Hokkaido snowplow train with bamboo brushes makes trial run ahead of winter

A snowplow train operated by the streetcar service in Hakodate City in northern Japan’s Hokkaido made a trial run on Thursday ahead of the full-blown winter.

The municipal streetcar operator uses a special vehicle equipped with brushes made from split bamboo stems, called “sasara,” installed at the front and rear. The brushes rotate as the vehicle moves, sweeping snow off the tracks. The snowplow train was converted from an old passenger car built more than a hundred years ago.

After undergoing checks, the train left the depot and made a round trip totaling about 5 kilometers.

The snowplow train will be in service from December through March.

City official, Sasaki Subaru, said they will make sure the train can complete its mission even in heavy snow, although it is unclear how much snowfall the city will see this winter.