Informed but opinionated commentary and analysis on urban transportation topics from the Secret Worldwide Transit Cabal. Names have been omitted to protect the guilty.

Our Mission: Monkeywrench the Anti-Transit Forces

 
Monorail Facts and Figures - 1

From the Cabalmaster:

From Numberman:

The Secret Worldwide Transit Cabal has obtained a trove of facts and statistics related to Japanese monorails. Much of this information was translated from Japanese sources, and we have verified the existence of these references.

We TransitCabalists are frankly skeptical of monorail as a pratical "trunk" mode for U.S. cities. However, monorail obviously works well in "niche" markets, as the Japanese experience demonstrates.

This first list compares unit operating cost per passenger-mile (with average travel distance) for U.S. and Japanese rail and guideway transit systems. Systems are listed in rank order, from "best" to "worst."

Salt Lake City (LRT): $0.15, 8.1 mi.

San Diego (LRT): $0.17, 6.5 mi.

St. Louis (LRT): $0.21, 6.7 mi.

Tokyo-Eidan (HRT): $0.25, 4.9 mi.

Atlanta (HRT): $0.25, 6.0 mi.

New York-NYCT (HRT): $0.25, 5.0 mi.

San Francisco-BART (HRT): $0.26, 13.0 mi.

Hiroshima-Miyajima Line (LRT, 1999): $0.27, 3.5 mi.

Tokyo-Toei (HRT): $0.27, 5.8 mi.

Portland (LRT): $0.29, 5.8 mi.

Los Angeles (LRT): $0.29, 7.0 mi.

Philadelphia-PATCO (HRT): $0.31, 8.8 mi.

Tokyo Monorail: $0.31, 7.2 mi.

Chicago (HRT): $0.31, 5.7 mi.

Kobe (HRT): $0.32, 5.9 mi.

Washington, DC (HRT): $0.34, 5.5 mi.

Yokohama (HRT): $0.36, 5.1 mi.

Tokyo "Yurikamome" (ICTS): $0.37, 4.8 mi.

Osaka (HRT): $0.38, 3.8 mi.

Denver (LRT): $0.40, 4.2 mi.

Nagasaki (streetcar): $0.40, 2.0 mi.

Tokyo-Saitama "New Shuttle" (ICTS): $0.40, 3.9 mi.

Boston (HRT): $0.41, 3.4 mi.

Sacramento (LRT): $0.42, 5.3 mi.

Nagoya (HRT): $0.43, 3.7 mi.

Tokyo-Toei (streetcar): $0.43, 1.6 mi.

Philadelphia-SEPTA (HRT): $0.44, 4.5 mi.

New York-PATH (HRT): $0.46, 4.3 mi.

Miami (HRT): $0.46, 7.8 mi.

Cleveland (HRT): $0.46, 7.4 mi.

Hiroshima "Astram Line" (ICTS): $0.46, 4.9 mi.

Osaka "New Tram" (ICTS): $0.48, 2.9 mi.

Baltimore (LRT): $0.49, 7.0 mi.

Osaka Monorail: $0.49, 4.2 mi.

Fukuoka (HRT): $0.49, 3.3 mi.

Sapporo (HRT): $0.50, 3.7 mi.

Baltimore (HRT): $0.52, 5.2 mi.

Tokyo-Tokyu Corp (streetcar, 1999): $0.52, 1.5 mi.

Kitakyushu-Chikuho El Ry (LRT): $0.54, 3.5 mi.

Kitakyushu Monorail: $0.54, 3.0 mi.

Dallas (LRT): $0.55, 5.3 mi.

New Orleans (streetcar): $0.56, 2.5 mi.

Boston (LRT): $0.56, 2.1 mi.

Kyoto-Keifuku El Ry (streetcar, 1999): $0.57, 2.8 mi.

Hiroshima-Urban lines (streetcar, 1999), $0.59, 1.6 mi.

Enoshima El Ry (LRT): $0.60, 2.2 mi.

Sendai (HRT): $0.61, 3.2 mi.

Los Angeles (HRT): $0.62, 2.7 mi.

Tokyo-Tama Monorail: $0.63, 3.5 mi.

