Toei 40 series

Data (as of 29 Jul 2023)

History

The 40 series was the last type of Ueno Zoo Monorail. The Monorail was 0.2 mile-long and operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, connecting west and east areas of the Zoo. It was the first monorail in Japan, opened in 1957. Ueno Zoo Monorail was built as a test line of alternative means of transportation, which must be more efficient and punctual than trams. However, it became clear that monorail was not always suitable for the city of Tokyo, as it was expensive to build while capable to transport only limited number of passengers. The Bureau decided not to make any new monorail, and instead started expanding underground and bus networks.

There was a two-carriage unit of the 40 series with colourful longitudinal seating and train driving system based on Windows XP. The series entered service in 2001 when monorail facilities were refurbished (including seismic retrofitting).

However, the monorail itself was closed in 2019 as the Bureau struggled to maintain the 40 series and it would cost tremendously to replace the train and refurbish all the facilities with earthquake-resistant features. Though it was initially announced as a "temporary closure", the Bureau decided in 2023 not to reopen the line again.