Toyama City (population: 418,000) is trying to convert its town structure from the current car-dependent spread city to a compact city along the public transport routes.

The city is trying to improve service levels of its vital 6 rail/tram routes and 13 major bus routes: converting rail to tram, constructing a circle tram line in the downtown, increasing frequency of rails and buses and improving transfer between rails and buses.

The city has also designated “public transport residential area” along the routes and gives financial support to those who build houses in the areas. The share of the residents in these area, currently 30% of the total population, is aimed to be 40% within twenty years.

As the first major project of the public transport improvement, a 8km long railway which connects Toyama Station in the downtown and the north district was converted to a more user-friendly street-level tram line. The tram (Toyama Light Rail) operates at the intervals of 10 to 15 minutes until 23 o’clock. All cars are low-floor and barrier-free. The tram line is expected to operate without subsidies although public money is spent on its infrastructure.

Toyama City has the lowest population density in urban area among national prefectural capitals, and population has spread from center of the city to suburban area. People are more dependent on cars and the ridership of public transport has dropped significantly: Japan Railway Lines by 17% from 1989 to 2004, other railways by 44%, trams 43% and buses 67%. On the other hand, there is 30 % of the population who does not drive mostly students and elderly citizens.

 

With the ageing and the future decline of the population, it was worried that the city would find it financially difficult to offer the same level of public services as today to its citizens living scattered in the wide area.

 

Ø  February 2003, Toyama Central District Revitalization Basic Plan established the city’s three policies to revitalize the 436ha downtown (Central District);

A)       improve public transport system and make the central district no dependent on cars,

B)       attract visitors to the central district and create a prosperous and active downtown

C)       encourage people to live in the central district 

 

Ø  March 2003, Toyama Public Transport Revitalization Plan:

A)       designated 6 rail/tram routes and 13 bus routes as vital public transport corridors,

B)       designated areas within 500m from a tail/tram station or 300m from a bus stop as “public transport residential area”

 

Ø  April 2006, Toyama Light Rail started operation

 

Ø  December 2009, Tram Circle Line, within the Central District started operation.

 

Ø  When Toyama Station reconstruction is completed in 2016, Toyama Light Rail and Tram Circle Line will be inter-operated.

1.        The number of passengers of the Toyama Light Rail per day had increased from 2200 in 2005 (before conversion) to 4800 in 2007.

2.        13 % of all bus users and 11% of all private car users shift to Tram users, which mean environmental load decreases.

3.        By age, the number of passengers of 60 and older has increased by 350%, which means the tram created opportunities for elderly people to go out.

Congestion, Energy/Fuel, Environment, Infrastructure, Planning, LRT, Barrier-free, compact city

Transport Planning Division, Policy Bureau,
Road Bureau,
City Bureau, and
Railway Bureau, MLIT Japan