Tokyo Toden
The or simply Toden, is the tram network of Tokyo, Japan. Of all its former routes, only one, the Tokyo Sakura Tram, remains in service. The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation operates the Toden. The formal legal name is Tokyo-to Densha. Its nickname, "Toden," distinguished it from the "Kokuden" (the Japanese National Railways electrified lines). The network had a track gauge of , except for the former Seibu Railway lines which were . History At its peak, the Toden system boasted 41 routes with of track. However, the increase in reliance on automobile traffic resulted in reductions in ridership, and from 1967 to 1972, of track were abandoned as the Bureau changed its emphasis to bus and subway modes of transportation. 1903: The Tokyo Horse-drawn Railway changed its motive power to electricity and, under the name Tokyo Electric Railway (or Tōden, 東電) commenced operations between Shinagawa and Shinbashi. 1903: The Tokyo Urban Railway (or Gaitetsu, 街鉄) began operations between Sukiyabashi (in Ginza) and Kandabashi. 1904: The Tokyo Electric Railway (Sotobori Line) connecting Shinbashi Station and Ochanomizu opened. 1905: The three companies published the "Tokyo Geography Education Streetcar Song" to promote knowledge of the geography of Tokyo. 1906: The three companies