Photo/Illutration A sightseeing trolley train runs through the lush green Kurobe Gorge in Kurobe, Toyama Prefecture, on April 19. (Michiyo Sato)

KUROBE, Toyama Prefecture—Kurobe Gorge Railway Co. has started partial services of its orange-colored mountain sightseeing trolley train on a line that was damaged in the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

A ceremony was held at Unazuki Station, the starting station for the services, on April 19 to mark the resumption of operations.

Ryokan owners and other representatives from the area gave tourists from home and abroad on the trolley a send-off.

The trolley currently operates between Unazuki and Nekomata stations.

The Kanetsuribashi bridge, about 14 kilometers from Unazuki Station, was damaged by falling rocks during the Jan. 1 earthquake.

Reconstruction work is expected to be completed in September, and the company plans to operate between Unazuki and Keyakidaira stations--the full stretch of the line--on Oct. 1.

“We hope people will visit the gorge because they can enjoy beautiful scenery even if the train only shuttles back and forth (between Unazuki and Nekomata stations),” said Satoru Tanimoto, who works at Kurobe Gorge Railway’s marketing department.

The company aims to attract 550,000 passengers this fiscal year, around the same as the previous fiscal year when ridership returned to near pre-pandemic levels.

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