Monorails in Japan
Encyclopedia
Currently operational
- Chiba Urban Monorail (Townliner): ChibaChiba, Chibais the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a government designated city in 1992. Its population as of 2008 is approximately 960,000....
, ChibaChiba Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, 1988. - Disney Resort LineDisney Resort LineThe , officially called , is an automated monorail that links Maihama Station and Tokyo Disney Resort. The system is operated by , the subsidiary of Oriental Land Co., Ltd. that operates the resort....
: UrayasuUrayasu, Chibais a city located in the far western corner of northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,822 and a population density of 9530 persons per km²...
, Chiba, 2001. - Kitakyūshū MonorailKitakyushu monorailThe Kitakyushu monorail is a monorail in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan, run by the Kitakyushu Urban Monorail Co. Ltd. ....
: KitakyūshūKitakyushu, Fukuokais a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. It is midway between Tokyo and Shanghai.- Demographics :Kitakyūshū has a population of just under one million...
, FukuokaFukuoka Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
, 1985. - Okinawa Monorail (Yui Rail): NahaNaha, Okinawais the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...
, OkinawaOkinawa Prefectureis one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
, 2003. - Osaka Monorail: OsakaOsaka Prefectureis a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
, 1990. The longest monorail in the world. - Skyrail Midorizaka LineSkyrail Midorizaka LineThe is a monorail line, or a people mover line, operated by Skyrail Service. The line runs between Midoriguchi and Midori-Chūō, all within the new town called Skyrail Town Midorizaka, Aki, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. The line is officially called...
: Aki-kuAki-ku, Hiroshimais one of the eight wards of the city of Hiroshima, Japan.As of November 1, 2005, the ward has an estimated population of 76,858 and a density of 817.55 persons per km². The total area is 94.01 km²....
, Hiroshima, HiroshimaHiroshima Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
, 1998. A commuter line in a residential development suburb of the city. It is also considered as an automated guideway transit. - Shōnan MonorailShonan MonorailThe is a suspended SAFEGE monorail located in the cities of Kamakura and Fujisawa in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the , the line opened March 7, 1970, and was the first monorail of its kind in Japan....
: KanagawaKanagawa Prefectureis a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, 1970. - Tama Toshi Monorail LineTama Toshi Monorail LineThe , also referred to as the Tama Monorail, is an important part of the Western Tokyo public transport network.Operated by Tokyo Tama Intercity Monorail Co., Ltd., the double tracked, 16.0 km monorail line carries passengers between the suburban cities of Higashiyamato and Tama via Tachikawa,...
: TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, 1998. - ToeiTokyo Metropolitan Bureau of TransportationThe is Tokyo's public transportation authority. Its subway lines are commonly described as 都営 Toei, meaning "operated by the metropolitan government ." It is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Tokyo Metro.-Toei Subway:The lines were originally...
Ueno Zoo MonorailUeno Zoo MonorailThe is a 0.3 km long suspended monorail operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation . It lies within the Ueno Zoo in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. The monorail is similar to the Schwebebahn Wuppertal, but has rubber tires rather than steel wheels. Many of the parts manufactured for...
: Tokyo, 1958. It links the two sectors of the zooUeno ZooThe is a zoo, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and located in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is Japan's oldest zoo, opening on March 20, 1882. It is a five-minute walk from the Park Exit of Ueno Station, with convenient access from Tokyo's public-transportation network...
in Ueno ParkUeno Parkis a spacious public park located in the Ueno section of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It occupies the site of the former Kan'ei-ji, a temple closely associated with the Tokugawa shoguns, who had built the temple to guard Edo Castle against the north-east, then considered an unlucky direction...
. - Tokyo MonorailTokyo Monorail, officially the , is a monorail system connecting Haneda Airport in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, to Hamamatsuchō Station in Minato, Tokyo. The trains operate along an elevated line that follows the coast of Tokyo Bay. The trip from the airport to Hamamatsuchō costs ¥470 each way.-History:The line opened in...
: Tokyo, 1964. The world's busiest and most commercially successful monorail line, carrying around 100 million passengers yearly.
Discontinued
- DreamlandYokohama DreamlandYokohama Dreamland was an amusement park that operated in Totsuka, Yokohama, Japan from 1964 to 2002. It closed permanently on February 17, 2002 due to financial issues. The amusement park was turned into a prison in 2006.-External links:...
Monorail, Kanagawa, 1966 — 1967. - Nagoya MunicipalTransportation Bureau City of Nagoyais a public organization of transportation in Nagoya, Japan. The organization operates subways and buses. It was founded in 1922, as an operator of Nagoya City Tram bought from Nagoya Electric Railroad, the current Nagoya Railroad...
