Hiroshima Electric Railway line2 min read

Hiroden Yokogawa Line

横川線

The Hiroden Yokogawa Line (横川線, Yokogawa-sen) is a 1.4-kilometre streetcar line operated by Hiroshima Electric Railway (Hiroden) in Hiroshima, running from Tōkaichi-machi in Naka-ku to Yokogawa Station in Nishi-ku.

Laid to 1,435 mm standard gauge, double-tracked throughout and electrified at 600 V DC by overhead wire, it carries the line letter "Y" in stop numbering and has just five stops. The line links the Main Line with the Yokogawa district, meets the JR lines at Yokogawa Station and dates from 1917.

HiroshimaNishiNakaMinami2 km
Route of the Hiroden Yokogawa Line · Hiroshima · Boundaries: MLIT / GSI / Japan Post

History

The line opened on 1 November 1917, running between Sakan-chō (today's Honkawa-chō) and Misasa (today's Yokogawa Station) by way of Tōkaichi-machi. It was built as a single track with four passing places. Around 1926 the Misasa terminus stop was renamed Yokogawa, and in 1938 the whole route was double-tracked.

The Yokogawa-ekimae stop was closed on 28 July 1941 and the Hirose-jinja stop in May 1942. Then, on 26 December 1944, the Sakan-chō–Tōkaichi-machi section was transferred into Hiroden's Main Line, so that the Yokogawa Line proper came to run only between Tōkaichi-machi and Yokogawa.

Less than a year later the line was caught in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, which halted services across the whole route. Recovery came in stages: the Bettsuin-ura–Tōkaichi section was restored on 26 December 1945, and the entire line was back in operation on 18 December 1948.

After the Eba Line opened, the line's main role became feeder traffic to and from the Eba area. On 6 May 1971 the old Route 7 that had served it was discontinued, and for many years afterwards the only services on the Yokogawa Line were those running through to the Eba Line.

On 1 November 2001 the terminal stop was renamed from Yokogawa to Yokogawa Station. Special trams made a trial run of Route 7 on 10 August 2002, and on 27 March 2003 the Yokogawa Station stop was moved to run directly into the plaza in front of JR Yokogawa Station. A new Route 7 began operating over the line on 20 April 2003.

The ultra-low-floor 1000 series entered service on 15 February 2013, and a trial to raise running speeds began on 4 March 2026. Today the line runs from Tōkaichi-machi — where it meets the Main Line — out to Yokogawa Station, through the stops at Tera-machi, Bettsuin-mae and Yokogawa 1-chōme. It is used by Route 7 (Yokogawa Station to Hiroden-honsha-mae, with regular services through to Hiroshima Port since the 2023 timetable revision) and Route 8 (Yokogawa Station to Eba).

Stations on this line

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

Timeline

  • 19171 November: the line opens between Sakan-chō (now Honkawa-chō) and Misasa (now Yokogawa Station) via Tōkaichi-machi, built as a single track with four passing places.
  • 1926Around this year the Misasa terminus stop is renamed Yokogawa.
  • 1938The whole line is double-tracked.
  • 194128 July: the Yokogawa-ekimae stop is closed.
  • 1942May: the Hirose-jinja stop is closed.
  • 194426 December: the Sakan-chō–Tōkaichi-machi section is transferred into Hiroden's Main Line, leaving the Yokogawa Line to run only between Tōkaichi-machi and Yokogawa.
  • 19456 August: all services are suspended by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; the Bettsuin-ura–Tōkaichi section is restored on 26 December.
  • 194818 December: the entire line is restored to service.
  • 19716 May: the old Route 7 that served the line is discontinued.
  • 20011 November: the terminus stop is renamed from Yokogawa to Yokogawa Station.
  • 200210 August: a trial special working is run on the line.
  • 200327 March: the Yokogawa Station stop is relocated to run directly into the plaza in front of JR Yokogawa Station; 20 April: a new Route 7 begins operating over the line.
  • 201315 February: the ultra-low-floor 1000 series enters service on the line.
  • 20264 March: a trial to raise running speeds begins on the line.

Sources