Toyamako Light Rail

Company History: The Toyamako line in Toyama, Japan, was converted to a Light Rail transit system in 2006, bringing with it an opportunity for the introduction of an all new light rail street car system for servicing the costal city. These light rail cars, built through joint efforts of Bombardier Transportation and Niigata Transys, are modern, low floor (no step up) street cars which are capable of running on both light rail street tracks and main line heavy rail.

Brief History: Japan is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean with dense cities, imperial palaces, mountainous national parks and thousands of shrines and temples. Shinkansen bullet trains connect the main islands of Kyushu (with Okinawa's subtropical beaches), Honshu (home to Tokyo and Hiroshima’s atomic-bomb memorial) and Hokkaido (famous for skiing). Tokyo, the capital, is known for skyscrapers, shopping and pop culture.

Although legend has it that Japan was founded in 660BC, archaeologists agree that settlement in the Japanese archpelago dates back as far as 100,000 years. The Jomon Period (8000-c.300BC) is the earliest that has been studied. It is named after the 'jomon' or cord-marked pattern style of pottery of the period.