Cool Monotrail In Chiba-Shi

[Isan]

http://photo.taipeilink.net/makrut/1-2-2-11782897?m=1&pg=0

http://www.slawek.com/mono/aaa00600.jpg

http://www.slawek.com/mono/aaa00593.jpg

[maxxam80]

nice new photos for me

thank you

[alex92]

I guess this is the first time I see a monorail hung by the top. That's not very common, I think.

[Jose Luis]

wow very impressive i love japan

[rayman]

nice but it would be nicer if they had another train model than that one, it looks kinda outdated for japan

[Alan934]

yes cool indeed

[maxxam80]

I don't think the cars need replacing

look fairly mordern to me

the new JR trains look very modern and they are not curvy at all

just clean lines

curves are so 1990's

[Imperfect Ending]

its weird to see a train like that

[Mahaputra]

wow.. that's heaps cool..
it's like upside down monorail.. ehehe

[Nick]

Great pictures of the Chiba Monorail.

I was sent up to Chiba city to teach for two weeks from Osaka in Feb this year.Great city and very close to the world's largest metropolis.I loved the train ride on JR from Chiba into central Tokyo.50 km of thick urban density before the train dips into central Tokyo.Just amazing!!!!!!!!!

[kiretoce]

Very unique and one-of-a-kind!

[cicarra]

reminds me of the suspended roller coaster in the wonderland.

[Isan]

The Chiba City "Townliner" is currently the longest suspended monorail system in the world, and it is getting longer. Since it opened, the system has never stopped getting bigger. Long term plans are for the monorail to be over 40 km in length, and this will most likely be surpassed. Building upon the knowledge and experience of the Shonan Monorail, the Mitsubishi Company built this dual-tracked system to connect suburbs in the Chiba Prefecture with Chiba's main rail station downtown. It is currently the world's only dual-beamed Safege-type system. It also has a spur line off the main line, another example that monorail switches work fine. One of the reasons Chiba officials selected Safege was because of the occasional inclement weather of the area. With Safege, the running surfaces and train bogies are protected from the elements inside the beams. Alweg-type monorails need either heaters in the beam or shovels on the fronts of beam during heavy snow or ice conditions. The downside of the Safege system is the larger size of the beams. A Texas-based company named Aerorail is proposing a smaller-beamed, higher speed version of Safege using steel rails


Opened 1988
15.5 km
18 stations

http://www.monorails.org/webpix/Chiba.jpg

[Nick]

The Chiba City "Townliner" is currently the longest suspended monorail system in the world, and it is getting longer. Since it opened, the system has never stopped getting bigger. Long term plans are for the monorail to be over 40 km in length, and this will most likely be surpassed. Building upon the knowledge and experience of the Shonan Monorail, the Mitsubishi Company built this dual-tracked system to connect suburbs in the Chiba Prefecture with Chiba's main rail station downtown. It is currently the world's only dual-beamed Safege-type system. It also has a spur line off the main line, another example that monorail switches work fine. One of the reasons Chiba officials selected Safege was because of the occasional inclement weather of the area. With Safege, the running surfaces and train bogies are protected from the elements inside the beams. Alweg-type monorails need either heaters in the beam or shovels on the fronts of beam during heavy snow or ice conditions. The downside of the Safege system is the larger size of the beams. A Texas-based company named Aerorail is proposing a smaller-beamed, higher speed version of Safege using steel rails


Opened 1988
15.5 km
18 stations



Cheers for the infomation.I was very fascinated by it.I used it every day while I was teaching in the city for 2 weeks back in Feb

[Electrify]

New Mitsubishi Safege designs (4/17/07)
Chiba, Japan. Chiba City Monorail may get new trains in the future, according to their website. A new "Urban Flyer O-type" design is featured on the website, one that includes that includes features that are sure to be a hit with passengers. Concepts for the "Urban Flyer O-type" train include the possibility of placing the driver in a smaller left-hand cab, allowing passengers to stand by the front windows for a spectacular view forward. Not only that, but the concept features numerous windows in the floor to add the the Peter Pan flight experience of riding Safege. Target date for operation of the first train is 2009. Besides Chiba, the Mitsubishi website is showing another new Safege train design called the "Crystal Flyer." The end cars feature stylish angles instead of the familiar "box car" designs of Shonan and Chiba. Mitsubishi designers not only have attempted to improve the look of their trains, but they state they are striving to enhance a fully unobstructed view for its passengers.

http://www.monorails.org/webpix%202/150CrystalFlyer.jpg

Also, while slightly off topic, here are a couple of videos showing the full Shonan monorail run (also SAFEGE design)

6 minutes into this one the train seems to be going top speed
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Here is a video of it leaving the station. Even though the previous videos don't seem very fast from inside the train, here it looks like it is accelerating as fast as any heavy or light metro.
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I've just been researching Safege monorails since they are good with winter and I think they would be a better system to use for Toronto's transit upgrades than LRT.