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Tokyo Monorail (東京モノレール) is a
monorail system connecting
Tokyo International Airport to
Hamamatsucho Station in downtown
Tokyo,
Japan. The trains operate along an elevated line that follows the
coast of
Tokyo Bay. The trip from the airport to Hamamatsucho is 21 minutes
long, and costs ¥470 each way.
The six-car trains ("2000 Series") run at speeds of up to 80 kph (50
mph), although, counting stops, they average around 45 kph (30 mph). Each
car has a combination of aisle-facing bench seats, forward and rear-facing
seats, and seats in the center of the aisle facing the windows. The trains
also feature extra space for hand luggage, as a convenience for air
travelers.
The line opened in
1964 to coincide with the
1964 Summer Olympics. The first cars were made in Japan from the
German Alweg design (also used in the
Seattle Monorail), and were replaced by newer models in 1969, 1977,
1982, and 1989.
Originally, the monorail only served Hamamatsucho and the airport. The
first station added in between was the Oi Race Track in 1965, followed by
Seibijo in 1967. Nowadays, the line serves nine stations and handles about
300,000 passengers every weekday, operating from 5:30 AM to midnight with
over 500 trains; it is often cited as the busiest and most profitable
monorail line in the world.
Japan National Railways, the parastatal predecessor of
JR,
operated the monorail until
1981, when it was privatized. To date, over 1 billion passengers have
used the monorail: however, in recent years, it has become less popular
because of competition from the
Keihin Kyuko Railway. The
East Japan Railway Company purchased the line in
2002 and is currently studying a possible extension to Shinbashi.
Passengers using the monorail to travel to the airport can take
advantage of
city air terminal facilities at Hamamatsucho. Japan's domestic
airlines (JAL,
ANA,
Skymark Airlines, and
Air Do) all 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, as a convenience for Osaka-Tokyo passengers.
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