp/index.html
Service
Type	Light rail
Operator(s)	Utsunomiya Light Rail Co., Ltd.
Rolling stock	HU300 series
History
Opened	26 August 2023
Technical
Line length	14.6 km (9.1 mi)[1]
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	750 V DC[1]
Operating speed	40 km/h (25 mph)[2]
Route map

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 that operates the Utsunomiya Haga Light Rail Line, also known as Haga Utsunomiya LRT, serving the Utsunomiya metropolitan area in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The light rail line 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]

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]

A HU300 series train (21 August 2023)

Stations

Line map

No	Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		Transfers	Location
No	Station	Japanese	Between stations	Total	Transfers	Location
01	Utsunomiya Station East	ja:宇都宮駅東口停留場	–	0.0	JR East (Utsunomiya Station) Tōhoku Shinkansen JS Shōnan–Shinjuku Line JU Utsunomiya Line ■ Nikkō Line ■ Karasuyama Line	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

References

https://www.city.utsunomiya.tochigi.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/006/078/160120shiryou1.pdf
"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.
"First Lightline tram arrives". Metro Report International. 1 June 2021.

External links

Official website (in Japanese)

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[shiryou-1] ttps://www.city.utsunomiya.tochigi.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/006/078/160120shiryou1.pdf

[2] "宇都宮ライトレール株式会社".

[3] Barrow, Keith (3 October 2016). "Japan approves Utsunomiya light rail project". International Railway Journal.

[4] "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.

[5] "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".

[6] "4/3～習熟運転を開始します".

[7] "Next-generation tram derails during trial run". 19 November 2022.

[8] "Japan's 1st new tram system in 75 years starts operating north of Tokyo". Kyodo News. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.

[:0-9] "First Lightline tram arrives". Metro Report International. 1 June 2021.