Streetcars in Hiroshima

The Hiroshima Electric Railway, known locally as Hiroden, has been running trams since 1912 and now operates Japan's longest streetcar network at over 35 kilometers of track. Two cars that survived the 1945 atomic bombing are still in service today. Rather than retiring older models, Hiroden repairs and upgrades them, and has purchased trams from defunct networks in other cities, including Kyoto, Osaka, and Germany. The result is a fleet of 26 vehicle types, earning the nickname Moving Streetcar Museum. The oldest in service, car number 582, was built before World War II for Kobe. A Streetcar Festival at the depot each June draws around 15,000 visitors.