Kobe "Portliner" and Rokkoliner" (ICTS): $0.63, 2.5 mi.

Shonan Monorail: $0.63, 2.1 mi.

Cleveland (LRT): $0.64, 5.8 mi.

Philadelphia-SEPTA (LRT): $0.64, 2.5 mi.

Kagoshima (streetcar): $0.67, 2.1 mi.

Yokohama "Kanazawa Seaside Line" (ICTS): $0.68, 2.7 mi.

Kumamoto (streetcar): $0.69, 2.1 mi.

Takaoka (streetcar): $0.77, 3.3 mi.

Toyohashi (streetcar,1999): $0.77, 0.4 mi.

Toyama (streetcar, 1999): $0.78, 1.7 mi.

Okayama (streetcar): $0.83, 1.1 mi.

Kochi (streetcar): $0.83, 2.5 mi.

Osaka-Sakai (streetcar): $0.84, 2.1 mi.

Pittsburgh (LRT): $0.84, 4.5 mi.

San Francisco-Muni (LRT): $0.85, 2.6 mi.

Hakodate (streetcar): $0.92, 1.9 mi.

Kyoto (HRT): $0.92, 3 mi.

Buffalo (LRT): $0.94, 2.4 mi.

Chiba Monorail: $0.97, 2.5 mi.

New York-Staten Island (HRT): $0.97, 6.3 mi.

Seattle Monorail: $1.02, 0.9 mi.

San Jose (LRT): $1.07, 4.5 mi.

Otsu-Keihan El Ry (LRT, 1999): $1.08, 2.9 mi.

Sapporo (streetcar): $1.15, 1.5 mi.

Newark-Jersey City (NJT LRT): $1.27, 2.5 mi.

Gifu (streetcar, 1999): $1.37, 3.5 mi.

Matsuyama (streetcar, 1999), $1.44, 0.9 mi.

Komaki "Peachliner" (ICTS): $1.73, 3.3 mi.

Tokyo-Seibu Ry Yamaguchi Line (ICTS): $2.09, 1.5 mi.

Memphis (streetcar): $2.31, 0.8 mi.

Osaka-OTS Line (ICTS): $2.45, 0.6 mi.

Tokyo-Toei -- Ueno Park Monorail (1999): $2.65, 0.3 mi.

Seattle Waterfront Streetcar: $2.88, 1.0 mi.

Yukarigaoka (ICTS): $2.91, 1.3 mi.

Miami-Metromover (ICTS): $3.42, 1.0 mi.

Inuyama "Meitetsu Monkeyu Park Monorail": $4.10, 0.5 mi.

Nagoya-Guideway Bus: $5.06, 0.1 mi.

Detroit (ICTS): $6.07, 1.2 mi.

Jacksonville (monorail): $10.71, 0.4 mi.

Hiroshima-Skyrail System (ICTS): $32.16, 0.7 mi.


ABBREVIATIONS:

"HRT" = "heavy rail transit" (= subway or "metro").

"ICTS" = "intermediate-capacity transport system" (= gadgetbahn), which are (usually) elevated guideway lines using rubber-tired cars.

"LRT" = "light rail transit."


CONVERSIONS:

1 km = 0.62 miles.
$1 = 113.907 yen in 1999.
$1 = 107.765 yen in 2000.


NOTES:

Tokyo has two subway operators. These are the Teito Rapid Transit Authority ("Eidan") and the Transportation Burerau, Tokyo Metropolitan Government ("Toei").

Recent visitors to Japan have advised us that prices for most goods are roughly equal or sometimes 10-30 percent below, prices for equivalent items in major West Coast cities. We conclude that there is no justification for adjusting the Japanese cost statistics to account for "higher Japanese prices."


REFERENCES:

All data are for the 2000 reporting year, except as noted.

U.S. data are from the National Transit Database website (see: www.).

Japanese data are from an annual publication, "Suji de miru tetsudo" (Un-yu Keizai Kenkyu Kiko, Tokyo).

1999 Japanese data are from an annual yearbook, "Nippon no tetsudo," published by "Tetsudo Journal" magazine.


posted by The Cabalmaster, Master of All Transit-dom 8/05/2002 04:00:00 PM