Tokyo Monorail

Haneda Airport in the 1950s

By the time Japan's commercial aviation industry recovered from the Second World War in the early 1950s, Tokyo's Haneda Airport had emerged as the country's largest transport hub and international gateway. In 1959, the airport recorded approximately 910,000 total passengers and expected many more for the coming 1964 Summer Olympics. As a result, the government unveiled a plan for a central Tokyo-to-airport rail link. Opponents of the rail line briefly countered with a proposal to extend the Tokyo Expressway instead, but fears that this would only worsen vehicular congestion led to a preference for rail.[3]^:9

In August 1959, the Yamato Kanko Co., Ltd. was established to build the rail line; it renamed to Japan Elevated Railway Co., Ltd. a year later. The company applied for a route license to build a straddle-beam, Alweg-type monorail in January 1960, which the Japanese government granted the following December.[4] The company selected Alweg due to two factors. First, the company's president, Tetsuzo Inumaru, was an old friend of Dr. Axel Wenner-Gren, the founder of Alweg. Second, Hitachi, Ltd., which would build the line, was keen on further developing the technology.[3]^:9

Project planners originally intended the monorail line to extend from Haneda Airport to Shimbashi or Tokyo Station,[5] and the license that had been acquired allowed building it up to either station.[6]^:3 However, opposition from residents living near the Shibaura Canal, which had been part of the proposed route,[7] as well as cost overruns during the construction of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, which drained government subsidies, resulted in a shortened route from the airport to Hamamatsuchō Station. To further minimize costs, the line was routed over other public waterways donated by local municipalities, which eliminated the need to acquire expensive private land, but reclaimed parts of Tokyo Bay, as well as rivers and canals. The resulting alignment removed a number of fishing and aquatic farming operations, and local fishing cooperatives had their licences revoked by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Among them was a seaweed harvesting field in Ōta Ward that had produced a premium brand of nori since the Edo period called Omori no nori.[5]

The Ministry of Transport authorized the monorail project in December 1961.[3]^:9 A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 1, 1963, and the subsequent construction of the line progressed rapidly.[8]^:248 In May 1964, Japan Elevated Railway Co., Ltd. again changed its name to Tokyo Monorail Co., Ltd.[4] The line cost a total of 21.1 billion yen (equivalent to approximately $60 million in 1964 dollars[9]), of which 20 billion yen was spent for construction and 1.1 billion yen on rolling stock.[3]^:9 Hitachi built the first-generation cars in Japan, which were inspired by the original Alweg design developed for the Seattle Center Monorail and the original Disneyland Monorail. Upon its inauguration, the Tokyo Monorail became the world's first commercial monorail service and Japan's first airport rail connection.[10][11]

Service commenced on September 17, 1964, 23 days ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony on October 10.[12] At the time of opening, the Tokyo Monorail ran a total length of 13.1 kilometers (8.1 mi) and served only its termini: Hamamatsuchō Station and the airport. Most of the artificial islands in Tokyo Bay had not yet been reclaimed, and the line mostly ran over water.[13] The price for a one-way ticket was 250 yen,[14][15] which was relatively more expensive than other available options at the time. It was notably cheaper to take a taxi with four people to the airport than to ride the monorail. A recession following the Olympics resulted in a decrease in airport arrivals, which severely affected ridership. In 1966, the Tokyo Monorail was forced to reduce the price of its fare to 150 yen to attract more passengers.[13]

Ōi Keibajō Mae became the monorail's first infill station upon its completion in May 1965. It was originally built as a temporary station above the water along the coast and only operated on days when an event was taking place at Ohi Racecourse. Its permanent replacement opened two years later. The city government subsequently reclaimed the area around this station and developed a housing complex known as Yashio Park Town.[13] In November 1967, an overpass connecting the monorail platform to the JR platforms of Hamamatsuchō Station was completed.[4] Between 1967 and 1993, four more stations were built along the original alignment. These were Haneda Seibijō, later renamed Seibijō (1967); Shin Heiwajima, later renamed Ryūtsū Center (1969); Shōwajima (1985); and Tennōzu Isle (1992).[6]^:3

Construction of Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station, then-named Haneda Airport International Terminal Station, in 2009

When the monorail began operating, the passenger terminal at Haneda Airport was located on the west side of the airfield, south of Seibijō, and this was the southern end of the line. Upon the opening of a new passenger terminal—now Terminal 1—in 1993, the monorail was extended to a new platform and another station, Shin Seibijō, was built for the employees of nearby maintenance facilities.[6]^:4 Meanwhile, the former passenger terminal was razed and the monorail tunnel beneath it abandoned to make room for an extension of Runway B.[16] The original Haneda Station, which was abandoned along with the tunnel, was rebuilt farther west along the new section of tracks and renamed Tenkūbashi Station in November 1998.[17] Although the rails were removed and its entrance walled off, the now-unused tunnel remains otherwise intact today below the Runway B extension.[16]

