Chiba Urban Monorail



The Chiba Urban Monorail (千葉都市モノレール) is a two-line suspended monorail system located in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by Chiba Urban Monorail Co., Ltd (千葉都市モノレール株式会社), a third-sector company established on March 20, 1979. Investors include the city of Chiba.

The first segment (Line 2 from Sports Center Station to Chishirodai Station) opened on March 28, 1988, also the rest by March 24, 1999. PASMO and Suica contactless smart cards can be used to purchase fares. It is one of the only two systems in Japan that accepts only these cards and not other Mutual Usage IC cards.

It is the world's longest suspended monorail system with a track length of 15.2 km.

Line 1
Line 1 connects Chiba-Minato Station and Kenchō-mae Station by a 3.2 km multiple-track route. Operating at 1,500 V DC, trains make four intermediate stops.

Line 2
Line 2 connects Chiba-Minato Station and Chishiro-dai Station. Operating at 1,500 V DC, trains make 13 intermediate stops on the 13.5 km multiple-track route.

Extension plans
Extensions of Line 1 had been proposed, notably a five-station, 3.4 km extension from Kenchō-mae Station to Chiba Municipal Aoba Hospital. However, in 2004 an evaluation committee found that there was no need for the extension, and proposed closing the underused segment from Chiba Station to Kencho-mae Station. There was also a plan to extend the line from Anagawa Station to Inage and Inage-kaigan Station.

On 4 September 2019, Chiba City announced that it had decided to discontinue plans to extend the monorail hospital route, and not to introduce a monorail on the Inage route.

History

 * 1979/03/20 – The company was established.
 * 1988/03/28 – Line 2 between Sports Center Station and Chishirodai Station opened.
 * 1990/09/18 – The total number of passengers reached 10 million.
 * 1991/06/12 – Line 2 opened between Chiba Station and Sports Center Station.
 * 1994/03/07 – The total number of passengers reached 50 million.
 * 1995/08/01 – Line 1 between Chiba Minato Station and Chiba Station opened.
 * 1997/06/17 – The total number of passengers reached 100 million.
 * 1999/03/24 – Line 1 between Chiba Station and Kencho-mae Station opened. At the same time, the running time for Line 2 was shortened by about 10%, and automatic ticket machines were installed at all stations.
 * 2006 – Chiba Prefecture pulls out from funding the monorail due to unsatisfactory ridership numbers.
 * 2006/06/21 – A train collided with the arm of a crane truck working on a sewer line between Sakusabe Station and Chiba-Koen Station on Line 2.
 * 2007/03/19 – The four-car trains that had been in service were discontinued.
 * 2009/03/14 – PASMO introduced.
 * 2012/07/08 – The new trains "Urban Flyer 0-type" began operating.
 * 2019/02/20 – Announced the introduction of station numbering at all stations in anticipation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
 * 2020/09/09 – A fire broke out when a contractor accidentally cut a cable during substation renewal work, temporarily disrupting service on all lines.
 * 2021/05/31 – The total number of passengers reached 500 million.

Special tickets

 * Holiday Free Pass (ホリデーフリーきっぷ)
 * Available: Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
 * Cost: Adults 630 yen, children 320 yen
 * Valid: All day on the day of purchase.
 * 2-Day Free Pass (2-DAYフリーきっぷ)
 * Available: Two consecutive days. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
 * Cost: Adults 1050 yen, children 530 yen
 * Valid: All day on the day of purchase.
 * Lunchtime Free Pass (お昼のお出かけフリーきっぷ)
 * Available: From 10AM to 6PM on weekdays.
 * Cost: Adults 620 yen, children 310 yen
 * Valid: From 10AM to 6PM on day purchased.