Mt Fuji railway project receives approval from Yamanashi officials

[gmat]

From SoraNews24;

Mt Fuji railway project receives approval from Yamanashi officials

https://soranews24.com/2021/02/09/mt-fuji-railway-project-receives-approval-from-yamanashi-officials/

 

Grant

[katoftw]

Thought a cable car setup or gondula setup would be better than a railway.

[bikkuri bahn]

Ruling gradient probably doesn't require a cable car, but just adhesion setup.  Passenger volumes would preclude a gondola/ropeway system. Details at this point sketchy though.

[ShaunField]

Price is ridiculous! I think even my fat ass would rather walk

[bikkuri bahn]

9 minutes ago, ShaunField said:

Price is ridiculous! I think even my fat ass would rather walk

By comparison it's more than 200 usd r/t to ride the Jungfrau Railway, and that's just the off season price.  Having it pricey will discourage more casual visitors and the package tourist hordes, which would be a benefit environmentally. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by bikkuri bahn

[miyakoji]

12 hours ago, bikkuri bahn said:

Having it pricey will discourage more casual visitors and the package tourist hordes, which would be a benefit environmentally

Is this the actual intent, or is the construction/operation cost in this situation the reason for the fare?  I saw a video about this on the English language YT channel JPRail, I thought the fare he stated was a mistake.  It was not.

[cteno4]

With a shared asset like this Inflated prices is a bad way to limit as it only allows the wealthier to use without hardship. A lottery is better way to limit with more reasonable cost based in the costs of the transportation.

 

jeff

[Socimi]

31 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

A lottery is better way to limit with more reasonable cost based in the costs of the transportation.

 

jeff

 

Or just to set up a reservation system with a limited capacity per day...

 

[katoftw]

39 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

With a shared asset like this Inflated prices is a bad way to limit as it only allows the wealthier to use without hardship. A lottery is better way to limit with more reasonable cost based in the costs of the transportation.

 

jeff

Are you sure limiting the passenger numbers is the main reason for high ticket prices?

 

Railways today cost much more to build comparedcto 50 years ago. The investers may require a return on their investment after a certain time period.

 

Personally, I'd just take the bus if the ticket price is that high.

[EdF]

But there won't be a bus once the train is running.

[cteno4]

no just saying that if they are increasing price just to limit numbers its not a fair way to limit access something public. lottery reservation system is better, many parks do this.

 

many parks are hitting this issue of too many visitors being problems not only just wear and tear on the park, but air quality due to the levels of vehicle use in and around the park and it seemed what officials and unesco were concerned about.

 

bus options seems to be on the way out here. although it seems like a battery or wire bus system might be a lot cheaper than light rail installation. will be interesting to see the cost estimates.

 

jeff

[Welshbloke]

Can't speak for Fuji, but I can speak for Wales. The problem here is that certain areas get massive coverage in social and broadcast media, which is closely followed by everyone piling into them (while completely ignoring equally pleasant areas nearby).

 

They all want to climb Snowdon or Pen y Fan, but they won't go for the other mountains in those areas (which do get heavy pedestrian traffic, but usually serious walkers and climbers who respect the landscape). Round here they all want the Elan Valley and completely ignore Llyn Brianne, Llyn Clywedog, or the beautifully desolate moorland up around the Cambrian Mountains.

 

As you might expect it causes a headache for the locals. The main trunk road past the Pen y Fan car parks has a 30mph limit at weekends due to the number of badly-parked vehicles dumped on grass verges, which IMO is the wrong approach. Why should road users be inconvenienced because too many people want to climb a mountain? Either build a bigger car park or run shuttle buses, and ban roadside parking on what's supposed to be a free-flowing main road.

 

I don't even try to go up the Elan during the day in school holidays or summer weekends, it's nose to tail with 20mph dawdlers who won't stop the car and get out for a better look. Also causes big problems with erosion on mountain paths. Although I can't imagine Japan has the same problem with inconsiderate townies who think the place is a theme park, rather than an area where people live and are trying to work, get to appointments, etc!

[katoftw]

6 hours ago, Welshbloke said:

Although I can't imagine Japan has the same problem with inconsiderate townies who think the place is a theme park, rather than an area where people live and are trying to work, get to appointments, etc!

Although Japan is/was overrun with central asian tourists, which pretty much is the same thing.

[Socimi]

12 hours ago, Welshbloke said:

Although I can't imagine Japan has the same problem with inconsiderate townies who think the place is a theme park, rather than an area where people live and are trying to work, get to appointments, etc!

 

Kyoto and Kamakura are treated exactly like this by the hordes of massively unruly tourists coming to Japan evry year.

[disturbman]

It’s the same issue everywhere. Mass tourism does not play nicely with fragile and non-fragile ecosystems and geographies. It’s already barely sustainable for cities.

 

IIRC, France had to limit access to the Mont Blanc as there were too many uneducated and ill-équipes tourists attempting the climb. Nepal is also having issues with the Everest.

 

We are coming to an age, if life resumes as its old normal after COVID, where tourism will have to be more controlled and rethought.

 

Italian towns like Rome, Firenze or Venice are horrible in the summer and peak holidays.

Edited February 12, 2021 by disturbman

[Welshbloke]

14 hours ago, katoftw said:

Although Japan is/was overrun with central asian tourists, which pretty much is the same thing.

True, at least we don't have the problems Kidlington did with Chinese coach parties randomly wandering into people's gardens. It's the entire population of the West Midlands blocking everything while wittering inanely here.