Launch of Tokyo's first electric streetcar line

May 17, 1904 marked the debut of Tokyo's electric streetcar network operated by the Tokyo Electric Railway. This innovation replaced horse-drawn trams with overhead-wire powered cars, addressing growing urban congestion after the Russo-Japanese War. Engineers adapted European technology to Japan's narrow streets, using double-truck cars for higher capacity. The event spurred rapid subway and rail expansion, influencing the dense rail network still used today. Notable for its role in the Meiji-era modernization, it connected key districts like Shinbashi to Asakusa. Model railroad enthusiasts appreciate the period details of early pantographs and wooden-bodied rolling stock that defined Japanese urban rail.