“Changing the Boarding Point” Means Shifting the Center of the City

Looking down from the south exit pedestrian deck at the construction site of the Hiroshima Station Building “HIROSHIMA GATEPARK PREMIUM,” which aims to open in spring 2026, the outline of the large steel roof is already beginning to take shape. Under this roof, trams will enter directly—transforming the previous route where passengers crossed the street to reach the tram stop into a direct connection on the second floor of the station building.

At the same time, the Hiroshima Electric Railway headquarters will host a tramway exhibition titled “romen ten,” and a mechanism will be set in motion for citizens and tourists to leave messages at various tram stops along the circular line. Furthermore, the circular line itself is being redefined as a key axis for tourism.

Infrastructure renewal, cultural rediscovery, and tourism strategy—these three gears will mesh together in the same summer. This is not a coincidence; it signifies that the groundwork laid by Hiroshima City and Hiroshima Electric Railway over many years in urban design is finally becoming visible as a cohesive picture. For whom is this change intended? Let’s unravel that structure step by step.

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The Large Roof Creates “Connection” Rather Than Just “Cover”

The redevelopment project of the south exit of Hiroshima Station is at the core of the redevelopment of the area surrounding Hiroshima Station, with a total project cost estimated at about 60 billion yen. This plan, being advanced by JR West, Hiroshima Electric Railway, and Hiroshima City, features the tram’s entry into the second floor of the station building as its centerpiece.

Recall the previous south exit of Hiroshima Station. After disembarking from the Shinkansen, passing through the conventional train ticket gates, exiting the station building, crossing the rotary crosswalk, and finally reaching the tram stop. On rainy days, an umbrella was necessary, and for tourists dragging suitcases, this route was a source of subtle stress.

In the new station building, a tram stop will be established at the second floor level, allowing for transfers with a nearly flat route from the station gates. The large roof will cover this transfer space, enabling movement unaffected by the weather. In other words, the essence of the large roof lies not in being a “roof” but in being a “connection.” It serves as a device that physically and psychologically links the two modes of transportation: JR and the tram.

Hiroshima Electric Railway currently operates eight tram lines, covering approximately 35.1 km. This is the largest tram network in Japan, with an annual ridership of about 30 million people. However, the tram stop at Hiroshima Station, its gateway, has long been criticized for being “inconvenient for transfers with JR.” The redevelopment of the station building will address this structural weakness.

As for the progress of construction, the demolition of the old station building was completed in 2023, and from 2024, the main structural work and installation of the large roof will proceed. The main structure is expected to be completed by fiscal year 2025, with the opening of the new route of the Station Front Bridge Line (between Hiroshima Station and Inaricho) scheduled for March 2025. The entire station building, including the large roof, is expected to open gradually after spring 2025.

Notably, this entry will also shorten the travel time for trams. By switching from the conventional route via the Enko Bridge to a direct route along the Station Front Bridge, the travel time from Hiroshima Station to the Kamiyacho area will be reduced by several minutes. You might think that a few minutes is insignificant, but for a line used by tens of thousands of people daily, those minutes add up to change the way the entire city utilizes time.

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Exhibition “romen ten”—From “Knowing” the Tram to “Engaging” with It

The tramway exhibition “romen ten,” scheduled to be held at the Hiroshima Electric Railway headquarters, may initially seem like just a cultural event. However, upon examining its design, it becomes clear that there is an intention behind it that goes beyond a mere display.

The exhibition’s distinctive feature lies in its participatory mechanism. Visitors will be able to leave messages directed to each tram stop along the circular line, and the collected messages are planned to be displayed at the stops and inside the trams. In other words, the exhibition is designed not only as a place to “learn about trams” but also as a space to “re-establish one’s relationship with trams.”

Hiroshima’s trams are known for resuming operations on August 9, 1945, just three days after the atomic bombing. The narrative of being a “symbol of recovery” is widely shared, but for citizens who ride the trams in their daily lives, it serves primarily as a means of commuting and shopping, with few opportunities to consciously reflect on its special significance. The exhibition is an attempt to unearth the history and value buried within that “ordinariness.”

Local residents leave messages for their “own tram stops.” Tourists contribute words to the “tram stop they first disembarked at.” This accumulation adds a new layer to the tram stop as a place. This is also a mechanism for fostering citizens’ sense of “ownership” over the transportation infrastructure.

