The is a

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

network located in

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is operated by the

Sapporo City Transportation Bureau Sapporo City Transportation Bureau (札幌市交通局, ''Sapporo-shi Kōtsū-kyoku'') is a public organization of transportation in Sapporo, Japan. The organization operates subways and a tram. It was founded in 1927, when the city took private ...

. The system is sometimes referred to by residents as simply the . The first section of the network opened in 1909 as the ; it was electrified in 1918. The Transportation Bureau took over the network in 1927.

Lines and routes

At its peak in 1958, the network was 25 kilometers in length with 11 lines and 7 routes. However, the network shrank due to increased

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

ownership and the opening of the

Sapporo Municipal Subway The is a mostly-underground rubber-tyred rapid transit system in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Operated by the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau, it is the only subway system on the island of Hokkaido. Lines The system consists of three lines: ...

. After the closures in the 1970s, three lines remained. They were collectively called the or simply the , since the lines covered an incomplete city center route. *: Nishi-Yon-Chōme – Nishi-Jūgo-Chōme *: Nishi-Jūgo-Chōme – Chūō-Toshokan-Mae *: Chūō-Toshokan-Mae – Susukino The lines were combined into a single

circle route A circle route (also circumference, loop, ring route, ring line or orbital line) is a public transport route following a path approximating a circle or at least a closed curve. The expression "circle route" may refer in particular to: * a rout ...

following the opening of the between Susukino and Nishi-Yon-Chōme in December 2015. Almost all trams run the full circle line, with several trams running between Nishi-Yon-Chōme and Nishisen-Jūroku-Jō during the morning rush hours. Trams run at a frequency of 7 to 8 minutes during the day and 3 minutes during weekday peak periods between Nishi-Yon-Chōme and Nishisen-Jūroku-Jō stations. Vehicles are taken out of service at Chūō-Toshokan-Mae. Sapporo Streetcar - 2016 8 13

The fare is ¥200. Like the subway, the tram accepts the

SAPICA is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Sapporo, Japan. Sapporo City Transportation Bureau (SCTB) introduced the system from January 30, 2009. The name of the card means "Sapporo's IC card". is also the ...

card, a prepaid magnetic card. Any other electronic IC cards (like

Kitaca is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Sapporo, Japan. Hokkaidō Railway Company (JR Hokkaidō) introduced the system from October 25 2008. Its name means "the card of ", while 北 is also the first ch ...

Suica is a prepaid rechargeable contactless smart card, electronic money used as a fare card on train lines in Japan, launched on November 18, 2001. The card can be used interchangeably with JR West's ICOCA in the Kansai region and San'yō region i ...

) can also be used.''http://www.city.sapporo.jp/st/josyaken/card.html''. Retrieved on 29 June 2019.

Stations

*All stations are located in Chūō-ku,

References

External links

*
Official English Website

Tram transport in Japan

Streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

600 V DC railway electrification

{{Japan-rail-transport-stub

Lines and routes

Stations

See also

References

External links