Trams on the road: encounter Japanese urban scenery, Hokkaido Sapporo power supply

Sapporo Electric Power is the northernmost tram in Japan. In winter, the average temperature in Sapporo is MINUS three degrees Celsius to four degrees Celsius, which is cold and snowy. Trams run on the streets where snow is piled up like a wall. Sapporo turned into a garden city in summer, and trams shuttled under green trees. With the opening of new lines and the introduction of the new concept of light rail, people-oriented trams have also changed the scene of Sapporo block.

Sapporo is the fifth largest city in Japan and the largest city in Hokkaido with a population of over1900,000. With subway, commuter railway, tram and other rail systems, the traffic is developed and the city is busy. Its subway and trams are operated and managed by Sapporo Municipal Transportation Bureau, which is one of the few operating systems in Japan with both subway and trams (the other two systems are Tokyo Transportation Bureau and Kyosaka Electric Railway Company). Usually, public trams are called "commercial power", while private trams or public trams are directly written with the company name or abbreviation. Some private trams are also called "commercial power", such as the Toyama subway line, which is also called commercial power.

Sapporo Commercial Power was formerly Sapporo Carriage Railway. As the name suggests, it is a railway driven by horses on the track. This scene should be unimaginable for modern people. At present, Sapporo's total commercial power is 8.9 kilometers, which surrounds the urban area in a circular route. In fact, Sapporo's commercial power once owned 1 1 routes, with a total scale of 16.3 kilometers, since it opened in19/8. When the world began to dismantle trams in the 1970s, Sapporo also changed some lines into subways, and some feeder lines were replaced by buses, and even planned to completely dismantle them. It was not until there was one route left that everyone realized the cultural value of commercial power, so it was fortunately preserved to this day.

Although the commercial power supply in Sapporo was only dismantled and not expanded from 1970, a 400-meter track and station was built in 20 15, which is a newly opened road tram section in Japan. The newly-built road section happens to be the "Du-Xin Line" corridor that stopped driving in earlier years, but the track and station forms are different from those in the past. In fact, from 1974 to 20 15, the railway connection of sapporo commercial power had a gap of 400 meters, which was not a complete link and the gap was not filled. The biggest factor is that Sapporo has been discussing the issue of commercial power. It was not until 2005 that it decided to keep it permanently and began to fill the gap of 400 meters, making Sapporo's commercial power a circular route.

Introduction of Sapporo Commercial Power Vehicles There are quite a few kinds of commercial power vehicles in Sapporo, running around the track. The standard painting color is the whole car green, only the skirt below is decorated with white background, but there are also many trams advertising the whole car. In the fleet, the oldest is the "2 10" made between 1958 and196, accounting for half of all trams. In other words, half of the streetcars in downtown Sapporo are grandfathers in their fifties and sixties, but after constant renovation, it is difficult to tell their actual ages from their appearance. Many trains in Japan have this situation, which is not high-tech or new in our impression. In fact, the proportion of used cars is still too high, and most of them are completely new after renovation.

Most of the trams of these generations have three code numbers, including "2 10", "220", "240", "250" and "m10/0". There is little difference in appearance. The same face, round front with large single windshield and two round eyes are the biggest characteristics of Sapporo's commercial strength. Each tram has two doors, one in the front and the other in the middle. Among them, the shape of "M- 10 1" retains the original flavor of the old times, and the painting is also an early style. I especially like to take these old trams, because the memory of history will always stay in every corner of the carriage, so that time can condense at that time.

The four digits are "85000 shape" and "33000 shape", both of which are trams after 1985. "3300 shape" was transformed from "3300 shape" originally introduced by 1958, which should be said to be "old wine in new bottles". These trams are obviously "square" in appearance and more modern in design. The front of the tram was changed from a curved surface to a flat surface, and the area of the windshield increased. Headlights have also been changed from two big round lights to rectangular lights. Next to the headlights is a red taillight, which at first glance looks like the front of a bus.

