On July 21st, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government submitted an abolition notification of the Ueno Zoo Monorail line to the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation. Something that I didn't want to happen, happened. As I posted before, the operation of the Ueno Zoo Monorail line had been suspended since October 2019 due to the aging of the rolling stock.
Let me quickly review the Ueno Zoo Monorail line. It was opened in 1957 as the oldest suspension monorail line in Japan. Connecting the East and West gardens, the route length is only 332 meters. A lovely 2-car train was operated by the Transportation Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Although it looked like a ride in an amusement park, it was official public transportation based on the Railway Business Act.
The major reason for the abolition of the monorail line was the high manufacturing cost of the new train. The specification of the Ueno Zoo Monorail line is very unique; therefore, its rolling stock should be a special order one. To make matters worse, the required number of trains is only one set, 2 units. According to the media, it will cost about 6 million USD. The metropolitan government currently plans the other transportation instead. It will be opened in the fiscal year 2026.
I still remember that I took the Ueno Zoo Monorail line with my classmates on an elementary school trip. That might have marked my starting point as a rail fan. Thank you and goodbye for good... the Ueno Zoo Monorail line.
