Nagasaki Electric Tramway
Overview
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system in Nagasaki, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Beginning on March 20, 2008, its lines accept Nagasaki Smart Card
Nagasaki Smart Card
is a contactless smart card system used in Nagasaki, Japan. Its operators are Nagasaki Electric Tramway and six bus companies, namely, Nagasaki Bus, Nagasaki Prefectural Bus, Saihi Bus, Saikai Kōtsū, Sasebo Municipal Bus, and Shimatetsu Bus...
, a smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
ticketing system.
The company was founded on August 2, 1914, while the tram line was opened on November 16, 1915. It once operated bus lines as well, but went out from the division later in 1971. The company and the lines are commonly known as . Locals also call them , while JR
Kyushu Railway Company
The , also referred to as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea.When Japan Railways was divided in...
lines are called JR, , or .
The lines are stably making profits and they are the only tramway operator in Japan that has not lost any of its original lines.