History
Chōrakuji Station opened on 20 August 1994 in Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima, on the new Astram Line operated by Hiroshima Rapid Transit. The original plan had ended the line here, and the adjacent Chōrakuji depot still serves many short-turning trains; once Hiroshima was chosen to host the 1994 Asian Games, the line was extended to reach the main stadium at Hiroshima Big Arch, making Chōrakuji an intermediate station. Operations were contracted out in 2000. Express service ran past the station from 1999 until it was abolished on 20 March 2004. PASPY support began on 8 August 2009. The depot complex above the station also houses HRT's headquarters and the Numaji Transportation Museum.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
The line was originally planned to terminate at Chōrakuji; only Hiroshima's selection to host the 1994 Asian Games triggered an extension to the games venue at Hiroshima Big Arch, leaving the depot stranded mid-route.