Okinawa Urban Monorail

Public transit line serving the cities of Naha and Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

Okinawa Urban Monorail

1000 series train on the Okinawa Urban Monorail

Overview
Locale| Naha and Urasoe
Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Transit type| Straddle-beam monorail[1]
Number of lines| 1
Number of stations| 19
Daily ridership| 60,898 per day (2024)
Operation
Began operation| 10 August 2003
Operator(s)| Okinawa Urban Monorail, Inc.
Technical
System length| 17 km (11 mi)
Electrification| 1,500 V DC[2]
| System map

* v
* t
* e

Yui Rail - Stations

Legend

|  |  |

| Naha Airport

|
|
|
|

|  |

|  |

Car Depot

|  |

1.95

| Akamine
|  |

2.71

| Oroku
|  |

3.68

| Onoyama Park
|  |

4.52

| Tsubogawa
|  |

5.33

| Asahibashi
|  |

5.91

| Prefectural Office
|  |

6.63

| Miebashi
|  |

7.61

| Makishi
|  |

8.20

| Asato
|  |

8.95

| Omoromachi
|  |

9.96

| Furujima
|  |

10.88

| Naha City Hospital
|  |

11.84

| Gibo
|  |

12.84

| Shuri
|  |

13.90

| Ishimine
|  |

15.00

| Kyozuka
|  |

16.00

| Urasoe-Maeda
|  |

17.00

| Tedako-Uranishi
|  |  |  |  |  |
All stations are barrier-free.

The Okinawa Urban Monorail (沖縄都市モノレール, Okinawa Toshi Monorēru), also known as Yui Rail (ゆいレール, Yui Rēru), is a monorail line serving the cities of Naha and Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan. Operated by Okinawa Urban Monorail, Inc. (沖縄都市モノレール株式会社, Okinawa Toshi Monorēru Kabushiki-gaisha), it opened on 10 August 2003, and is the only public rail system in Okinawa Prefecture. Yui Rail is the first rail line on Okinawa since World War II. Akamine Station and Naha Airport Station, the southernmost and westernmost rail stations in Japan respectively, lie on this line.

The line was planned from 1972, which was the same year as Okinawa's return to Japan. The monorail's route was decided in 1977, and the opening year for the line was set to 1987. However, in order to build the monorail, bus routes in the city had to be revamped, and the discussion with bus operators regarding compensation for the revamp took until 1994. The construction began in 1996, and the line opened on 10 August 2003. The line has since then extended to Urasoe on 1 October 2019.

Trains run on the line from exactly 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day, with an interval of 4-15 minutes. All services stop at every station, although some services terminate at Shuri Station. The line has been using the Okinawa Urban Monorail 1000 series electric multiple units since its opening in 2003, which were mostly manufactured by Hitachi Rail. All stations feature a piece of art and are barrier-free.

## Description

[edit]

The 17.0 km (11 mi) line starts from the Naha Airport station. The line makes several curves before reaching Shuri Station, the line's former terminus. After Ishimine Station, the line enters the city of Urasoe, where the line terminates at Tedako-Uranishi Station.[3] As Okinawa is the island of Japan lying farthest to the south and west that has an active rail line, Akamine Station and Naha Airport Station, the southernmost and westernmost rail stations in Japan respectively, lie on this line.[4]

The monorail's "Yui Rail" brand name and logo were selected in a public competition.[5] The system consists of 19 stations, from Naha Airport in the west to Tedako-Uranishi in the east, running via Naha.[3] The average distance between stations is 0.93 kilometers (0.58 mi). It takes 37 minutes and costs ¥390[6] to traverse its 17 km (11 mi) length.[3]

The line supports payment via paper tickets or OKICA, the local contactless smart card; additional support for the ten major Japanese IC cards (such as Suica and SUGOCA) began on 10 March 2020.[7] As of 2020, Yui Rail is free-to-ride for high school students in the prefecture.[8]

## History

[edit]

### Background and construction

[edit]

