Hiroden Minami Line

The line was built during the Second World War to strengthen transport between Hiroshima Station and Ujina, the city's military port. To find the rails for the new line, Hiroden single-tracked the Miyajima Line. The first section, from Matoba-chō to Minami-machi 3-chōme (today's Minami-machi 6-chōme), opened on 27 December 1944, bringing the stops at Ōhata-chō (now Danbara 1-chōme), Hijiyama-shita, Hijiyama-bashi and Minami-machi 2-chōme into service.

Less than a year after opening, the line was damaged in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Service on the line was restored on 1 July 1948.

Over the following decades several stops were renamed. Minami-machi 3-chōme became Senbaikyoku-mae and later Senbai-kōsha-mae before reverting to a Minami-machi name, and in around May 1971 it was renamed Minami-machi 6-chōme. The stop opened as Ōhata-chō became Danbara-Ōhata-chō and, in 2001, Danbara 1-chōme. The line was at one time called the Hijiyama Line (比治山線); although it is now announced under its registered name "Minami Line", destination displays still note routing "via Hijiyama-shita".

Route 5, the service running over the line, began one-man operation outside the morning rush on 20 December 1971 and went over to all-day one-man operation on 30 April 1975. A new stop, Minami-kuyakusho-mae, opened on 1 March 1982. To add capacity at peak times, articulated cars were introduced in earnest from 1998, when five surplus 3000-series sets were transferred in from the Miyajima Line; an articulated set, a former Dortmund tram of the 70 series, had already been put into service in 1994.

In February 2014 two ultra-low-floor 1000-series "Green Mover Lex" cars were assigned to the line, so that ultra-low-floor trams ran on it in the daytime as well, rather than only in the morning peak. On 3 August 2025 the new Ekimae-Ōhashi route opened, adding a fresh section between Inari-machi and Hijiyama-shita and a new stop, Matsukawa-chō; the older Matoba-chō–Hijiyama-shita section was suspended to allow it to be switched to a loop route. Stops were renumbered from Matsukawa-chō, starting at "H01", and the numbering for Minami-machi 6-chōme as part of the Minami Line was discontinued.

On 28 March 2026 the Matoba-chō–Hijiyama-shita section was split off as the new Circular Line, and circular services began running over the Minami Line's Hijiyama-shita–Minami-machi 6-chōme stretch. As reorganised, the Minami Line runs 2.2 km from Inari-machi to Minami-machi 6-chōme with seven stops. Route 5 (Hiroshima Station – Minami-machi 6-chōme – Hiroshima Port) uses the Inari-machi–Minami-machi 6-chōme section, while the Circular Line uses the Hijiyama-shita–Minami-machi 6-chōme section; every car runs through onto the Main Line and the Ujina Line.

7 stations tracked on the map, listed alphabetically. Select any to read its page.

• Danbara 1-chome段原一丁目
• Hijiyama-bashi比治山橋
• Hijiyama-shita比治山下
• Matoba-cho的場町
• Minami-kuyakusho-mae南区役所前
• Minami-machi 2-chome皆実町二丁目
• Minami-machi 6-chome皆実町六丁目

• 194427 December: the line opens, from Matoba-chō to Minami-machi 3-chōme (now Minami-machi 6-chōme), built during WWII to strengthen transport between Hiroshima Station and Ujina port; the rails were freed by single-tracking the Miyajima Line.
• 19456 August: the line is damaged in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
• 19481 July: service is restored.
• 1971Around May, Minami-machi 3-chōme stop is renamed Minami-machi 6-chōme; on 20 December, Route 5 begins one-man operation outside the morning rush.
• 197530 April: Route 5 goes over to all-day one-man operation.
• 19821 March: Minami-kuyakusho-mae stop opens (on 30 January a crossover had been installed on the Hijiyama-shita side of Matoba-chō stop).
• 1994One articulated set is introduced to add capacity at peak times, using a former Dortmund tram of the 70 series transferred from the Miyajima Line.
• 1998Articulated cars are introduced in earnest for the weekday morning rush; five surplus 3000-series sets are transferred from the Miyajima Line.
• 2001Danbara-Ōhata-chō stop is renamed Danbara 1-chōme.
• 20141 February: two ultra-low-floor 1000-series 'Green Mover Lex' cars enter service on the line, so ultra-low-floor trams run in the daytime as well, rather than only in the morning peak.
• 20253 August: the Ekimae-Ōhashi route opens, adding the Inari-machi–Hijiyama-shita section and Matsukawa-chō stop; the Matoba-chō–Hijiyama-shita section is suspended for conversion to a loop route, stops are renumbered from 'H01', and Minami-machi 6-chōme's Minami Line numbering is dropped.
• 202628 March: the Matoba-chō–Hijiyama-shita section is split off as the new Circular Line, which begins running via the Minami Line's Hijiyama-shita–Minami-machi 6-chōme stretch.