| Type: | Trolleybus in exclusive tunnel |
| System: | Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route |
| Locale: | Toyama Prefecture, Japan |
| Start: | Murodō Station |
| End: | Daikanbō Station |
| Ridership2: | 735,000 (annual, 2002) |
| Operator: | Tateyama Kurobe Kankō Company |
| Linelength Km: | 3.7 |
| Elevation M: | 2450 |
The, officially the, 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. The line is a part of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, a sightseeing route to the Kurobe Dam that also includes bus, funicular and aerial tramway lines.
It is the last remaining trolleybus line in Japan, following 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 trolleybuses are planned to be retired at the end of the 2024 season, and battery-electric buses will replace them at the beginning of the 2025 season.
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]
The Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus forms a component of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, a mountain sightseeing route between Tateyama, Toyama and Ōmachi, Nagano. The trolleybus line connects to the Tateyama Highland Bus at its western terminus, and to the Tateyama Ropeway at its eastern terminus.[4]
The trolleybus line operates in an exclusive tunnel through Tateyama (Mount Tate), whose peak reaches a height of 3015m (9,892feet). Murodō Station, the western terminus, is at an elevation of 2450m (8,040feet), descending to 2316m (7,598feet) at the eastern terminus of Daikanbō Station. Murodō Station is the highest elevation on the Alpine Route, which ascends from near sea level at Toyama Station.
There are no intermediate stations in the tunnel, and all buses run nonstop between the two stations. The 3.7km (02.3miles) journey takes approximately 10 minutes. The majority of the tunnel is a single lane, with a passing lane provided.[5]
Under Japanese law, the Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus is considered a railway. While it is operated with trolleybuses, the Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus is regulated as a railway, under the terms of the, which contains special provisions for "special railways," which also covers monorails, suspension railways, and cable railways.[6]
Automatic signal system
On 11 December 2023, Tateyama Kurobe Kankō announced plans to discontinue its trolleybuses on 1 December 2024 and replace them with battery-electric buses from April 2025.[9] The last trolleybus service is expected to take place on 30 November 2024.[10]