Main article: Rail transport in Okinawa

Prior to the construction of the line, passenger railway lines on the island of Okinawa existed since 1914, when Okinawa Electric [ja],[9] Okinawa Railroad [ja],[10] and Okinawa Prefectural Railways opened their railway lines. However, the lines operated by Okinawa Electric ceased operations after losing passengers to bus lines, while the Okinawa Railroad and Prefectural Railways were destroyed by American air raids and explosions[11] during World War II. While many supported the reconstruction of the railway post-war, the reconstruction of the road networks was prioritized and the routes were abandoned, with the remaining tracks removed due to the lack of steel on the island. The lack of rail transport forced the island to adapt to the American-style car society. The number of cars on the island had caused chronic road congestion around the time when Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972.[12] In the same year, a law which funded construction of urban monorails was passed. The Naha city began to seriously consider constructing a monorail around this time.[13] In 1973, a report published by the country, prefecture, and Naha city emphasized the importance of establishing a new transit system in Naha. There were two possible routes for the monorail, one passing along the Kumoji River [ja] and the other passing through the Kokusai-Dori [ja]. The Kumoji River route was picked over the other, with the third-sector operation chosen due to financial reasons in 1977.[14] The Okinawa Urban Monorail, Inc. was established on 27 September 1982.[15] The initial plan's opening year was 1987, with an extension to Shuri by 1990. However, in order to build the monorail, bus routes in the city had to be revamped, and the discussion with bus operators regarding compensation for the revamp took until 1994.[13] The construction of the line began in 1996. On 30 November 1999, the monorail's logo was decided, and the names of the stations were officially revealed. The nickname for the line, "Yui Rail" was also decided on this day. The rolling stocks were brought to the line in August 2002. Test runs started in November that year. The line opened on 10 August 2003.[14] The monorail initially used trains in 2-car formations for all services.[16]

### Urasoe extension

[edit]

The monorail corporation applied for construction permission for a 4.1 kilometers (2.5 mi), 4-station extension from Shuri Station to Tedako-Uranishi Station, located in Urasoe City in August 2011.[17] Permission was granted on 26 January 2012, with construction planned to start in March 2013. Revenue operations along the extension started on 1 October 2019, using a revised schedule with extended rush hour headways for opening day.[18][19][20] Eight new formations entered service on 27 April 2016 to prepare for the extension.[14][16] Preliminary ridership data from the first week showed that year-on-year ridership was up after the extension opened on 1 October.[21] From April 2019, some services that used 2-car formation were changed to use 3-car formation instead in order to transport more passengers, as the average percentage for the number of passengers compared to train capacity exceeded 120%. While some of the infrastructure, such as the stations, supported 3-car formations, a new depot had to be constructed to support the extra train cars.[22][23] Since the previous trains used in the line did not support 3-car formations, four new train formations were introduced to the line in August 2023.[16]

## Infrastructure and operations

[edit]

The line is operated by the Okinawa Urban Monorail, Inc, a third-sector railway company. The basic infrastructure of the line is constructed by the government, Okinawa Prefecture, or passing municipalities.[2] Trains run on the line from exactly 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day, with an interval of 4-15 minutes. All services stop at every station, although some services terminate at Shuri Station.[24]

### Ridership

[edit]

The number of passengers on the line steadily grew from its opening in 2003 to 2019, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The number of passengers returned to the pre-pandemic growth by 2023.[25]

Year  | Avg. Passengers[25]

|

2003  | 31,905
2004  | 32,049
2005  | 35,940
2006  | 37,393
2007  | 37,713
2008  | 37,545
2009  | 35,272
2010  | 35,551
2011  | 36,689
2012  | 39,093
2013  | 40,831
2014  | 41,477
2015  | 44,145
2016  | 47,463
2017  | 49,716
2018  | 52,355
2019  | 55,766
2020  | 30,044
2021  | 32,263
2022  | 46,326
2023  | 54,803
2024  | 60,898

### Rolling stock

[edit]

1000 series in 2024

The line has been using the Okinawa Urban Monorail 1000 series electric multiple units since its opening in 2003. The trains have two doors on each side and are mostly manufactured by Hitachi Rail. New formations entered service in April 2016 and August 2023. While the formations from 2003 and 2016 can only be operated in a two-car formation, the cars from 2023 can only be operated in a three-car formation.[16][26]

### Stations

[edit]

