page_title: Tram and light rail transit systems
section_title: Asia
hierarchical_section_title: Tram and light rail transit systems / Asia
caption_attribution_description: Uploaded to wiki by Nikhil Kulkarni
context_page_description: Although tram systems date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many old systems were closed during the mid-20th century because of the advent of automobile travel. This was especially the case in North America, but postwar reductions and shutdowns also occurred on British, French and other Western European urban rail networks. However, traditional tramway systems survived, and eventually even began to thrive from the late 20th century onward, some eventually operating as much as when they were first built over a century ago. Their numbers have been augmented by modern tramway or light rail systems in cities which had discarded this form of transport.
context_section_description: Although tram systems were well-established in Asia at the start of the 20th century, they began a steady decline during the mid to late 1930s. The 1960s marked the end of the continent's dominance in public transportation, with most major systems closed and their equipment and rail sold for scrap; however, a number of systems continue to operate in the Russian Far East and Japan. Kolkata has Asia's oldest operating electric tram system which currently runs 6 routes, operating since 1902. There is rekindled interest in tram transport with surviving systems being upgraded and new systems being constructed. In China, several new systems have opened in the past few years with several more under construction.
  The first Japanese tram line began in 1895 as the Kyoto Electric Railroad. The tram reached its zenith in 1932, when 82 rail companies operated 1,479 kilometres (919 mi) of track in 65 cities. Its popularity declined during the rest of the decade, a trend accelerated by the Pacific War, the occupation of Japan and the rebuilding years. Although many of the remaining tramways were shut down and dismantled in favor of auto, bus, and heavy rail service during the 1960s, A few tram systems remained in smaller Japanese cities.
caption: Trams in Kolkata is Asia's oldest operating tram system.
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