Tokyo Monorail

Tokyo Monorail Haneda Airport Line
A train passing through Haneda Airport
Overview
Native name東京モノレール羽田空港線
OwnerTokyo Monorail Co., Ltd.
LocaleTokyo, Japan
Termini
Stations11
WebsiteTokyo Monorail
Service
TypeStraddle-beam monorail (Alweg-type)
SystemHitachi
Daily ridership140,173 (2018, average)[1]
History
Opened17 September 1964 (1964-09-17)
Technical
Line length17.8 km (11.1 mi)
CharacterElevated and underground[2]
Minimum radius120 m (390 ft)
Operating speed
  • 45 km/h (28 mph) (average)
  • 80 km/h (50 mph) (top)
Route diagram

Monorail Hamamatsuchō
Tennōzu Isle
Ōi Keibajō Mae
Ryūtsū Center
Shōwajima
Seibijō
Tenkūbashi
Haneda Airport Terminal 3
Shin Seibijō
Haneda Airport Terminal 1
Haneda Airport Terminal 2

The 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 straddle-beam, Alweg-type monorail line in Tokyo, Japan. It is an airport rail link that connects Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) to Tokyo's Ōta, Shinagawa, and Minato wards. The 17.8-kilometer (11.1 mi) line serves 11 stations between the Monorail Hamamatsuchō and Haneda Airport Terminal 2 stations. It runs on a predominantly elevated north–south route that follows the western coast of Tokyo Bay. The monorail is operated by the Tokyo Monorail Co., Ltd., which is jointly owned by JR East, the system's rolling stock supplier Hitachi, and ANA Holdings, Inc. (the holding company of All Nippon Airways). It carried an average of 140,173 passengers per day in 2018.

Plans to build Japan's first airport rail link surfaced in 1959 as Tokyo was preparing to host the 1964 Summer Olympics. That year, the Yamato Kanko Co., Ltd.—later renamed the Tokyo Monorail Co.—was established to build the rail connection. Construction began in 1963 and completed on 17 September 1964, just 23 days ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony. Upon opening, the monorail operated between the Hamamatsuchō and Haneda stations, making no intermediate stops. It has since been expanded with infill stations and extensions, and there are plans to extend it to Tokyo Station in the future.

The Tokyo Monorail is one of two rail lines serving the airport, the other being the Keikyū Airport Line. At Hamamatsuchō Station, passengers may transfer to the Keihin–Tōhoku and Yamanote lines of JR East, as well as the Asakusa and Oedo lines of the Toei Subway via nearby Daimon Station. The monorail also connects with Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit's Rinkai Line at Tennōzu Isle Station.

  1. ^ 会社概要 [Company Profile] (in Japanese). Tokyo Monorail Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "Case Study: Heavy Duty Performance, Tokyo Monorail" (PDF). Hitachi Rail. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 6, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.