Higashiyama Park Monorail, NagoyaNagoya, Aichiis the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
, Aichi, 1964 — 1974. - Himeji Municipal Monorail, HimejiHimeji, Hyogois a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 535,945, with 206,409 households. The total area is 534.43 km².- History :...
, HyōgoHyogo Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, 1965 — 1974. - MeitetsuNagoya Railroad, often abbreviated as , is a railroad company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan.Some of the more famous trains operated by Nagoya Railroad include the Panorama Car and the Panorama Car Super, both of which offer views through their wide front windows...
Monkey Park Monorail LineMonkey Park Monorail LineThe was a monorail in Inuyama, Aichi that connected the Japan Monkey Park to Inuyama-yūen Station, operated by Nagoya Railroad . The line featured steep sections, including one 9.7% grade, and traveled through an artificial canyon for a section...
: InuyamaInuyama, Aichiis a city located near Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.In 2010, the city had a population of 75,449 and a population density of 1,010 persons per km². The total area is 74.97 km². The city lies along the edge of Aichi Prefecture, separated from neighbouring Gifu Prefecture by the Kiso River...
, AichiAichi Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
, 1962–2008. It linked the Monkey Park to the nearest railway station. - OdakyūOdakyu Electric Railway, or OER, is a major railway company based in Tokyo, Japan best known for its Romancecar series of limited express trains from Tokyo to Odawara, Enoshima, Tama New Town, and Hakone....
Mukōgaoka-Yūen Monorail Line, KawasakiKawasaki, Kanagawais a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. It is the 9th most populated city in Japan and one of the main cities forming the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area....
, Kanagawa, 1965 — 2001. - "Suspended Train" at the Exhibition of Transportation and Electricity in Osaka, 1928. Operated only for a week, from November 28 till December 3. It was the first monorail in the nation, as well as the only one in the pre-warPre-warThe term pre-war or prewar is usually applied to the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.Antebellum is most often used to denote the period before the American Civil War while pre-war typically refers to the period before WWII.In real estate the term refers to buildings from the...
period. - Yomiuri LandYomiuri LandYomiuri Land is one of the larger and well known Japanese amusement parks near Tokyo, first opened in 1964. It is situated on hillsides, and features modern "thrill" rides such as roller coasters and water rides...
Monorail, Kanagawa and Tokyo, 1964 — 1978.
Other monorails
- Slope carSlope carA is a small automated monorail, or a fusion between monorail, people mover, and rack railway. It is a brand name of Kaho Manufacturing. Since this mode of transportation is relatively unknown, it lacks widely accepted generic name, other than the simple "monorail". The system, however, is...
s are small automated monorails found in the various parts of Japan. Unlike the monorails above, slope cars are not legally considered as railways. Similar concepts include Raxcars and Monoriders. - There are also small industrial monorails used in various places, most notably in steep orchardOrchardAn orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s, especially of mikanMikanThe satsuma is a seedless and easy-peeling citrus mutant of Japanese origin introduced to the West.In Japan, it is known as mikan or formally unshu mikan . In China, it is known as Wenzhou migan . The Japanese name is a result of the local reading of the same characters used in the Chinese...
citrus. http://www.ttn.ne.jp/~marujin/items.htm The first of its kind was invented in 1966. - Vista liner is another type of monorail which is not legally a railway. The system is smaller than ordinary monorails, but larger than slope cars. Vista liners can be typically seen in amusement parkAmusement parkthumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
s, such as Expo Land.
Automated guideway transitAutomated guideway transitAutomated guideway transit is a fully automated, driverless, grade-separated transit system in which vehicles are automatically guided along a "guideway". The vehicles are often rubber tired, but other systems including steel wheels, air cushion and maglev systems have also been used in experiments...
s
Strictly speaking, these lines are not monorails, though they resemble one at first glance. The rail in the center of the track serve only to guide the train, not support it, so they don't qualify as monorails.
- Astram LineAstram LineThe is a new transit system operated by Hiroshima Rapid Transit in Hiroshima, Japan.-History:*August 8, 1994 - Opened for the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima...
(Hiroshima Rapid TransitHiroshima Rapid Transitis a Japanese transportation company based in Hiroshima, Japan.Hiroshima Rapid Transit operate the People mover called "Astram Line" in Hiroshima.The company will accept PASPY, a smart card ticket system, from spring, 2009.-External links:*...
Hiroshima New Transit Line 1): Hiroshima, Hiroshima - LinimoLinimo, formally the is a magnetic levitation train line in Aichi, Japan, near the city of Nagoya. While primarily built to serve the Expo 2005 fair site, the line is still operating to serve the local community.Linimo is owned and operated by...
