Light Train Canceled, Japanese Authority Lirik Trem Hydrogen On Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji climbing route. (Wikimedia Commons/Fabio Achilli)

JAKARTA - The Yamanashi Prefectural Government, Japan is looking at an environmentally friendly rubber-banded tram to transport climbers to the fifth station on Mount Fuji after the plan to build a light train was canceled amid public concerns over the environmental impact.

The central Japanese Prefecture has explored the possibility of connecting the country's highest top legs to intermediaries stations with a light train system to deal with the arrival of many summer tourists and reduce vehicle emissions, quoted from Kyodo News December 9.

Yamanashi Governor Kotarohimda said in a press conference last month, the local government is now eyeing rubber-banded trams with sensors in order to follow the white line or magnetic markers that will be placed on existing roads, thus eliminating the need to build railroad lines.

The hydrogen-powered trend is expected to have two connections and a capacity of up to 120 passengers. The use of private cars on the road to the intermediary station will be arranged, reducing the number of visitors, he said.

It is known that visitors can currently drive to the 5th station, the starting point of the popular hiking trail starting at an altitude of about 2,300 meters, using the Fuji Subaru Line line.

The proposal involves the construction of a double lane along the toll road and the operation of a two-car train.

The concept of a light train was promised by the Governor of Yamanashi in the 2019 gubernatorial election, where he was elected for the first time.

Last month, a group of residents who opposed the idea handed over about 70,000 signatures to the governor this month demanding that he cancel them. They expressed concern about the potential environmental damage and damage caused by the landslide caused by the construction.

Mount Fuji, the top of Japan's iconic 3,776-meter mountain and UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage Site, attracts many climbers and tourists from within and outside the country.

However, the popularity of the mountain that spans between the Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures has poses various challenges, including "overtourism" and "hitting cliffs", or attempts to peak as the sun rises and returns without sleep in the middle of the climb.

This summer, those climbing the mountain from the Yamanashi side were charged entry fee for the first time, with gates located at the 5th station costing 2,000 yen (Rp208,488) per person. The fee was not collected on Shizuoka's side during the climbing season.