When Will Japan Choose Light Rail Transit?
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Feature New Promise of LRT Systems When will Japan Choose Light Rail Transit? Kiyohito Utsunomiya Short History of not begin to grow in Japan at the time, Introduction Tramways in Japan allowing trams to continue holding their own in the urban public transportation Interest in Light Rail Transit (LRT) as a The world’s first commercial electric networks. In 1954, the Tokyo Metropolitan viable urban transportation system has tramway opened in 1881, and ran 2.8 km Government (TMG) introduced Presidents’ been growing worldwide since the late from Lichterfelde (near Berlin) to the Conference Committee (PCC) streetcars, 20th century. Although there is no definite Anhalt Cadet School. Japan’s first which had been developed in the USA difference between trams and LRT tramway was the Kyoto Electric Railway since the 1930s. systems, the latter is an evolved tramway opened on 1 February 1895. In the early Japan’s rapidly expanding economy in the system—tracks are often segregated from days, there were few alternative forms of 1960s led to more private car ownership other traffic, cars run faster, and everyone urban transport and tramways were soon and the increasing road congestion with has easy access due to level boarding. In spreading to many other cities. Although resultant delays to tram timetables led Germany, where old tramway systems the growth of bus services after WWI put many cities to start closing tram systems. have been vigorously upgraded as LRT some local tramways out of business, As shown in Figure 1, between 1960 and (Stadtbahn) systems since the 1960s, LRT there were still 83 tramways with a total 1990, the number of tramway operators systems have become the core of urban route length of 1480 km operating in 67 dropped by nearly half, while the total transport in many cities. Also new LRT Japanese cities in 1932. length of track was slashed by about 80%. systems have been constructed in France Aerial bombing during WWII caused Lines serving local traffic in smaller and the UK some 40 or so years after both tremendous damage to tramways and centres were generally the first to be countries closed many old tramway tram facilities but trams were the first form closed. Later, subways replaced trams in systems dating from the Victorian era. LRT of public transport to reappear in the war- the three most important cities of Tokyo systems are also starting to appear in the torn cities. For example, three tramcars— (except the Arakawa Line), Osaka, and USA and Canada, two countries known the last serviceable vehicles—were Nagoya. Other smaller regional cities, for their love of the automobile. running again in Hiroshima just 3 days such as Sendai, Fukuoka and Sapporo, Under these circumstances, although no after the atomic bombing. Trams were also began planning subways in the 1970s new LRT systems have been built in Japan soon carrying huge numbers of people in and one tramway track after another was recently, some tramway systems have the early postwar years and contributed ripped up. begun to introduce low-floor cars with greatly to the reconstruction. Some exceptional tramway operations improved ease-of-access and efficiency. North America turned to the automobile managed to remain profitable. Hiroshima This article reviews Japanese tramway for urban transport immediately after and Nagasaki are cities that see trams as systems and discusses the possibility of WWII and Europe was quick to follow a viable urban transit solution. So-called reviving them as LRT systems. suite, leading to the rapid decline of trams. Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) joined the tram However, private vehicle ownership did rolling stock in both cities in the 1980s. Figure 1 Tramways Trends in Japan No. of Route-km operators 50 1400 45 1200 40 Route-km 35 1000 30 800 25 No. of operators 20 600 15 400 10 200 5 0 0 1958 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Source: Tetsudo tokei nempo (Annual railway statistics), Ministry of Transport. Series 5000 Green Mover of Hiroshima Electric Railway (Author) 10 Japan Railway & Transport Review 38 • March 2004 Copyright © 2004 EJRCF. All rights reserved. However, very little LRT track has been Figure 2 Japanese Cities with Tramways built since then and Japan seems to have fallen behind other countries where more Sapporo (Sapporo Transportation Bureau) LRT systems are being built. Hakodate (Hakodate City Transportation Bureau) Toyama (Toyama Chiho Railway) Takaoka (Man’yo Line) Tramways in Japan Today Fukui (Fukui Railway) Otsu (Keihan Electric Railway) Overview Kyoto (Keifuku Electric Railroad) There are 19 tramway systems in 18 Okayama (Okayama Electric Tramway) Japanese cities from Sapporo in the north Hiroshima (Hiroshima Electric Railway) to Kagoshima in the south (Fig. 2). Tokyo still has the 12.2-km Arakawa Line, a Tokyo Nagasaki (Nagasaki Electric Tramway) (TMG Transportation Bureau) tramway operated by the