Okayama is the main city in Okayama Prefecture, about 730 kilometers west of Tokyo. It's one of the business centers of the Chugoku District in the western part of Japan. The population is about 718,000. Okayama is famous as a city of fruits producing peaches, grapes and pears. I recently visited this fruitful city for the first time in eleven years.
One of the main modes of transport in the city is by tram. Okayama Electric Tramway, which is a local private company, operates two routes in the city. The operating length is 4.7 kilometers. The track is 1,067 millimeter-wide and double. The electric system is 600 V DC with overhead lines.
The most eye-catching vehicle is a gold and black-colored electric car, set 1011 of the 9200 series. It's a poster train to promote tourism to Okayama Castle on the line. The castle was renovated a few years ago, and is gaining in popularity. Gold and black are the symbol colors of the castle. The gold color is taken from the ornaments on the roof; meanwhile, the black color is from the outer wall. The 1011 is the second set of the 9200 series. It's a low-floor tram commissioned in 2011. One set is composed of two cars. Its overall length is 18 meters. Each car has one independent wheel-type bolster-less bogie, which was designed by Bombardier Transportation in Germany. The electric control system is an IGBT-VVVF inverter (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor - variable frequency drive) with induction motors.