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The Circular Line as a “Reinterpretation”—Transforming Commuter Routes into Tourist Routes

The third gear is the tourism utilization of the circular line.

While the Hiroshima Electric Railway’s network radiates outward, the section that connects the city center in a circular manner includes major tourist spots such as the Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima Castle, and Shukkeien Garden. Efforts are underway to redefine this section as a “circular line” for tourists, combining unlimited ride passes with tourist guides for each tram stop.

The number of tourists visiting Hiroshima reached about 14 million annually in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic (according to Hiroshima Prefecture tourism statistics), and is on the path to recovery. Notably, the increase in inbound tourists is significant, and the city center of Hiroshima, located along the route connecting Miyajima (Itsukushima Shrine) and the Peace Memorial Park, has faced the challenge of transforming from a “transit point” to a “destination.”

The tourism utilization of the circular line is one answer to this challenge. If a route is established for tourists to explore the city via trams, it will naturally lead to stops in commercial areas such as Kamiyacho and Hatchobori. When the mode of transportation changes, consumer behavior changes. When consumer behavior changes, the center of commercial accumulation shifts.

A representative from the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce points out, “With the opening of the station building coinciding with the development of the circular line, a new flow will emerge between the two poles of Hiroshima Station and the Kamiyacho-Hatchobori area.” Previously existing as “points,” the attractions will be connected by the tram as a “line,” generating a spatial economic effect—this structural transformation will become visible in the summer of 2026.

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The Structure of Three Interlocking Gears

The three movements we have examined so far—the improvement of connections through the large roof, the cultivation of citizens’ sense of ownership through the exhibition, and the tourism transformation of the circular line—may appear to be independent initiatives, but they actually share a common structure.

That structure is the “redesign of urban flows centered around the tram.”

The large roof smooths the transfer from JR to the tram, the circular line encourages city exploration via trams, and the exhibition cultivates interest and affection for the trams. The three layers of hard, soft, and communication are moving in sync, centered around the same mode of transportation at the same time.

This “simultaneity” is not coincidental. It is the result of Hiroshima Electric Railway and Hiroshima City aligning their tourism strategies and citizen participation initiatives with the schedule for the redevelopment of the station building. Rather than evaluating each project separately, understanding the “rewriting of flows” that emerges when the three overlap will be key to grasping Hiroshima this summer.

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The Question of “Who Benefits”

When urban infrastructure is updated, it is not uncommon for the question of “for whom is this change?” to remain ambiguous. In the case of Hiroshima, that answer is relatively clear.

First, the citizens who regularly use the trams. Their transfers at the station will become easier, and the inconveniences on rainy days will be alleviated. Next, tourists visiting Hiroshima. With the presentation of a “clear flow” via the circular line, it will become easier for them to navigate the city even without prior knowledge. Finally, the commercial entities along the line. The increase in flow will generate new customer traffic.

On the other hand, there are points that require attention. What will be the impact on commercial facilities around the existing ground tram stops due to the entry into the second floor of the station building? Will the shift of flows “upward” reduce foot traffic at ground level? Will the increase in tourists on the circular line worsen congestion during commuting hours? When structures change, there will inevitably be those who benefit and those who are forced to adjust. If we do not consider both sides, the evaluation of flows will be incomplete.

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Hiroshima’s Test is the “Sustainability of the Structure”

The summer of 2026 will mark a milestone for Hiroshima. However, what will truly be questioned is what comes next.

The large roof will remain once completed. However, the sense of ownership cultivated through the exhibition will fade without ongoing mechanisms. Similarly, the tourism utilization of the circular line will end as a transient campaign if the quality of unlimited pass sales and multilingual support is not maintained.

Hard infrastructure will remain once built. However, soft elements will decay if not continuously nurtured. The true value of Hiroshima’s redesign of flows will begin in the summer of 2026, not end.

When the trams began running just three days after the bombing, they were a symbol of recovery. In 2026, eighty years later, the same trams will become the axis for rewriting the city’s flows. It is not just the vehicles and tracks that have changed. There is now a will in Hiroshima to embed the entire design philosophy of the city into the tram system.

Whether that will continue beyond the summer— the answer lies within the trams that keep running.