Tokyo Monorail

Tokyo Monorail
Background
Locale	Tokyo
Transit type	Straddle-beam monorail
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	11
Daily ridership	~300,000
Operation
Began operation	1964
Operator(s)	Tokyo Monorail Co., Ltd.
Technical
System length	17.8 km (11.1 mi)

Tokyo Monorail (東京モノレール, Tōkyō Monorēru), officially the Tokyo Monorail Haneda Airport Line (東京モノレール羽田空港線, Tōkyō Monorēru Haneda Kūkō sen), 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 1964 to coincide with the 1964 Summer Olympics. Built by Hitachi Monorail, the first cars were made in Japan from the German ALWEG design (also used in the Seattle Center Monorail and the original Disneyland Monorail), and were replaced by newer models in 1969, 1977, 1982, and 1989.

Originally, the monorail only served Hamamatsuchō and the airport. The first station added in between was the Ōi Race Track in 1965, followed by Seibijō in 1967.

1000 series trainset at Seibijō station

When the monorail began operation, the passenger terminal at Haneda Airport was located on the west side of the airfield, south of Seibijō, and this was the southern terminus of the monorail. Upon the opening of the new passenger terminal (now Terminal 1) in 1993, the monorail was extended to a new platform, and the former passenger terminal was razed to make room for an extension of Runway B. The now-unused monorail tunnel leading to the old station was leased from the Transport Ministry and therefore had to be restored to its original state prior to its handover. Although the rails were removed from the tunnel and its entrance walled off, the tunnel remains otherwise intact today below the extension of Runway B.

A single-station, 0.9-km extension to Haneda's new Terminal 2 opened on December 1, 2004, and the opening of a passing loop at Showajima allowed express services from March 18, 2007. A new station to serve the airport's new International Terminal was opened on 21 October 2010.

Currently, the Tokyo Monorail serves eleven stations and operates from 5:30 AM to midnight with over 500 trains. Often cited as the busiest and most profitable monorail line in the world (it carried its 1.5 billionth passenger on January 24, 2007), it has recently become somewhat less popular through competition from the Keikyū Airport Line.

The line is operated by the Tokyo Monorail Co., Ltd. (東京モノレール株式会社, Tōkyō Monorēru Kabushiki-gaisha). JR East purchased stock in the company in 2002, currently owning 70%; the remainder being divided between Hitachi (12%), Japan Airlines (9%) and All Nippon Airways (9%).

Future extensions

2000 series trainset at Shōwajima Station, April 2008

In June 2009, Tokyo Monorail Co., Ltd., formally notified the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of its intent to convert the present single-track terminal at Hamamatsucho, which has rested unchanged for 45 years, into a dual-track, dual-platform structure. To be built in 6.5 years at an estimated cost of 26 billion yen, this will increase the line's capacity from 18 to 24 trains per hour and lay the groundwork for a long-mooted extension to Shimbashi Station.

Features

The six-car (1000 and 2000 Series) trains run at speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph). Their average speed along the line, including stops, is around 45 km/h (28 mph). Each car has a combination of aisle-facing bench seats, forward and rear-facing seats, and seats in the center of the aisle. The trains also feature extra space for hand luggage, as a convenience for air travelers.

Tokyo Monorail was originally one of the only "private" railways to use JR East's Suica fare card system. The Monorail is now fully integrated with both Suica and the new PASMO fare card.

Stations and service patterns

Tokyo Monorail route map

Legend DaimonToei Asakusa Line and Ōedo Line HamamatsuchoJR Yamanote and Keihin-Tōhoku Line Shuto Expressway Loop Line Tōkaidō Shinkansen servicing line Tennōzu IsleRinkai Line Ōi-Keibajō-mae(Oi Race Course) Ryūtsū Center Shuto Expressway Haneda Line (1) Shōwajima Seibijō TenkūbashiKeikyu Airport Line International Terminal Shin-Seibijō Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Keikyu Airport Line Haneda Airport Haneda Airport Terminal 2

Key:
● Stops at this station
― Does not stop at this station

Station name	Japanese	Local (普通)	Rapid (区間快速)	Haneda Express1 (空港快速)
Monorail Hamamatsuchō	モノレール浜松町	●	●	●
Tennōzu Isle	天王洲アイル	●	●	―
Ōi Keibajō-mae	大井競馬場前	●	●	―
Ryūtsū Center	流通センター	●	●	―
Shōwajima	昭和島	●	―	―
Seibijō	整備場	●	―	―
Tenkūbashi	天空橋	●	―	―
Haneda Airport International Terminal	羽田空港国際線ビル	●	●	●
Shin-Seibijō	新整備場	●	―	―
Haneda Airport Terminal 1	羽田空港第１ビル	●	●	●
Haneda Airport Terminal 2	羽田空港第２ビル	●	●	●

¹Haneda Express trains make the nonstop run between Hamamatsuchō and Haneda Airport in 16 minutes.

Airport access

Passengers using the monorail to travel to the airport can take advantage of check-in facilities at Hamamatsuchō. Japan's domestic airlines (JAL, ANA, Skymark Airlines, and Air Do) have check-in counters and ticket machines right at the station. Tokyo Monorail tickets can also be purchased on the lower level of Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Itami Airport (also in Osaka), as well as Naha Airport in Okinawa and departure gate area at Hiroshima Airport.

An alternative to the monorail is the Keihin Kyuko Railway's Airport Line between the airport and Shinagawa Station. Both railways compete with the bus services.

See also

• Monorails in Japan
• List of rapid transit systems

Further reading

• L.W. Demery, R. Forty, R. DeGroote and J.W. Higgins, Electric Railways of Japan (Interurbans- Tramways-Metros) Vol.1: Tokyo and Northern Japan. Light Rail Transit Association, 1983.

External links

• Official site