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
Okayama-ekimae
 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
Asahi River
 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
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Okayama Electric Tramway.


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