HOKKAIDO –
Sapporo deployed its distinctive Sasara snow-clearing tram for the first time this season early on November 7th, the second-earliest deployment in 10 years, after snowfall reached 8 centimeters at 4 a.m., prompting a vehicle to leave its depot to clear snow from the city’s streetcar tracks.
According to the Sapporo City Transportation Promotion Corporation, which operates the service, this year’s first deployment came earlier than in all but one of the past 10 years.
With temperatures below freezing, the tram made its way through central Sapporo, its rotating bamboo brushes, known as “sasara,” sweeping snow from the tracks and sending it flying to either side.
The distinctive vehicles are a familiar sight during Sapporo’s long winters, helping keep the city’s streetcar network operating despite heavy snowfall.
Source: Kyodo
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