None of the above trams have air conditioning, but they will be heated in winter. The air outlet is located under the seat, and the heat energy generated by vehicle operation is directly introduced into the vehicle. Most trams and trains in Japan have similar designs. As for air conditioning, as far as Hokkaido is concerned, August, the hottest summer, is actually not as sultry as the south. It is usually only hot at noon, but at least the wind is still cold, so when the tram is moving, opening the window is natural air conditioning. In contrast, Kagoshima Electric Power and Kumamoto Electric Power in Kyushu, the southernmost part of Japan, have fully air-conditioned the fleet early, and both heating and cooling devices are available. The orientation of tram operation is also different due to climate differences.

To say that the tram with the most sense of science and technology, fashion and future in Japan should be "A 1200 model". This car is a three-section low-floor tram, and its appearance introduces the concept of European light rail. The upper and lower areas of the window are cleverly designed to be black, and then covered with a white border, which visually magnifies the effect of the window, just like a fashionable tram with a glass structure. For the three carriages, only the front middle door is set, and the door is also hidden in the body, and only a yellow line is drawn on the door frame for identification. Most particularly, the light module is a strip LED panel hidden under the windshield, and the same panel can be switched to white light of headlights or red light of taillights. When the vehicle moves forward, the LED light at the front end is a white headlight; When the tram runs in the opposite direction and the front end changes to the rear end, the LED switches to the taillight of the red light. From the inside to the outside of the car, it is like the latest scientific and technological products, adding a new generation of elements from Sapporo.

Sapporo power supply line and station Sapporo power supply line are circular lines, and all trams will run on the lines circularly, but not by the same driver. Usually, when a tram arrives at the station before the tram opens, the driver will make a handover, so that the same tram can run round and round on the line without interruption.

In the early days, the power supply in Sapporo gradually became a disconnected line after years of waste lines, and the gap was located between Nishimachi Muzhan and Boye Station. (Note: The place names and station names of "Boye" are rarely written in Chinese characters, and they are all recorded in Hiragana "Sudano". At that time, the tram started from Boye Station, and after nine kilometers around the city, it returned to Xisidingmu Station, about 400 meters away from Boye. The return journey is about 9 kilometers from "Xisidingmu" station to "Boye" station. Boye Station and Xisidingmu Station are like Cowherd and Weaver Girl. Obviously, the distance is so close, but the tram can't go directly. Many people want to fill this incomplete ring gap, but some people advocate completely removing it. Until 20 15, the "Queqiao" between the two stations was completed, which filled the gap of commercial power in Sapporo and became a road tram with a loop line. So the current tram route, the route board shows "cycle", which is subdivided into clockwise "outer ring" line and counterclockwise "inner ring" line. In theory, you can get on the bus without looking at the direction, and you must get to the station you want to go to.

Like other trams, the track of Sapporo Commercial Power is set in the middle of the road, which is dedicated to special lines, and vehicles are prohibited from driving in the track area. However, in the newly-built 400-meter section, the tracks are laid on both sides of the road and close to the sidewalk, so the electric station is also set beside the sidewalk, so you can ride directly without crossing the road. In the new track section, a new station body of "Xisidingmu" and a new station of "Beaver Path" were set up. A new concept has been introduced into the station subject. Floor-to-ceiling glass is placed on three arc-shaped white wall columns to separate the space of the waiting platform, as well as the track and pedestrian area. The arc-shaped white wall is provided with waiting seats. The wooden chairs on the waiting seats are decorated with Japanese wooden elements. As for the platform, the area near the track is protected by floor-to-ceiling glass, and only two doors are opened. It is the only station in Japan with the concept of platform door.

The original "West Sidingmu" station is the terminal. After the new line is added, the station moves to the intersection near the business circle, which is also the L-shaped bend of the track, so the platform in the outer ring direction moves to the new section, and the inner ring direction remains near the existing position. In addition, including "Boye", it has been transformed into a white station with a new look.

In this 400-meter new section, in addition to tram tracks and wide sidewalks, many trees have been planted on both sides of the road and on the isolated island. In summer, the leaves are evergreen, the trees are dense, and there are many pedestrians on the sidewalk. Together with the low-floor trams of light rail, it is almost a propaganda picture of people-oriented life and light rail transportation. Sapporo, which demolished trams on a large scale in those years, transformed trams with new concepts after 2 1 century, which became a portrayal of a happy life.

