The Kurobe-Unazuki Canyon Route opened to the public on the 2nd of this month, allowing visitors to experience the underground section extending from Keyakidaira Station to Kurobe Dam as a sightseeing route. A course has been developed that uses a trolley train, a shaft elevator, and an incline, offering visitors a sense of the history of power development and the efforts of those who came before.
The Kurobe-Unazuki Canyon Route opened to the public on the 2nd of this month. The underground section extending from Keyakidaira Station to Kurobe Dam has been opened as a new sightseeing route connecting the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route and the Kurobe Gorge.
Visitors first travel from Keyakidaira on a construction trolley train and then proceed to the shaft elevator, with views of the Ushiro-Tateyama mountain range to the west from the observation deck.
From there, they travel to a section passing through the "High-Temperature Tunnel" by battery-powered locomotive. Rock temperatures exceeded 160°C during construction, and workers advanced excavation while being doused with cold water. Temperatures are now approximately 40°C. The windows may fog up, and the carriage may sometimes fill with the smell of sulfur.
The tour to Kurobe Dam, its destination, reflects a history in which many people lost their lives to dynamite ignition and avalanche accidents. After visiting Kansai Electric's Kurobegawa No. 4 Power Station, visitors ride the incline and take a dedicated bus to the Tarusawa crosscut tunnel. Annual visitor capacity is approximately 10,000 people, and tours operate from summer through autumn.