[4] However, these industrial parks were far from the center of Utsunomiya, and it was necessary to cross the Kinugawa River to access them, so traffic congestion became serious around the limited bridges that crossed the Kinugawa River due to passenger cars driven by commuters and trucks transporting raw materials and products.

[3] Due to serious traffic congestion, it can take more than an hour to travel 10 to 15 kilometers from the center of Utsunomiya to the industrial parks, and it became a serious social problem that required an immediate solution.

This weakened the east-west regional axis, and the Tōhoku Main Line divided the north and south of the city.

Because the center of Utsunomiya is west of Utsunomiya Station, the limited means of transportation other than railways, bus routes, are also concentrated on the west side, and many areas on the east side have difficulty accessing public transportation, let alone bus routes.

However, the situation changed dramatically when the government announced a policy of providing generous subsidies for the development of light rail lines, and the Kantō Transportation changed hands due to a management crisis and became more supportive of the project, and in 2013 Utsunomiya City officially decided to develop a light rail line.

[7] On April 3, 2023, ten round trips a day of driver proficiency training using the new light rail vehicles began.

[13] The Utsunomiya Light Rail serves as a public transportation axis that runs through Utsunomiya City from east to west, connecting regions and functioning as the center of the public transportation network, playing an important role in the development of a compact city.

[4] Based on the Japanese law “Act on Revitalization and Reproduction of Regional Public Transportation,” the local governments, Utsunomiya City and Haga Town, own the operating facilities such as tracks, stops and rolling stock.

[21] Niigata Transys built and delivered 17 sets of three-section low-floor light rail vehicles.

[24] The line is located in the center of Utsunomiya City and schools are located along it, so commuter demand is expected, and the line is expected to serve as a transportation axis connecting the east and west sides of Utsunomiya and revitalize the city center.

It is also envisioned to extend the line further west from the Tochigi Education Center to the vicinity of the Ōya Sightseeing area, a major tourist attraction in Utsunomiya.