Kitakyushu Monorail

The Kitakyushu Monorail^[a] is a monorail system in the city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kitakyushu Urban Monorail Co. Ltd.,^[b] which is wholly owned by the Kitakyushu municipal government.

OwnerKitakyushu Urban Monorail Co., Ltd. (owned by the city of Kitakyushu)

LocaleKitakyushu, Japan

Stations13

TypeStraddle-beam monorail (Alweg‑type)

Quick facts Overview, Owner ...

Kitakyushu Monorail
Overview
Owner	Kitakyushu Urban Monorail Co., Ltd. (owned by the city of Kitakyushu)
Locale	Kitakyushu, Japan
Stations	13
Service
Type	Straddle-beam monorail (Alweg‑type)
Daily ridership	32,820 (JFY23)[1]
History
Opened	9 January 1985; 41 years ago (9 January 1985)
Technical
Line length	8.8 km (5.5 mi)
Electrification	Contact rails, 1,500 V DC
Route map Show static map Legend Sanyo Shinkansen to Hakata│to Shin-Shimonoseki Kagoshima Main Line • to Moji to Nishi- Kokura • Kagoshima & Nippō Main Lines & Hitahikosan Line Kokura Heiwadōri Tanga Kantake River Kawaraguchi Mihagino Katano Hitahikosan Line Jōno Kitagata Keibajōmae Moritsune Shii River Tokuriki Kōdanmae Tokuriki Arashiyamaguchi Shii Shii River Kikugaoka Shii-Kōen Hitahikosan Line to Yoake│to Kokura This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram

Close

The Kokura Line^[c] is the only line. It runs the 8.8 km (5.5 mi) between Kokura station and Kikugaoka station in Kokura Minami ward in about 18 minutes. It was opened on January 9, 1985, between the station now called Heiwadori and Kikugaoka, and at the time was the first monorail in the world with high level platforms and trains with floors entirely above the bogies.^[2][3] This increased available floor space and now all but one of Japan's surviving Alweg monorails have high level platforms and employ podium-free trains.^[4][5] This line was extended about 300 metres (1000 ft) to Kokura station from Heiwadori on April 1, 1998.

The monorail is owned by the city of Kitakyushu, and did not begin to make a profit until the extension to Kokura station was completed. This had been resisted by the businesses in Uomachi shopping district who feared they would lose customers, but that did not happen.

Once a year, there are beer and wine parties held on the monorail, with bookings made in advance. Santa Claus boards the train on December 24.^[6]