Okinawa Monorail

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Okinawa City Monorail Line
Yui rail.jpg
Location Naha, Okinawa
Type straddle-beam
Length 12.8 kilometres
Inaugration August 2003
Lines 1
Stations 15
Daily ridership 35,000
Operator Okinawa City Monorail Corporation
Top speed 65 km/h
Operational mode With driver
Okinawa Monorail at Akamine, the southern-most rail station in Japan

The Okinawa City Monorail Line (沖縄都市モノレール Okinawa Toshi Monorēru?), or Yui Rail (ゆいレール Yui Rēru?), is a monorail line in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. Operated by Okinawa City Monorail Corporation (沖縄都市モノレール株式会社 Okinawa Toshi Monorēru Kabushiki-gaisha?), it opened on August 10, 2003, and is currently the only functioning public rail system in Okinawa Prefecture (it was the first rail line on Okinawa since World War II.

It comprises 15 stations, running from Naha Airport in the west to Shuri (near Shuri Castle) in the east, running through the heart of Naha.[1] The average distance between stations is 0.93 kilometers. It takes 27 minutes and costs ¥290 to traverse its entire length of 12.8 km.

Trains are made up of two cars, with 65 seats and a total capacity of 165 people[2]. It runs on an elevated track between 8 and 20 meters above the ground. Its top speed is 65 km/h (about 40 mph), but it averages 28 km/h (17 mph) counting stops.

It boasts including both the westernmost rail station in Japan (Naha Airport station) and the southernmost (Akamine station).

An extension of the monorail is currently in the planning process. There are three short routes being considered.

Stations

References

  1. Naha (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
  2. Okinawa Monorail Photo Special Page 3 (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-15.

See also

External links

ja:沖縄都市モノレール