Railway
Iyotetsu operates three railway lines, all of which connect Matsuyama to the surrounding region. They are known locally in Japanese as kougai densha (郊外電車; lit. 'suburban trains'):
Takahama Line
This 9.4 km line opened as 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge in 1888, and was regauged to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), double-tracked to Baishinji (8.2 km) and electrified at 600 V DC in 1931. This line is still electrified at 600 V DC, not increased to 750 V DC as Yokogawara or Gunchū Lines. The Takahama Line and the Ōtemachi Tramline have one of the few remaining rail/tram level crossings in Japan.
Yokogawara Line
This 13.2 km line opened as 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge in 1893, and was regauged to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) in 1931. Steam locomotives were replaced by diesel traction in 1954, and the line was electrified at 750 V DC in 1967. Through services to and from the Takahama line commenced in 1981.
Gunchū Line
The initial 10.7 km line was opened as a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge line in 1896 by the South Iyo Railway. Iyotetsu acquired it through merger in 1900. It was regauged to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) in 1937. In 1939, a 600 m extension opened to Gunchuko, enabling a transfer to JR Iyo Station (today Iyoshi on the Yosan Line. The line was electrified in 1950 at 600 V DC, increased to 750 V DC in 1976.
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CTC signalling was introduced on the rail system in 1993.
Former connecting lines
A 4.4 km 762 mm gauge line opened from Iyo Tachibana (on the Yokogawara Line) to Morimatsu in 1896, the line being regauged to 1,067 mm in 1931. The line closed in 1965.
Tram
Iyotetsu operates a system of five interconnected tram lines within Matsuyama, known locally in Japanese as shinai densha (市内電車; lit. 'inter-city trains').
Lines
There are officially five lines, as follows:
Jōhoku Line: Komachi — Heiwadōri 1
Jōnan Line: Dōgo Onsen — Nishi-Horibata
Honmachi Line: Minami-Horibata — Hommachi 6
Ōtemachi Line: Komachi — Nishi-Horibata
Hanazono Line: Matsuyama City Station — Minami-Horibata
Renraku Line: Heiwadōri 1 — Kami-Ichiman
Routes
There are five routes regularly in service, which use one or more lines above:
(Route 4 is skipped, as the number 'four' in Japanese is pronounced the same as the word "death".)
Bus
The company operates highway buses which links Matsuyama to various major cities in Japan, including Tokyo/Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka/Kyoto, Kobe, Okayama, Fukuyama, Fukuoka, Tokushima, Takamatsu, and Kōchi. It also operates a local network in and around the city, including services that operate to and from Matsuyama Airport.
