Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus

The Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus (立山トンネルトロリーバス, Tateyama Tonneru Tororībasu), officially the Trolleybus Line (無軌条電車線, Mukijō Densha-sen), is a Japanese trolleybus line in Tateyama, Toyama, operated by the Tateyama Kurobe Kankō Company. The line is entirely underground (in tunnel), including both termini. It is the last remaining trolleybus line in Japan with the conversion of the Kanden Tunnel Trolleybus line to battery operation in November 2018.^[1] It is also the last remaining right-hand drive trolleybus line in the world. The line is a part of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. The line originally opened as a normal (diesel) bus line in April 1971,^[2] but was later re-equipped for trolleybuses. The trolleybus line opened on 23 April 1996.^[3]

Basic data[edit]

Distance: 3.7 km (2.3 mi) ^[4]
Stations: 3
Double-track line: None
Electric supply: 600 V DC
Railway signalling: Automatic signal system
- Buses start while the signal is clear, and the number of vehicles is counted.
Fleet: 8 trolleybuses, built in 1995–96 by Osaka Sharyo Kogyo (on Mitsubishi Fuso chassis^[3]), numbered 8001–8008.^[2]

Future Replacement[edit]

On 11 December 2022, Tateyama Kurobe Kankō announced plans to discontinue its trolleybuses on 1 December 2024 and replace them with electric buses from April 2025.^[5] The last trolleybus service is expected to take place on 30 November 2024.^[6]

References[edit]

^ "410_1j_01.pdf" (PDF). Kansai Electric Power Company. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
^ ^a ^b Trolleybus Magazine No. 209 (September–October 1996), pp. 124–125. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452.
^ ^a ^b Murray, Alan (2000). World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia. Yateley, Hampshire, UK: Trolleybooks. ISBN 0-904235-18-1.
^ Trolleybus Magazine (TM) No. 202 (July–August 1995), p. 106. ISSN 0266-7452.
^ "立山トンネルの無軌条電車(トロリーバス)事業廃止、電気バス導入へ" [Tateyama Tunnel trackless train (trolleybus) business to be abolished, electric buses to be introduced]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
^ "「立山トンネルトロリーバス」ラストラン記念イベントの詳細を発表" [Details of the "Tateyama Tunnel Trolley Bus" last run commemorative event announced]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.