TMG running (Tokyu Corp. Setagaya Line) Kumamoto on mostly segregated track between (Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau) Toyohashi (Toyohashi Railway) Kagoshima Waseda and Minowabashi stations; all (Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau) Gifu (Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu)) other tramways formerly operated by the Osaka metropolitan government were closed. (Hankai Tramway) Matsuyama Kochi The only tramways still operating in (Iyo Railway) (Tosa Electric Railway) Osaka are the Hankai (14.1 km) and the Uemachi (4.6 km) lines operated by Table 1 Tramways in Japan Hankai Tramway. City Operator City population Route-km No. of Ratio of operating Start of tram In general, Japanese tramway systems (1000) lines expenditure to revenue operations follow the traditional model and most (after depreciation) tramway operation are relatively small Sapporo Sapporo Transportation Bureau 1820 8.5 1 107.4 1918 scale. However, some Japanese operators Hakodate Hakodate City Transportation Bureau 290 10.9 2 110.0 1913 Tokyo TMG Transportation Bureau 8140 12.2 1 96.8 1911 have recently introduced modern rolling Tokyo Tokyu Corp. 8140 5.0 1 112.9 1907 stock, such as low-floor cars offering Toyama Toyama Chiho Railway 330 6.4 1 95.8 1913 barrier-free access. Kumamoto City Takaoka Man’yo Line 170 12.8 1 132.3 1948 Fukui Fukui Railway 250 21.4 2 109.1 1933 Transportation Bureau in Kyushu Toyohashi Toyohashi Railway 370 5.4 2 112.1 1925 introduced 100% low-floor vehicles in Gifu Meitetsu 400 23.9 3 248.9 1911 1997 using German-made bogies and Otsu Keihan Electric Railway 290 21.6 2 249.0 1912 Kyoto Keifuku Electric Railroad 1470 11.0 2 107.6 1910 equipment. At one time, the Bureau had Osaka Hankai Tramway 2600 18.7 3 116.4 1911 planned to tear up all its tram tracks, but Okayama Okayama Electric Tramway 630 4.7 2 84.2 1912 it changed course in midstream and now Hiroshima Hiroshima Electric Railway 1130 34.9 8 86.2 1912 Kochi Tosa Electric Railway 330 25.3 2 119.6 1904 operates two lines totalling 12 km. Matsuyama Iyo Railway 470 9.6 4 102.5 1911 German-built low-floor cars running past Nagasaki Nagasaki Electric Tramway 420 11.5 4 96.6 1915 Kumamoto Castle have come to Kumamoto Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau 660 12.1 2 123.1 1924 Kagoshima Kagoshima City Transport Bureau 550 13.1 2 93.1 1912 symbolize the city. Source: Tetsudo tokei nempo (Annual railway statistics), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 2000. In 1999, Hiroshima City imported German Notes: Numbers for Man’yo Line are for the predecessor Kaetsuno Railway. Numbers for Fukui Railway include data from conventional railway operations. low-floor tramways by air cargo, creating Numbers for Meitetsu include data from operations on the Gifu-shinai and Minomachi lines. quite a stir among the news media. Other Except for the ratio of operating expenditure to revenue, which refers only to tramway operations, numbers for Hiroshima Electric Railway include data from railway operations. cities like Gifu, Kagoshima, Matsuyama, Kochi, Okayama and Hakodate have also introduced low-floor trams. Tramway and Hiroshima Electric approach indicators, and constructing While many tramways face financial Railway are the leading tram operators roofed tram stops. Hiroshima Electric difficulties, trams in Okayama, and they began attempts in the 1980s Railway’s suburban Miyajima Line Hiroshima and four other cities are to attract more passengers by serving the famous Itsukushima Shrine profitable (Table 1). Okayama Electric introducing new cars, installing tramcar used to operate independently of the Copyright © 2004 EJRCF. All rights reserved. Japan Railway & Transport Review 38 • March 2004 11 New Promise of LRT Systems Table 2 Number of LRT Systems and Tramways Worldwide Country Country Country Japan 19 Germany 59 Argentina 1 urban tram network, but now offers Turkey 2 Norway 2 Brazil 2 inner-city through connections for all China 5 Hungary 4 Australia 3 trams. Nagasaki Electric Tramway is India 1 Finland 1 Azerbaijan 2 well known for running a profitable North Korea 2 France 11 Armenia 1 system. It was in the red but recovered UK 6 Bulgaria 1 Ukraine 25 by selling its bus business in 1970 and Italy 5 Belgium 5 Uzbekistan 1 concentrating on trams, and by offering Austria 5 Poland 14 Estonia 1 user-friendly services with fares as low The Netherlands 3 Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 Kazakhstan 5 as ¥100 (US$0.95). Croatia 2 Portugal 2 Georgia 1 Switzerland 5 Romania 15 Belarus 4 International comparisons Sweden 3 Egypt 4 Latvia 3 More than 300 cities around the world Spain 3 Tunisia 1 Russia 71 have tram or LRT systems. Countries of Slovakia 3 Canada 2 the former Soviet Union and eastern Serbia 1 Mexico 1 Europe, where postwar car ownership Czech Republic 7 USA 19 Total 334 remained low, still operate a lot of old Note: The table was compiled by the author using information from A World of Trams and Urban Transit by tramways.