Hiroden Minami Line

The line was built during the Second World War to strengthen transport between Hiroshima Station and Ujina, the city's military port, by providing a more direct route than the existing tracks through the centre. To find the rails for the new line, Hiroden single-tracked part of its Miyajima Line. The first section, from Matoba-chō to Minami-machi 3-chōme (today's Minami-machi 6-chōme), opened on 27 December 1944, bringing the stops at Ōhata-chō (now Danbara 1-chōme), Hijiyama-shita, Hijiyama-bashi and Minami-machi 2-chōme into service.

Less than a year after opening, the line was caught in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, which devastated the city and its tram system. Service on the line was restored on 1 July 1948. The young line thus shared in both the wartime build-up and the post-war recovery of Hiroshima's streetcar network.

Over the following decades several stops were renamed as the city changed around them. Minami-machi 3-chōme became Senbaikyoku-mae and later Senbai-kōsha-mae before reverting to a Minami-machi name, and in around May 1971 it was renamed Minami-machi 6-chōme. The stop opened as Ōhata-chō became Danbara-Ōhata-chō and, in 2001, Danbara 1-chōme. The line had also earlier been known by the name Hijiyama Line (比治山線); although it is now announced under its registered name "Minami Line", destination displays still note routing "via Hijiyama-shita".

Operating arrangements modernised from the early 1970s. Route 5, the service running over the line, began one-man operation outside the morning rush on 20 December 1971 and went over to all-day one-man operation on 30 April 1975. A new stop, Minami-kuyakusho-mae, opened on 1 March 1982. To add capacity at peak times, articulated cars were introduced in earnest from 1998, when five surplus 3000-series sets were transferred in from the Miyajima Line; an articulated set had first been tried in 1994 using a former Dortmund tram of the 70 series.

In February 2014 two low-floor 1000-series "Green Mover Lex" cars were assigned to the line, so that ultra-low-floor trams ran on it throughout the day rather than only in the morning peak. The line's geography was then reshaped by a major project at Hiroshima Station. On 3 August 2025 the new Ekimae-Ōhashi route opened, adding a fresh section between Inari-machi and Hijiyama-shita and a new stop, Matsukawa-chō; the older Matoba-chō–Hijiyama-shita section was suspended to allow it to be switched to a loop route. Station numbers were renumbered from Matsukawa-chō starting at "H01", and the numbering for Minami-machi 6-chōme as part of the Minami Line was discontinued.

On 28 March 2026 the Matoba-chō–Hijiyama-shita section was formally separated as the new Circular Line, and circular services began running over the Minami Line's Hijiyama-shita–Minami-machi 6-chōme stretch. As reorganised, the Minami Line runs 2.2 km from Inari-machi to Minami-machi 6-chōme with seven stops. Route 5 (Hiroshima Station – Minami-machi 6-chōme – Hiroshima Port) uses the Inari-machi–Minami-machi 6-chōme section, while the Circular Line uses the Hijiyama-shita–Minami-machi 6-chōme section; every car runs through onto the Main Line and the Ujina Line.

• 194427 December: the line opens, from Matoba-chō to Minami-machi 3-chōme (now Minami-machi 6-chōme), built during WWII to strengthen transport between Hiroshima Station and Ujina port; the rails were freed by single-tracking the Miyajima Line.
• 19456 August: the line is damaged in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
• 19481 July: service is restored.
• 1971Around May, Minami-machi 3-chōme stop is renamed Minami-machi 6-chōme; on 20 December, Route 5 begins one-man operation outside the morning rush.
• 197530 April: Route 5 goes over to all-day one-man operation.
• 19821 March: Minami-kuyakusho-mae stop opens (a crossover had been added near Matoba-chō that January).
• 1994An articulated set is introduced at peak times for the first time, using a former Dortmund tram of the 70 series transferred from the Miyajima Line.
• 1998Articulated cars are introduced in earnest for the weekday morning rush; five surplus 3000-series sets are transferred from the Miyajima Line.
• 2001Danbara-Ōhata-chō stop is renamed Danbara 1-chōme.
• 20141 February: two low-floor 1000-series 'Green Mover Lex' cars enter service on the line, so ultra-low-floor trams run all day rather than only in the morning peak.
• 20253 August: the Ekimae-Ōhashi route opens, adding the Inari-machi–Hijiyama-shita section and Matsukawa-chō stop; the Matoba-chō–Hijiyama-shita section is suspended for conversion to a loop route, stops are renumbered from 'H01', and Minami-machi 6-chōme's Minami Line numbering is dropped.
• 202628 March: the Matoba-chō–Hijiyama-shita section is formally split off as the new Circular Line, which begins running via the Minami Line's Hijiyama-shita–Minami-machi 6-chōme stretch.