Toyama Light Rail

Due to the advancement of car socialization in local cities, regional transportation declines profitability. One of the major example of public transportations which are difficult to obtain profit, are trams. If it is not possible to guarantee a stable number of passengers, the exists of tram lines are becoming very difficult. However, there are some cases where passenger transportation by tramway has been realized by converting the existing railway line as a tramway line. In this article, I would like to summarize the case of the Toyama Light Rail case seen in the fieldwork at Toyama.

History of Toyama Light Rail

Toyama Light Rail is a line that opened on April 29, 2006, and it ranges from "Toyama Station North station to Iwasehama station. This Toyama Light Rail is a railway line consisting of 7.6km (6.5km rail section and 1.1km orbit section). This line is a line which converted the JR Toyama Port Line, which was closed in 28th February 2006, to a streetcar. All of the facilities are barrier-free. The 7 vehicles, which are also barrier-free low floor vehicles, each have Different body colors.


Colorful Trams	Tram running on street-running section


The look of Tram's running	Lines converted from previous railway line

Background to the shifting to tram

At the time of 2006, the necessity of JR Toyama Port Line which users continued to decrease was questioned in promoting the extension work of the Hokuriku Shinkansen and the future elevation of conventional lines. As a future option of JR Toyama Port Line,

To elevate existing route
Abolition of existing lines by bus substitution
Shifting to Tram

As a result of consultation with three plans, it was said that "3. Shifting to Tram" has social benefits are most effective. Also, as the most effective in promoting the quality of public transportation and compact town development in Toyama city, they promoted the "Shifting to Tram". As a result, although the JR Toyama Port Line was abolished, the railroad and the route grounds were to be handed down to Toyama Light Rail, and the convenience of the railway residents was greatly improved by increasing the station on the way from the JR era. As to elevate existing route, construction started around 2008 in order to improve the convenience of Hokuriku Shinkansen 's extension to Kanazawa, and it is expected that the elevated relocation of conventional lines will be completed in fiscal 2018. As of September 2018, the construction is still in progress and the conventional line was in the state of being used properly as the (old) ground platform and (new) elevated platform depending on the direction of travel.


Newly established station after shifted to tram	Construction of elevation of conventional line's railroad is still continuing

Detail of shifting to tram

On the (new) Toyama Port Line, we adopted the management method that Toyama City bears the construction cost and maintenance cost of the facility as "Public Private Management", and newly established the third sector company (Toyama Light Rail Company, Ltd.) and is in charge of operation. Initiatives were also made to improve service levels.
①Adopted of low floor vehicles
②Improvement of station, barrier free correspondence
③Improvement of operation schedule
④Adoption of IC card
⑤Feeder bus service and so on
※Feeder bus：It is a route bus route that is operated by connecting with the railroad line (trunk line) and has the role of "branch line". It is sometimes called "branch line bus" because it is operated mainly along the arrival and departure times of railways.


Barrier free correspondence of station and vehicle	Feeder bus running based on Iwasehama station

Comparison before and after shifting to tram

	JR Toyama Port Line era	After opening Toyama Light Rail
Operation interval	30 to 60 minutes interval	15 minutes interval during the day, 10 minutes interval at the rush hour
Operation time zone	5 a.m. ~ 9 p.m.	5 a.m. ~ 11 p.m.
The number of stations	9 stations	13 stations
Vehicle	Railway car(JR)	Low floor vehicle

Compare with the photo JR Toyama Port Line era and now (reference)


The left is the current platform, the right is the JR era platform	Old JR Higashi-Iwase station is still preserved (waiting room)


The place where the track passed through the JR era in the left back of the photo	It is now a cycling road


In the JR era there was a railroad in the direction of the parking lot	The railroad was stretching toward this side.


The railway passed from the parking lot to the grassland	The part of grassland is JR Iwasehama station ruins of 1943 or earlier


After the relocation of the station was used as a detention line	Place where it was platform until 2006 (back side is a detention line)