Shonan Monorail

Shonan Monorail
A 5000 series train in August 2008
A 5000 series train in August 2008
Overview
LocaleKanagawa Prefecture
Transit typeSuspension railway
Number of lines1
Number of stations8
Operation
Began operationMarch 7, 1970
Operator(s)Shonan Monorail Co, Ltd
Wholly owned subsidiary of Michinori Holdings
formerly part of Mitsubishi Group, Keihin Kyuko Electric Railway, Seibu Railway, Nippon Steel
Technical
System length6.6 km (4.1 mi)
Minimum radius of curvature90 m (295 ft)
Electrification1,500 V DC
Top speed75 km/h (45 mph)
System map

Inside and outside a train near Kataseyama Station, 2021
A Shonan Monorail train at the Shonan Monorail Head Office, near Shonan-Fukasawa station, with track switch at upper left. Also visible on the left are maintenance vehicles.

The Shonan Monorail (湘南モノレール, Shōnan Monorēru) is a suspended SAFEGE monorail in the cities of Kamakura and Fujisawa in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the Shonan Monorail Co., Ltd. (湘南モノレール株式会社, Shōnan Monorēru Kabushiki-gaisha) which belongs to Michinori Holdings, and opened on March 7, 1970, the first monorail of its kind in Japan.[1]

Trains run on a 6.6 km (4.1 mi) line called the Enoshima Line. It is used by commuters that work in Tokyo or Yokohama, tourists visiting Enoshima, and, in summer months, city dwellers who are visiting the parks or baths of Enoshima.[2]

  1. ^ Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. p. 80. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
  2. ^ "Shonan and Enoden". Retrieved 2007-09-02.