Absolutely love the Tokyo Monorail! Brought me to tears at sunset when leaving, as it was my last train before stepping back onto a plane leaving the land of the rising sun...
The Tokyo Monorail was Hitachi's first - since then, they've changed a lot. The floor on the Tokyo Monorail is a little lower than standard, so the wheels (bogies) protrude up into the floor area, so the seating is unusual (it's wrapped around where the wheels are).
Newer Hitachi monorails (like Tama-Toshi and Osaka) have completely flat floors that are a little higher, with a different bogie design. The seats are all longitudinal along the sides. It's probably a better design, from a transit perspective, but the trains end up looking a little goofier - not quite as sleek as Tokyo's.
Tama-Toshi Monorail. Note the much higher floor line compared to the top of the beamway.
Osaka's Monorail shares the same vehicle dimensions as Tama-Toshi.
The Tokyo Monorail, comparatively, has the floor much lower to the top of the beamway. This was my favourite photo from my trip, so I had to share it again.
If you like amazing views, make sure to take a ride on the Yurikamome over to Odaiba! The spiral ride up onto the Rainbow Bridge is fantastic. You can catch it at Shimbashi.
The Tokyo Monorail was Hitachi's first - since then, they've changed a lot. The floor on the Tokyo Monorail is a little lower than standard, so the wheels (bogies) protrude up into the floor area, so the seating is unusual (it's wrapped around where the wheels are).
Newer Hitachi monorails (like Tama-Toshi and Osaka) have completely flat floors that are a little higher, with a different bogie design. The seats are all longitudinal along the sides. It's probably a better design, from a transit perspective, but the trains end up looking a little goofier - not quite as sleek as Tokyo's.
Tama-Toshi Monorail. Note the much higher floor line compared to the top of the beamway.
Osaka's Monorail shares the same vehicle dimensions as Tama-Toshi.
The Tokyo Monorail, comparatively, has the floor much lower to the top of the beamway. This was my favourite photo from my trip, so I had to share it again.
If you like amazing views, make sure to take a ride on the Yurikamome over to Odaiba! The spiral ride up onto the Rainbow Bridge is fantastic. You can catch it at Shimbashi.