Repairs have been completed for the Kyoto Electric Railway (Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau No. 2) train, which is preserved within the grounds of Heian Shrine in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, and a commemorative ceremony was held at the shrine on March 6, 2026.
Kyoto Electric Railway (Keioden) opened in 1895. This train, manufactured in 1911, is said to be the oldest remaining Keiden train. It was taken over by Kyoto City Tram, which acquired Keiden, and operated until the Kitano Line was abolished in 1961. After the train was abolished, Heian Shrine acquired it and exhibited it in the South Shrine Gardens. It was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 2020, and will be relocated and repaired to the west side of Otenmon Gate in time for the 130th anniversary of Heian Shrine's founding in 2025.
The train is 8.3 meters long, 3.2 meters high, 2 meters wide, and weighs 6.7 tons. At a total cost of approximately 200 million yen, rust on the carriages was removed and damaged handrails repaired. The dark green and cream-coloured carriages were also stripped of paint and repainted, restoring them to the appearance they had when the Kitano Line was abolished.
The shrine said, "On April 1, 1895, the day the shrine was founded, the Domestic Industrial Exposition was held in the Okazaki area, and Keio Electric Railway ran a train from Kyoto Station to the venue. We hope you will visit this 'holy land of trains' and reflect on the efforts of the people of Kyoto at the time who diverted water from the Lake Biwa Canal, used that water to generate electricity, and ran the trains." The shrine will be open to the public from April 1st. Free admission.
