Osaka – Sakai tram

This article deals with the existing network of the Hankai Denki Kidō in the south of Osaka, for the disused urban tram network, see Tram Osaka .

Osaka – Sakai tram
Old cars at the Sumiyoshi Taisha
Basic information
Country	Japan
city	Osaka , Sakai
opening	1900
electrification	1910
operator	Hankai Denki Kidō KK
Infrastructure
Route length	19.5 km
Formerly the largest route	28.6 km
Gauge	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system	600 V = overhead line
business
Lines	2

Type 1001 low-floor vehicle alias "Sakaitram" ( 堺 ト ラ ム ) in Sumiyoshi

Network development (with Osaka; continuous = existing, interrupted / dotted = closed)

The Osaka – Sakai tram is the tram network between Osaka and Sakai on the island of Honshu in Japan . It is operated by the private company Hankai Denki Kidō KK ( Japanese 阪 堺 電 気 軌道 株式会社 ).

It consists of a trunk line that begins in southern Sakai at Hamadera-kōen ( 浜 寺 公園 ), runs north through the city and, after crossing the city limits at Yamatogawa ( 大 和 川 ) to Sumiyoshi-Taisha, crosses southern Osaka. Here the line branches into a northward to Ebisuchō ( 恵 美 須 町 ) and a branch leading northeast to Tennōji station ( 天王寺 駅 ). One of the two nameless lines serves the entire route from Tennōji southwards, the other only leads from Ebisuchō to Abikomichi ( 我 孫子 道 ) just before the city limits, where the depot is also located.

The foundation stone was formed by a horse-drawn railway line, which was built in 1900 just under 1 km north of today's terminal in Tennōji to Sumiyoshi with a gauge of 1067 mm. After re-gauging and electrification between 1908 and 1910, the network was expanded by 1912 to include the lines that still exist today and a branch line in the center of Sakai, which was gradually closed in 1945 and 1949. Until 1917, the southern end extended a few 100 m further. The northern end at Tennōji was integrated into the urban tram network in 1921. In 1913, a short branch line from Sumiyoshi to the nearby train station of Nankai Denki Tetsudō ( 南海 電 気 鉄 道 ) was built, which was only shut down in early 2016 after years of being served only by student courses. From 1914 to 1980 there was also a line from Ebisuchō to Hirano ( 平野 ), which was eventually replaced by an urban subway line. So far, potential extensions have not got beyond the planning stage; Most recently, in 2009, a completed inner city line was discarded by Sakai.

The fleet consists almost exclusively of high-floor single wagons, 33 of which are available. Some examples are from the pre-war period. Only three low-floor articulated railcars have been procured by Alna-Sharyō since 2013; these are in three parts.

Web links

Commons : Hankai Tramway  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official Japanese website (Japanese, English)