Nagasaki Electric Tramway Oura Line

The line dates from the Taishō era. On 27 December 1916 the section from Senbamachi to a temporary terminus at Izumomachi was opened, and the Sushibashi and Matsugaehashi stops opened with it. On 4 June 1917 the temporary terminus was abolished and a permanent Izumomachi stop opened about 120 metres further on, completing the branch.

The Tsukimachi stop was abolished on 25 December 1920. In April 1930 two stops were renamed: Matsugaehashi became Bentenbashi, and Izumomachi became Ōura-Ishibashi.

On 9 August 1945 the atomic bombing of Nagasaki put the branch out of service. Operation did not resume until 11 December 1946, more than a year later.

The post-war decades saw the branch's alignment and stops reworked. On 5 October 1961 the track on the Ōura-Ishibashi side was relocated: the starting point was shifted to a re-opened Tsukimachi stop, the Senbamachi stop was abolished, and Sushibashi was renamed Shimin-byōin-mae (City Hospital). A subsidence accident near Irienomachi suspended the line from 28 August to 30 September 1965. On 1 May 1980 the Bentenbashi stop was renamed Ōura-Tenshudō-shita, after the nearby Ōura Cathedral.

The Nagasaki Flood of July 1982 suspended the branch on the 23rd, with service resuming on the 25th. On 10 June 1983 the Ōura-Ishibashi stop was renamed simply Ishibashi, and on 17 June 1990 the Irienomachi stop was abolished. On 31 August 1999 the Route 7 service, which had linked the branch with the Nagasaki Station area, was discontinued.

Stops across the network were renamed on 1 August 2018; on the branch, Tsukimachi became Shinchi Chinatown, Shimin-byōin-mae became Medical Center, and Ōura-Tenshudō-shita became Ōura Cathedral. Route 5 runs over the branch at roughly eight-minute intervals, and its stops are the nearest tram stops for Glover Garden, Ōura Cathedral and Shinchi Chinatown in the south of the city.

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

• Ishibashi (Nagasaki)石橋
• Medical Centerメディカルセンター
• Oura Cathedral大浦天主堂
• Oura-kaigan-dori大浦海岸通
• Shinchi-Chukagai新地中華街

• 191627 December: the first section opens from Senbamachi to a temporary terminus at Izumomachi; the Sushibashi and Matsugaehashi stops open.
• 19174 June: the temporary terminus is abolished and a permanent Izumomachi stop opens about 120 m further on, completing the branch.
• 192025 December: the Tsukimachi stop is abolished.
• 1930April: Matsugaehashi stop is renamed Bentenbashi, and Izumomachi stop is renamed Ōura-Ishibashi.
• 19459 August: the branch is put out of service by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
• 194611 December: service resumes.
• 19615 October: the track toward Ōura-Ishibashi is relocated; the start point shifts to a re-opened Tsukimachi stop, Senbamachi is abolished, and Sushibashi is renamed Shimin-byōin-mae (City Hospital).
• 196528 August – 30 September: the line is suspended owing to a subsidence accident near Irienomachi.
• 19801 May: the Bentenbashi stop is renamed Ōura-Tenshudō-shita, after the nearby Ōura Cathedral.
• 198223 July: the Nagasaki Flood suspends the branch; service resumes on 25 July.
• 198310 June: the Ōura-Ishibashi stop is renamed Ishibashi.
• 199017 June: the Irienomachi stop is abolished.
• 199931 August: the Route 7 service, which had linked the branch with the Nagasaki Station area, is discontinued.
• 20181 August: stops are renamed across the system; on the branch, Tsukimachi becomes Shinchi Chinatown, Shimin-byōin-mae becomes Medical Center, and Ōura-Tenshudō-shita becomes Ōura Cathedral.