Shonan Monorail
A 5000 series train in August 2008
Overview
Locale	Kanagawa Prefecture
Transit type	Suspension railway
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	8
Operation
Began operation	March 7, 1970
Operator(s)	Shonan Monorail Co, Ltd Wholly owned subsidiary of Michinori Holdings formerly part of Mitsubishi Group, Keihin Kyuko Electric Railway, Seibu Railway,Nippon Steel
Technical
System length	6.6 km (4.1 mi)
Minimum radius of curvature	90 m (295 ft)
Electrification	1,500 V DC
Top speed	75 km/h (45 mph)
System map

TheShonan Monorail (湘南モノレール,Shōnan Monorēru) is asuspended SAFEGE monorail in the cities ofKamakura andFujisawa inKanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the Shonan Monorail Co., Ltd. (湘南モノレール株式会社,Shōnan Monorēru Kabushiki-gaisha) which belongs toMichinori Holdings, and opened on March 7, 1970, the first monorail of its kind in Japan.^[1]

Trains run on a 6.6 km (4.1 mi) 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.^[2]

The monorail was built byMitsubishi Heavy Industries, and the line opened March 7, 1970 between Ōfuna and Nishi-Kamakura. The rest of the line opened on July 1, 1971.^[1]

Until 2018, the monorail company was part owned byKeihin Kyuko Electric Railway because the monorail line runs over "Keihin Kyuko Line" which was a toll road operated by Keikyu.^[3]Seibu Railway also had investment in the company because Kokudo which was a subsidiary of Seibu Group developed land aroundKataseyama Station.

In May 2015, most shares of this monorail line and company were transferred toMichinori Holdings from Mitsubishi Group.^[4]

In 2018, this company became a wholly subsidiary company of Michinori Holdings.

The Shonan Monorail is twinned withWuppertal Schwebebahn since 2018, a suspension railway located inWuppertal, a city inNorth Rhine-Westphalia, 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.^[5]

The Shonan Monorail Enoshima Line (江の島線,Enoshima-sen) travels 6.6 km (4.1 mi) every seven to eight minutes betweenŌfuna Station andEnoshima, making six stops.^[1] The average length of a single trip is 14 minutes.^[6] The line includes two tunnels (betweenShōnan-Fukasawa andNishi-Kamakura stations, and betweenMejiroyamashita andShōnan-Enoshima stations).^[7] The line's maintenance workshop is located at the Shonan Monorail Headquarters in Kamakura City.^[8]

All stations are in Kanagawa Prefecture.

* Track switching possible at these stations

• 5000 series 3-car sets (since 2004)

As of July 2016^[update], the line is operated using a fleet of seven three-car aluminium-bodied 5000 series trainsets.^[9] The 5000 series is equipped with aVVVF 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.^[10]

• 
  A 5000 series set in October 2009

• 
  A 400 series set in 2004
• 
  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.^[1] Two sets were increased to three cars from February 1975 to provide additional capacity.^[1] The last of the 300 series sets were withdrawn by July 1992, following the introduction of new 500 series trains.^[11] The 500 series trains introduced in 1988 were the first air-conditioned trains on the line.^[1] The last 500 series train was withdrawn after its last day in service on 26 June 2016.^[9]

• Monorails in Japan
• List of rapid transit systems

Wikimedia Commons has media related toShōnan Monorail.

• Company website in Japanese, with translation available
• Youtube video of riding along the Shonan Monorail

35°21′08″N139°31′53″E / 35.352339°N 139.531417°E /35.352339; 139.531417(Ōfuna)35°18′43″N139°29′16″E / 35.311887°N 139.487806°E /35.311887; 139.487806(Shōnan-Enoshima)

• Monorail lines in Japan
• Suspended monorails
• SAFEGE people movers
• Railway lines opened in 1970
• 1970 establishments in Japan
• Shonan Monorail
• Transport in Kanagawa Prefecture
• 1500 V DC railway electrification

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• CS1 Japanese-language sources (ja)
• Articles with short description
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• Articles containing potentially dated statements from July 2016
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