Merry Christmas! The spread of COVID-19 is lessening in Japan. Most of the amusement parks are open as usual. Tokyo Disney Resort is no exception, but you need to make a reservation in advance. I recently visited the Disney Resort line in Tokyo Disney Resort for the first time in almost eight years.
Let's quickly review the Disney Resort line. It's a monorail route operated by Maihama Resort Line Company. It's a public transport opened in 2001 under the Railway Business Act, NOT an attraction inside the resort. The route is a looped single track running through amusement facilities, official hotels and JR East Maihama station. It's 5 kilometer-long with four stations. The trains run counterclockwise throughout the day. Using ATO (automatic train operation) system, driverless operation is conducted; meanwhile, a conductor is on board for door operation and guide announcements to passengers.
What's new with this resort monorail? I found a new train named the EMU 100 series (hereafter "Type C") on the line. It was commissioned in July, 2020 to replace the old model, 10 series (hereafter "Type X"). Two sets of Type C are currently operated on the line. What are the differences between the two models? The outer designs are similar to each other, but only Type C has color shades on the body stripe. The passenger windows of Type C are slightly larger than those of the Type X. Regarding the interior, Type C has simple long seats; meanwhile Type X has corner sofa-type seats.
