, also known as the , is a manually driven rubber-tired transit system operated by Hiroshima Rapid Transit in

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

, Japan. Astram opened on August 20, 1994, for the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. The line connects central Hiroshima and Hiroshima Big Arch, which was the main stadium of the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

. On March 14, 2015, a new station, Shin-Hakushima, opened to create a second connection between the Astram Line and the JR lines.

History

Plans to build a new transit system linking the city centre of Hiroshima with the suburban area to the northwest were first proposed in July 1977. The third-sector Hiroshima Rapid Transit was founded in 1987, funded primarily by the city of Hiroshima. Groundbreaking for the rapid transit line project began on February 28, 1989, and construction would continue over a five-year period. However, on March 14, 1991, 14 people were killed when a girder collapsed on a section of the line's elevated viaduct near the station's construction site. The line opened for revenue service on August 20, 1994. When the line originally opened in 1994, it had 21 stations, of which provided the line's only transfer with a

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

line (the Kabe Line). On March 14, 2015, opened as an

infill station An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train ser ...

between Hakushima and Jōhoku in order to provide a transfer point with the Sanyo Main Line. In January 2025, the line announced fare increases of up to ¥30 per ride. This is the first fare increase (except for the addition of sales tax as sales tax laws changed) in the over 30 years since the line opened in 1994. These fare increases will take effect from October 2025.

Stations

Rolling stock

* 6000 series 6-car EMUs (23 sets) * 7000 series 6-car EMUs (three sets with 11 sets on order) , services on the line are operated using a fleet of 23 six-car 6000 series trainsets (sets 01 to 23) and three six-car 7000 series (sets 31 to 33). The entire fleet of 24 1000 and 6000-series sets is scheduled to be replaced with a new fleet of six-car trains delivered in two batches. The first of 11 new 7000 series sets was delivered in 2019. The first 7000 series set was delivered in October 2019 and entered service in March 2020. The lone 1000 series set have since been retired.

6000 series

Hiroshima Rapid Transit Astram Line 6119

The 6000 series trainsets (01 to 23) are formed as follows, with all cars motored. Priority seating is provided in each car, and wheelchair spaces are provided in the end cars.

7000 series

The 7000 series trainsets (31 to 33) are formed as follows, with all cars motored. Priority seating is provided in each car, and wheelchair spaces are provided in the end cars.

Former rolling stock

1000 series

The 1000 series trainset (24) was formed as follows, with four of the six cars motored. Priority seating was provided in each car, and wheelchair spaces were provided in the end cars.

References

External links

*
Map of Hiroshima rail transit network
{{Rapid transit in Asia Hiroshima Rapid Transit Railway lines opened in 1994 750 V DC railway electrification 1994 establishments in Japan