I recently received something I had been hoping for again from a Danish railfan. During his trip around Shikoku Island in Japan, he took many photos, and today I would like to introduce one of them. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Nicolai Okkels, who kindly shared this picture with me.
Please look at the photo above—the new gondolas of the Bizan Ropeway. You can see blue and red box-shaped cabins standing out against the urban scenery. They look gorgeous.
As I wrote before, the Bizan Ropeway is convenient access to the popular sightseeing spot, Mt. Bizan, in Tokushima City on Shikoku Island. It is a single-cable aerial tramway. It connects Awa-odori Kaikan and Sancho stations. The route length is 787 meters, the height difference is 242 meters, and the maximum gradient is 30.23 degrees. The system operates every 15 minutes, and the maximum speed is 4.1 meters per second. It takes about six minutes for a one-way trip.
This aerial tramway opened in 1957, and the current fourth-generation gondolas started operation on March 30 last year. One unique feature of this system is the double gondolas to secure enough transportation capacity. Each gondola can carry up to 14 passengers, so a total of 28 people can ride on each trip.
For your reference, I would also like to share the older, third-generation gondolas. Please look at the photo below. These round-shaped gondolas are the ones I boarded two years ago. The present cabins obviously have larger windows, so the views are even wider. They have really evolved.
By the way, you may wonder why I posted a topic about an aerial tramway on this “railway” blog. To be honest, there is no deep meaning. But if I have to say something, in Japan, the operation of aerial tramways is governed by the “Railway Business Act.” That is a good excuse!
