System length 28.0 km (17.4 mi) Began operation 1990 Number of lines 2 | Minimum radius of curvature 100 m (330 ft) Number of stations 18 | |
 | ||
Daily ridership 100,602 daily boardings (2008) Operator(s) Osaka Monorail Co., Ltd. Profiles | ||
Osaka monorail main line
The Osaka Monorail (大阪モノレール, Ōsaka Monorēru) is a monorail in northern Osaka Prefecture, Japan, operated by Osaka Monorail Co., Ltd. (大阪高速鉄道株式会社, Ōsaka Kōsoku Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha). It is noted in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the longest monorail in the world at over 21.2 kilometres long, although it has since been bypassed in length by the Chongqing Monorail. It also links three campuses of Osaka University.
Contents
Main Line
The Main Line runs on an elevated line between Osaka International Airport and Kadoma. It opened on June 1, 1990 between Senri-Chuo and Minami-Ibaraki stations. On September 30, 1994 it reached Shibahara Station, on April 1, 1997, Osaka Airport, and on August 22, 1997, its current eastern terminal at Kadoma-shi Station. It is 21.2 km long. A trip over the entire Main Line takes about 36 minutes, and costs ¥540.
Saito Line
The Saito Line branch opened in two stages: on October 1, 1998 from Bampaku-kinen-koen Station to Handai-byoin-mae Station, and on March 19, 2007, to Saito-nishi Station, in the residential area of Saito, about a kilometer from the Minoo Campus of Osaka University (former Osaka University of Foreign Studies). The branch is 6.8 km long.