As for other tram stops, there is not much change outside. All electric stations have waiting sheds, and the design of the waiting sheds is very special: the walls are tall and straight, and the top is slightly bent like an inverted "J". This design seems to be unable to shelter from the rain, but it is mainly related to "snow" rather than rain. Sapporo snows for six months throughout the year, with heavy snowfall. If the waiting shed is flat-topped, it will inevitably face the problem of snow on the roof. Therefore, it can be said that it has been changed into a curved sloping roof with a sense of design and not easy to snow according to local conditions. Similar waiting sheds can also be seen in Hakodate's commercial electricity, which is also snowy. It can be said that it is a limited edition in Hokkaido.

In 20 15, sapporo electric power company was opened to traffic to cope with new sections, which improved the internal appearance of all stations. In addition to strengthening the identification system, the station name plate was changed to a schematic diagram combining the front and rear station names, and a large LCD tram information display screen was fully installed, which was quite luxurious. It is the only road tram system in Japan equipped with large LCD screen equipment at all stations.

Sapporo's public utilities and subway are operated by the Sapporo Municipal Transportation Bureau, and a one-day ticket combining public utilities and subway has been introduced, which is very easy to use. Because the electricity supply only goes around the city for nine kilometers, there are still many places that need subway to supplement. With a one-day ticket, you can roam the city by tram without any worries.

Hakodate has three night scenes in the world, Hakodate Mountain, Sapporo and "Mhoiwa Mountain" which is the "new three night scenes in Japan". Mount Mhoiwa is 54 1 m above sea level and is connected to the mountain by two cable cars. When you get off at the cable car station, a free minibus will take you to the door of the cable car station. The first cable car is an aerial cable car, which can accommodate 60 people and overlook the whole commercial power line on the way; The second cable car is quite special, it is a ground cable car with two cars, from the mountainside to the top of the mountain. The prospect of the top of the mountain is very good, and Sapporo's neat downtown area has a panoramic view, and there are prospects in all directions. It is said that the night scene is also good, but I didn't stay in Sapporo at night. The round-trip ticket price of Mhoiwa Mountain Cable Car is 1700 yen, which is not cheap. If you take the bus to the cable car, please remember to get the cable car coupon behind the tram driver, and you can get a discount of 200 yen.

Trams on the road usually have more than one main garage, which is full of trams. There are many tram stops near the garage, most of which are the headquarters of tram operators. Related souvenirs can also be bought at the headquarters near the garage, so I will definitely go to the garage. Sapporo Electric Power Company's tram base is located in the station in front of the tramway enterprise. As long as you don't run into the track and break into the garage at will, it is no problem to enjoy the tram quietly outside the garage.

If you want to walk in the city, you can get off at "in front of Nakajima Park" and then go to Nakajima Park to study the Vatican Sutra. The park includes Feng Ping Museum, Hakodate Literature Museum, Japanese Garden, Observatory and other areas. It is a good place for summer vacation. But the biggest park is Datong Park in front of Hakodate Station, which is close to Xisi Dingmu Station. Datong Park includes Torre dell'Orologio in Sapporo, with ice sculpture festival in winter and Oktoberfest in summer.

Especially in the rare summer in the north, holidays are often taken out by the whole family to bask in the sun or have a picnic on the grass, which is full of joy. At that time, I found a stall of roasted corn in the park, and I was curious to buy it and try it. Roasted corn is not like the hard taste of the table top, but yellow corn, which is cooked first and then roasted slightly, retaining the sweetness of corn, and it is also fragrant when roasted with charcoal fire. The juice is delicious. No wonder there is almost only one person in the park.

As for eating and shopping, please get off at the "Beaver Lane" station in Sapporo's busiest business district, where you can have fun and eat to your heart's content. Especially in Sapporo's famous "Miso Lamian Noodles", there are many famous shops lined up around Beaver Trail. The current commercial power in Sapporo is about 9 kilometers in downtown Sapporo, and the route is simple and convenient.

If you just want to experience the tram running on the road, you can get on the bus at any station and take a direct ride, while browsing the scenery outside the window and feeling the charm of the tram.

Venue: Sapporo, Hokkaido

Operating unit: Sapporo Municipal Transportation Bureau

Total mileage: 8.9 kilometers

Specification: 1.067 cm

Opening date: 19 18.

Charging method: one-way fare across the line (170 yen)