The monorail has continued to adapt and expand with the terminal changes and expansions of Haneda Airport. A single-station, 0.9-kilometer (0.56 mi) extension to the airport's then new Terminal 2 opened on December 1, 2004, and resulted in the renaming of the existing Haneda Airport Station to Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Station. The opening of a passing loop at Shōwajima allowed for the operation of express services from March 18, 2007.[4] A new infill station to serve the airport's new International Terminal opened on October 21, 2010. On March 14, 2020, the three stations serving Haneda Airport were renamed to coincide with the renaming of the International Terminal to Terminal 3. In Japanese, the word "building" (ビル, biru) in the station names was modified to "terminal" (ターミナル, tāminaru). From north–south, the stations are Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station (羽田空港第3ターミナル駅), Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Station (羽田空港第1ターミナル駅), and Haneda Airport Terminal 2 Station (羽田空港第2ターミナル駅).[18][19]

The Tokyo Monorail is 17.8 kilometers (11.1 mi) long.[6]^:12 It traverses Tokyo's Minato, Shinagawa, and Ōta wards. The line's northern terminus is Monorail Hamamatsuchō Station. From there, the tracks travel southbound, crossing over various other lines including the Yamanote, Keihin–Tōhoku, and Tokaido Shinkansen lines.[23]

Stations

Key
●	Stops at this station
	Skips this station

No.	Image	Name	Japanese	Distance (km)	Local	Rapid	Haneda Express	Connections and notes[25]	Location
MO01		Monorail Hamamatsuchō	モノレール浜松町	0.0	●	●	●	JK Keihin–Tōhoku Line JY Yamanote Line A Asakusa Line (via Daimon Station) E Oedo Line (via Daimon Station)	Minato
MO02		Tennōzu Isle	天王洲アイル	4.0	●	●		R Rinkai Line	Shinagawa
MO03		Ōi Keibajō Mae	大井競馬場前	7.1	●	●		—
MO04		Ryūtsū Center	流通センター	8.7	●	●		—	Ōta
MO05		Shōwajima	昭和島	9.9	●			—
MO06		Seibijō	整備場	11.8	●			—
MO07		Tenkūbashi	天空橋	12.6	●			KK Keikyū Airport Line
MO08		Haneda Airport Terminal 3	羽田空港第3ターミナル	14.0	●	●	●	KK Keikyū Airport Line Name changed from Haneda Airport International Terminal Station (羽田空港国際線ビル駅) on March 14, 2020.[18]
MO09		Shin Seibijō	新整備場	16.1	●			—
MO10		Haneda Airport Terminal 1	羽田空港第1ターミナル	16.9	●	●	●	KK Keikyū Airport Line (via Haneda Airport Terminal 1·2 Station) Name changed in Japanese from 羽田空港第1ビル駅 on March 14, 2020.[18]
MO11		Haneda Airport Terminal 2	羽田空港第2ターミナル	17.8	●	●	●	KK Keikyū Airport Line (via Haneda Airport Terminal 1·2 Station) Name changed in Japanese from 羽田空港第2ビル駅 on March 14, 2020.[18]

As of 2020, the Tokyo Monorail operates three train types: 1000 series, 2000 series, and most recently, 10000 series. All trainsets run in a six-car configuration and are capable of running at speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 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. These trains are stored and maintained at Shōwajima Depot beside Shōwajima Station during off-service hours. The 1000 series trains were introduced from 1989, and the 2000 series trains were introduced from 1997.[26]

From 18 July 2014, the first of a fleet of new 10000 series 6-car trains was introduced, replacing the older 1000 series trains.[26][27]

The Tokyo Monorail operates from around 5:00 a.m. to midnight with over 500 trains. The first departure towards the airport leaves at 04:58 and the last departure is at 00:01. Towards Hamamatsuchō, the first departure is at 05:11 and the final departure is at 00:05 (final departure serving all stations at 23:38). 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. It carried its 1.5 billionth passenger on January 24, 2007.[28]

An alternative to the monorail is the Keikyu Airport Line between the airport and Shinagawa Station. Both railways compete with bus services.

Fares

Fare gates and ticket vending machines at Seibijō Station

As of 2020, the Tokyo Monorail offers multiple fare types with varying lengths of validity and terms of use. One-way tickets, which are valid for the day of purchase, may be used to travel between two stations without making intermediate stops. Return tickets are similar but allow for a return trip; these are valid if returning to any Haneda Airport station within 10 days and to other stations within two weeks. Multiple-trip tickets are sold in books of 11 and are valid for two to three months. The purchase of "school commutation" multiple-trip tickets requires proof of a student discount certificate with the Open University of Japan. Groups of 15 or more can acquire discounted group tickets.[29] A special discount ticket is offered to riders needing to transfer to the Yamanote Line.[30] Commuter and travel passes are also available.[29] The Tokyo Monorail began accepting the contactless smart card Suica on April 21, 2002.[8]^:260 It began issuing its own "Monorail Suica" cards in 2009.[31] The monorail also accepts the regional Pasmo card and the Japan Rail Pass.[32][33]

Fares may be purchase from ticket vending machines at any monorail station.[34] As of June 2020, Tokyo Monorail tickets can also be purchased from machines at the following airports: Fukuoka Airport, Hakodate Airport, Hiroshima Airport, Itami and Kansai airports in Osaka, Kagoshima Airport, Kumamoto Airport, Nagasaki Airport, Naha Airport, New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, Oita Airport, Okayama Airport, Takamatsu Airport, and Toyama Airport.[35]

• Monorails in Japan

• 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.
• Kusamachi, Yoshikazu (June 2009). 再発見!! モノレールの魅力 [Rediscovering the fascination of monorails]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 49 no. 578. Koyusha Co., Ltd. pp. 114–118.

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