Ueno Zoo Monorail
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| Ueno Zoo Monorail Line | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Ueno Zoo |
| Transit type | Suspended monorail |
| Number of lines | 1 |
| Number of stations | 2 |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | December 17, 1957 |
| Ended operation | October 31, 2019 (suspended) December 27, 2023 (decommissioned) |
| Operator(s) | Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation |
| Number of vehicles | 1 |
| Technical | |
| System length | 0.3 km (0.19 mi) |
| Electrification | 600 V DC |
The Ueno Zoo Monorail Line (東京都交通局上野懸垂線, Tōkyō-to Kōtsū-kyoku Ueno Kensui-sen) was a 0.3 km (0.19 mi) long suspended railway operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). It lies within the Ueno Zoo in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. The monorail is similar to the Wuppertal Schwebebahn, but has rubber tires rather than steel wheels. Many of the parts manufactured for the monorail were off-the-shelf.[1] The first monorail in the nation (and the first zoo monorail in the world[2]), it had two stations, single track, and operated at 600 V DC. The line began operating on December 17, 1957, was suspended during 2001–2002, and has been suspended since October 31, 2019, with the operator citing the high costs of replacing the aging trains.[3][4][5] It was officially closed on December 27, 2023.[6] Being located inside the zoo, it only operated on days when the zoo was open, and between 9:40 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with departures scheduled every seven minutes. The fare for the 90-second trip was 150 yen.
History
[edit]The number of cars in Japan rose since the end of World War 2, which caused heavy traffic congestions around Tokyo. Trams and bus routes operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation suffered from delays and loss of passengers caused by traffic congestions. The subway network in Tokyo was in construction from pre-war, and the Bureau of Transportation was also building their own subway line in 1958, but subways were expensive to build. Monorails were considered as the alternative to other transportation methods such as buses and subways, and Ueno Zoo was selected as the site for the monorail line.[7] Monorails were in development at the time, and the Bureau of Transportation worked with Toshiba and Nippon Sharyo to develop a new method. The method was similar to the Wuppertal Schwebebahn, although it used rubber tires instead. This monorail was called "Ueno-style."[7]
Permit to operate the line was given on 22 June 1957 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism[7], and the line opened on December 27 of that year.[8] However, the Bureau of Transportation planned to close the line in 1980 due to financial difficulties and aging of equipments. This plan was stopped in 1983 after a safety check due to requests for the line to be kept in operation.[9]
On January 23, 2019, the Bureau of Transportation announced that the line will be suspended due to aging of the rolling stocks introduced in 2001. The line was suspended on November of that year.[10][11] The Bureau of Transportation was initially willing to maintain the line[10], but decided to permanently close the line in 2023.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Ueno Zoo". Retrieved March 30, 2007.
- ^ "Philadelphia Zoo". Archived from the original on January 4, 2006. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
- ^ "Fate of Japan's oldest monorail line up in the air". Japan Times. January 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ NISHIMURA, NAOMI (January 24, 2019). "Japan's oldest monorail in Ueno Zoo bound for suspension". The Asahi Shimbun.
- ^ "「 上野動物園モノレール40形車両引退イベント』 開催" (in Japanese). railf.jp. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ "東京都懸垂電車上野懸垂線における鉄道事業廃止日の繰上について" (PDF) (in Japanese). November 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c "廃止決定｢上野動物園モノレール｣の歴史的意義". 東洋経済オンライン (in Japanese). August 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
- ^ "黒字でも休止､上野モノレールに復活はあるか". 東洋経済オンライン (in Japanese). April 5, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
- ^ 東京都交通局100年史. Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. 2012. p. 257.
- ^ a b "恩賜上野動物園モノレール休止のお知らせ" (PDF). January 23, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2019.
- ^ "上野動物園モノレールが運行休止 62年の歴史にひとまず幕 都民から意見聞き今後を検討". 乗りものニュース (in Japanese). October 31, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
- ^ "東京都交通局,ピックアップ情報,東京都懸垂電車上野懸垂線の鉄道事業廃止届の提出について". 東京都交通局 (in Japanese). July 21, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2025.