The is a

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

loop located in

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

Hokkaidō is the second-largest island of Japan 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 railway via the Seikan Tunnel. The ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. 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 often referred to as simply . The first section of the network opened in 1909 as the ; it was electrified in 1918. The city transportation bureau took over the network in 1927. Since 2020, it has been managed by a subsidiary company, .

Lines and routes

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

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

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. Definition The expression "circle route" may refer in particular ...

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 ¥230. 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 Kitaca () is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Sapporo, Japan. It launched on October 25, 2008 and is managed by Hokkaido Railway Company. The card's name is a combination of the word for and the Ja ...

Suica Suica () is a prepaid rechargeable contactless smart card and electronic money system used as a fare card on train lines and other public transport systems in Japan, launched on November 18, 2001, by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The ...

) can also be used.

Stations

*All stations are located in Chūō-ku,

References

External links

*
Official English Website

Tram transport in Japan

Streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

600 V DC railway electrification

Hokkaido Heritage {{Japan-rail-transport-stub

Lines and routes

Stations

See also

References

External links