The is a suspended SAFEGE monorail in the cities of

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

and Fujisawa in

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, Japan. It is operated by the which belongs to Michinori Holdings, and opened on March 7, 1970, the first monorail of its kind in Japan. Trains run on a 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.

History

The monorail was built by

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the prede ...

, and the line opened March 7, 1970 between Ōfuna and Nishi-Kamakura. The rest of the line opened on July 1, 1971. Until 2018, the monorail company was part owned by Keihin Kyuko Electric Railway because the monorail line runs over "Keihin Kyuko Line" which was a toll road operated by Keikyu.

Seibu Railway is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism, and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbrevi ...

also had investment in the company because Kokudo which was a subsidiary of Seibu Group developed land around Kataseyama Station. In May 2015, most shares of this monorail line and company were transferred to Michinori Holdings from Mitsubishi Group. In 2018, this company became a wholly subsidiary company of Michinori Holdings. Shonan Monorail in sistership with Wuppertaler Schwebebahn

Shonan Monorail in sistership with Wuppertaler Schwebebahn

The Shonan Monorail is twinned with

Wuppertal Schwebebahn The Wuppertaler Schwebebahn () is a suspension railway in Wuppertal, Germany. The line was originally called in () named after its inventor, Eugen Langen. It is the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world. Being grade-se ...

since 2018, a suspension railway located in

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, with a population of 355,000. Wuppertal is the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and List of cities in Germany by population, 17th-largest in Germany. It ...

, a city in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, Germany. Both suspension railways hung down on the rail and are known tourist destinations for Monorail enthusiasts. Both suspension railways made a twinning campaign on its doorside in September 2018.

Stations

The Shonan Monorail travels every seven to eight minutes between

Ōfuna Station Ōfuna Station (, ) is a railway station in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Shonan Monorail. Lines Ōfuna Station is served by the Tokaido Main Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, Negishi Line (Keihin-T� ...

and

Enoshima is a small offshore island, about in circumference, at the mouth of the Katase River which flows into the Sagami Bay of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Administratively, Enoshima is part of the mainland city of Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Fujisawa, and is ...

, making six stops. The average length of a single trip is 14 minutes. The line includes two tunnels (between and stations, and between and stations). The line's maintenance workshop is located at the Shonan Monorail Headquarters in Kamakura City. All stations are in Kanagawa Prefecture. * Track switching possible at these stations

Rolling stock

* 5000 series 3-car sets (since 2004) , the line is operated using a fleet of seven three-car aluminium-bodied 5000 series trainsets. The 5000 series is equipped with a

VVVF A variable-frequency drive (VFD, or adjustable-frequency drive, adjustable-speed drive, variable-speed drive, AC drive, micro drive, inverter drive, variable voltage variable frequency drive, or drive) is a type of AC motor, AC motor drive (sys ...

control device and regenerative brake which allows for smooth acceleration and deceleration. The VVVF inverter control reduces the need for inspection and maintenance because unlike a DC motor, there is no commutator brush or contact switch. File:Shonanmonorail5000-3 20091030.jpg, A 5000 series set in October 2009

Former

File:Shonanmonorail400.jpg, A 400 series set in 2004 File:ShonanSerie500.JPG, A 500 series set in April 2008 * 300 series 2/3-car sets (from March 1970 until July 1992) * 400 series (from 1980 until July 2004) * 500 series 3-car sets (from 1988 until June 2016) Services were initially operated using a fleet of six two-car 300 series trainsets built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Two sets were increased to three cars from February 1975 to provide additional capacity. The last of the 300 series sets were withdrawn by July 1992, following the introduction of new 500 series trains. The 500 series trains introduced in 1988 were the first air-conditioned trains on the line. The last 500 series train was withdrawn after its last day in service on 26 June 2016.

References

External links