(Aichi Rapid Transit Tōbu Kyūryō Line): Aichi. - Nagoya Guideway Bus Shidami LineYutorito Lineis a bus rapid transit line in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. The line is officially called . Its official nickname, Yutorīto Line, is a portmanteau of yutori and . As such, the name is also unofficially spelt Yutreet Line. The line is owned by Nagoya Guideway Bus, whose name is also often used as the...
(Yutorīto Line): Nagoya, Aichi. - New ShuttleIna LineThe New Shuttle , is a Japanese human-operated rubber-tyred automated guideway transit system.The 12.7-kilometre that runs north from Ōmiya Station in Saitama, Saitama, along Jōetsu Shinkansen through Ageo to Uchijuku Station in Ina in Saitama Prefecture in the Greater Tokyo Area is the only...
(Saitama New Urban Transit Ina Line): SaitamaSaitama, Saitama' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
, SaitamaSaitama Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
. - New Tram (Osaka MunicipalOsaka Municipal Transportation BureauOsaka Municipal Transportation Bureau is a public department of transportation of the city of Osaka, Japan, which operates the municipal subway lines, the New Tram and city buses.-Current:...
Nankō Port Town Line): Osaka, Osaka. - Peach Liner (Tōkadai New Transit Tōkadai Line): KomakiKomaki, Aichiis a city located in Aichi, Japan. It is commonly associated with the former Nagoya Airport, which is partly located in the city. The other part is in the city of Kasugai. As of January 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 149,060 and the density of 2,370 persons per km²...
, Aichi. Already discontinued. - Port Liner (Kobe New TransitKobe New Transitis the third-sector semipublic company that runs Port Island Line and Rokkō Island Line automated guideway transit systems in Kobe, Japan...
Port Island Line): Kobe, HyōgoHyogo Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
. - Rokkō Liner (Kobe New TransitKobe New Transitis the third-sector semipublic company that runs Port Island Line and Rokkō Island Line automated guideway transit systems in Kobe, Japan...
Rokkō Island Line): Kobe, Hyōgo. - Seaside LineKanazawa Seaside Lineis a new transportation system line operated by and transits from Shin-Sugita to Kanazawa-Hakkei in Yokohama. It was opened on July 5, 1989.- Line Data :...
(Yokohama New Transit Kanazawa Seaside Line): YokohamaYokohamais the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Kanagawa. - SeibuSeibu Railwayis a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbreviation of "west Musashi," referring to the historic name for this area...
Yamaguchi LineSeibu Yamaguchi LineThe of Seibu Railway is a manually operated people mover that runs between in Higashimurayama, Tokyo and Seibu-Kyūjōmae Station in Tokorozawa, Saitama in Japan. The line has an official nickname Leo Liner, after 'Leo', the hero of Kimba the White Lion, who is also the mascot of Seibu Lions...
(Leo Liner): TokorozawaTokorozawa, Saitamais a city in Saitama, Japan. It is located in the central part of the Musashino plain, about 30 km west of downtown Tokyo. Tokorozawa can be considered part of the greater Tokyo area; its proximity to the latter and lower housing costs make it a popular bedroom community.-Location:Tokorozawa...
, Saitama. A people mover Between Seibuen Park and Invoice Seibu Dome. - ToeiTokyo Metropolitan Bureau of TransportationThe is Tokyo's public transportation authority. Its subway lines are commonly described as 都営 Toei, meaning "operated by the metropolitan government ." It is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Tokyo Metro.-Toei Subway:The lines were originally...
Nippori-Toneri Liner: TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. - Yamaman Yūkarigaoka Line: SakuraSakura, Chibais a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 172,176 and a population density of 1660 persons per km². The total area was 103.59 km².-Geography:...
, Chiba. - YurikamomeYurikamome, formally the is an automated guideway transit service operated by the Tokyo Waterfront New Transit Corporation, connecting Shimbashi to Toyosu, passing through the artificial island of Odaiba in Tokyo, Japan, a market in which it competes with the cheaper Rinkai Line.The line is named after the...
(Tokyo Waterfront New Transit Waterfront Line): TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
See also
- MonorailMonorailA monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
- Slope carSlope carA is a small automated monorail, or a fusion between monorail, people mover, and rack railway. It is a brand name of Kaho Manufacturing. Since this mode of transportation is relatively unknown, it lacks widely accepted generic name, other than the simple "monorail". The system, however, is...
- List of railway companies in Japan
- List of railway lines in Japan