The Utsunomiya Haga Light Railway, a next-generation tram (LRT) connecting Utsunomiya City and Haga Town, Tochigi Prefecture, has been operating for a month since August 26. It will run for approximately 14.6 km from the east exit of Utsunomiya Station to Takanezawa Industrial Park in Haga Town and will serve as "the backbone of the public transportation network" (according to Utsunomiya City officials). Plans to expand the station to the west are also gaining momentum. Stakeholders and economic organizations in both cities and towns have high hopes for the spillover effects of opening up areas along the route.
The LRT bus is open
Frequent traffic jams are a problem for Utsunomiya City because many people use cars for transportation and shopping. The city is promoting the ``Networked Compact City (NCC)'' concept, connecting the cores of the city by rail and road. The aim is to improve the public transport network in conjunction with the LRT project and reorganize bus routes and reduce congestion.
Road network and LRT route location map
When the LRT first opened, more people than expected paid their fares in cash, causing delays in service. A city official said: “There is a situation where people are not familiar with public transportation. It is said that traffic has steadily decreased since its opening.
Utsunomiya City is also known as "professional sports city". An LRT stop has been built near Tochigi Green Stadium, which hosts J.League Tochigi SC soccer matches. Utsunomiya Station Higashi Park along this line is a candidate for an arena for the Utsunomiya Brex basketball team. Shoichi Fujii, president of the Utsunomiya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said enthusiastically: ``We want to use LRT to increase the number of people coming to watch matches.''
Light Cube Utsunomiya, an open complex at the east exit of Utsunomiya Station before the LRT, will be the venue for MICE (international events). “We hope that MICE participants can ride the LRT, visit shops along the route, enjoy food and sightseeing,” said Chairman Fujii. ``Domestic demand is expected to increase due to the combined impact of sports and MICE.''
A person in charge of the NCC Promotion Department of the Utsunomiya City Urban Development Department happily said that the opening of the LRT has generated positive reactions from the people, saying: ``People have become interested in town development.'' LRT is expected to be extended to the area west of Utsunomiya Station, where the town hall and Tochigi prefectural office are located. The city will also form an expert group in the fall to draw up the “JR Utsunomiya Station West Exit Area Development Basic Plan” covering 11 hectares west of the station. We will discuss urban development further.
There are redevelopment plans for the west side of the station, including the "Utsunomiya Station West Area", construction of which began on August 28. A person in charge of the NCC Promotion Department said: `` We want to transform the main street along the LRT into a comfortable space'' by attracting the flow of people to the commercial establishments that will be built in the redeveloped building.
``We want to cooperate with local companies to take advantage of the LRT and improve the convenience of the town,'' said Yukio Akazawa, construction industry director of Haga Town, which has many industrial parks. ''The aim is to extend LRT to the vicinity of city hall.
The opening of LRT is also attracting attention from other regions. In Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, plans are underway to convert freight lines into passenger lines and run LRT. “We want to use precedent cases as reference when reviewing business plans,” said a ward official. LRT in Utsunomiya City and Haga Town will likely serve as a model for Japan, where the population is shrinking, as a means of urban development that allows people to move around on their own.
