Okayama Electric Tramway

The Okayama Electric Tramway (岡山電気軌道, Okayama Denki Kidō) is a transportation company in Okayama City, Japan. The private company operates tram lines and bus lines.

Okayama Electric Tramway
A white and blue low-floor light rail vehicle labeled "MOMO"
Type 9200 "MOMO" light rail vehicle
Overview
Native name岡山電気軌道
OwnerOkayama Electric Tramway Co., Ltd.
Transit typeLight rail
Number of lines2
Headquarters2-chome-8-22, Tokichi-cho, Naka-ku
Okayama-shi, Okayama-ken
703-8291
Websitehttp://www.okayama-kido.co.jp/
Operation
Began operation21 May 1910
Okayama-Ekimae Station.

The company was founded in 1910, while its first tram line was opened in 1912. This is one of the few Japanese railway operators that maintained their original corporation names from the foundation in Meiji Period. The company or its lines are truncated as Okaden (岡電). The company is a core member of the Ryōbi Group, another core member being Ryōbi Bus. From October 1, 2006, together with Ryōbi Bus and Shimotsui Dentetsu, another bus company, Okaden introduced Hareca, a smart card ticketing system. They accept PiTaPa and ICOCA as well.

Tram lines

With just 4.7 km in total, the tram lines are known to be one of the shortest in Japan.

Lines

Higashiyama Line: Okayama-Ekimae Yanagawa Higashiyama
Seikibashi Line: Okayama-Ekimae Yanagawa Seikibashi (Officially, the section between Okayama-Ekimae and Yanagawa belongs to Higashiyama Line.)
Okayama Electric Tramway
System Diagram
岡山駅前
Nishigawa-ryokudōkōen
西川緑道公園
Yanagawa
柳川
Shiroshita
城下
Kenchōdōri
県庁通り
Saidaiji-chō
西大寺町
旭川
Kobashi
小橋
Chūnagon
中納言
Kadotayashiki
門田屋敷
Higashiyama
東山
Yūbinkyoku-mae
郵便局前
Tamachi
田町
Shin-Saidaijichōsuji
新西大寺町筋
Daiunji-mae
大雲寺前
Higashi-chūōchō
東中央町
Seikibashi
清輝橋

Chuggington

The body of character of Chuggington as a motif, in Okayama Tramway in Japan (2019)

Since 2019, the company operates a special car designed to look like Wilson and Brewster from Chuggington.

Bus lines

Generally speaking, Okaden operates lines with shorter distances within Okayama City, while Ryōbi Bus operates lines with longer distances. They also operate limousine buses linking Okayama Station and Okayama Airport, while Okaden Express is a highway bus that links Okayama and Kōbe / Kōbe Airport.

Supporting other railway lines

Okaden is known for its active stance to try to support other railway lines, when their operators announced to close them. So far, they have considered supporting 4 lines of Meitetsu (Gifu City Line, Ibi Line, Minomachi Line, and Tagami Line), as well as Hitachi Dentetsu Line, Nankai Kishigawa Line, and Hokkaidō Chihoku Kōgen Railway Furusato Ginga Line. Among them, they succeeded to support Kishigawa Line, now operated by Wakayama Electric Railroad, their subsidiary company.

See also


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