Hakodate tram

Hakodate tram
Car 810 on line 5 near the Matsukazechō stop
Basic information
Country	Japan
city	Hakodate
opening	1897
electrification	1913
operator	Hakodate Tourist Office
Infrastructure
Route length	10.9 km
Formerly the largest route	17.9 km
Gauge	1372 mm
Power system	600 V = overhead line
business
Lines	2

The Hakodate tram ( Japanese 函館 市 電 , Hakodate shiden ) is a tram network in Hakodate on the island of Hokkaidō in Japan .

It consists of two lines that run together for most of their way and at the end split into two separate short outer branches, each with three stops:

• Line 2: Yunokawa - Matsukazechō - Hakodate-Ekimae - Jūjigai - Yachigashira
• Line 5: Yunokawa - Matsukazechō - Hakodate-Ekimae - Jūjigai - Hakodate-Dokku-mae

The newest vehicles are the 9600 trams

This historic vehicle from 1910 is still used today for tourist trips

Network development (continuous = existing, interrupted = shut down)

Both tram lines run every 10 minutes during the day, so that there is a 5-minute cycle on the jointly served route.

The tram was opened as a horse-drawn tram in 1897 and electrified in 1913. In the process, the routes, some of which were previously run through parallel streets, have been simplified. According to various private operators, traffic has been carried out on behalf of the city administration since 1943. In the post-war period in particular, further line extensions were made in the north of the city. This and a central inner city route were shut down in 1992/3, so that the current network remained. Potential expansions have not progressed beyond the discussion stage since then.

The track width of 1372 mm is the "Scottish" track (4 feet, 6 inches) that is usually only found on some railways in the Tokyo area.

Of the total of 31 vehicles used in normal operation, the three low-floor articulated multiple units delivered by Alna-Sharyō since 2007 are the only ones that are not high-floor. Two work and three parade wagons are also available. In addition, with the tourist car 39 (ex-Narita), the company has the oldest surviving tram in Japan.

Web links

Commons : Rail vehicles of the Hakodate Tourist Office  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official Japanese website (Japanese, English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Network map on www.cityrailtransit.com (English)
2. ↑ Trams in Hakodate on www.drehscheibe-online.de, January 10, 2016 (with more photos)