Bertalan Soós

Suspended Railways in Japan

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After my ride on the Wuppertal Suspension Railway, I decided that as soon as I return to Japan, I will visit both suspended monorail lines there.

Southeast of Tokyo, just an hour away, runs the Shonan Monorail, connecting the city of Ofuna with the beautiful Enoshima Island area, with trains departing every 8 minutes. The monorail, which runs along a winding, roller coaster-like track, stops at 8 stations and completes the journey in about 15 minutes. This is Japan’s first suspended monorail, in operation since 1970.

West of Tokyo, also about an hour away, lies the Chiba Urban Monorail, completed 18 years later in 1988. With its 15-kilometer route, it holds the title of the world’s longest suspended monorail. It features 18 stations and a branching line, resulting in three terminus points. Unlike the Shonan Monorail, trains here run on separate tracks for opposite directions, eliminating the need to wait for each other at stations. Although services are less frequent – with almost twice the waiting time compared to the Shonan line – the trains have an additional car, and the route has fewer elevation changes.

2025 Január – Japán