Platform screen doors are installed on every station's platforms.[27] Although most stations are staffed, some stations may become temporarily unstaffed due to lack of staff. A single station staff member covers two adjacent stations in some areas.[28] All stations have an elevator and an escalator, and supports wheelchair users.[29] Each station features a piece of art.[30]

Station
No.  | Picture  | Station name  | Distance

between stations[31]

| Total distance

from Naha Airport[31]

| Location

|
|
|
|
|

English  | Japanese
1  |  | Naha Airport | 那覇空港 | –  | 0.00 km (0 mi)  | Naha
2  |  | Akamine | 赤嶺 | 2 km (1.2 mi)  | 2 km (1.2 mi)
3  |  | Oroku | 小禄 | 0.8 km (0.50 mi)  | 2.8 km (1.7 mi)
4  |  | Onoyama Park | 奥武山公園 | 1 km (0.62 mi)  | 3.8 km (2.4 mi)
5  |  | Tsubogawa | 壺川 | 0.8 km (0.50 mi)  | 4.6 km (2.9 mi)
6  |  | Asahibashi | 旭橋 | 0.8 km (0.50 mi)  | 5.4 km (3.4 mi)
7  |  | Prefectural Office | 県庁前 | 0.6 km (0.37 mi)  | 6.0 km (3.7 mi)
8  |  | Miebashi | 美栄橋 | 0.7 km (0.43 mi)  | 6.7 km (4.2 mi)
9  |  | Makishi | 牧志 | 1 km (0.62 mi)  | 7.7 km (4.8 mi)
10  |  | Asato | 安里 | 0.6 km (0.37 mi)  | 8.3 km (5.2 mi)
11  |  | Omoromachi | おもろまち | 0.8 km (0.50 mi)  | 9 km (5.6 mi)
12  |  | Furujima | 古島 | 1 km (0.62 mi)  | 10 km (6.2 mi)
13  |  | Naha City Hospital | 市立病院前 | 0.9 km (0.56 mi)  | 10.9 km (6.8 mi)
14  |  | Gibo | 儀保 | 1 km (0.62 mi)  | 11.9 km (7.4 mi)
15  |  | Shuri | 首里 | 1 km (0.62 mi)  | 12.9 km (8.0 mi)
16  |  | Ishimine | 石嶺 | 0.9 km (0.56 mi)  | 13.8 km (8.6 mi)
17  |  | Kyozuka | 経塚 | 1.2 km (0.75 mi)  | 15.0 km (9.3 mi)  | Urasoe
18  |  | Urasoe-Maeda | 浦添前田 | 1.0 km (0.62 mi)  | 16.0 km (9.9 mi)
19  |  | Tedako-Uranishi | てだこ浦西 | 1.0 km (0.62 mi)  | 17.0 km (10.6 mi)

## See also

[edit]

* Monorails in Japan
* List of rapid transit systems
* Rail transportation in Okinawa

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "よくある質問｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
2. ^ a b "モノレール計画概要｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). 17 June 2025. Archived from the original on 17 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
3. ^ a b c "路線図｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
4. ^ "ゆいレール【前編】日本最南端、最西端の駅を訪ねて". 47NEWS (in Japanese). 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
5. ^ 沖縄県. "愛称「ゆいレール」＆シンボルマーク｜沖縄県公式ホームページ". 沖縄県公式ホームページ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
6. ^ "01 那覇空港駅｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). 運賃表. Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
7. ^ "ついに沖縄のモノレールで「Suica」が使えるように 来春めどに導入". Okinawa Times (in Japanese). 24 May 2019. Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
8. ^ Yonaha, Satoko (13 May 2023). "ポケモンともコラボ 満10年のOKICA "沖縄経済圏"の実現へ ハイペースで拡大中". Okinawa Times (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
9. ^ 玉城江梨子 (21 May 2021). "100年前、沖縄に路面列車があった…レール現存 那覇と首里結ぶ". 琉球新報デジタル (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
10. ^ "「馬車軌道について」" (PDF). Okinawa City. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
11. ^ 琉球新報社 (11 December 2020). "軽便鉄道爆発「青春なくなった」91歳に深い傷 76年前の弾薬爆発、友も犠牲 軍は公にせず". 琉球新報デジタル (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
12. ^ "それでも沖縄に鉄道をつくってあげたい 「ゆいれーる」で効果は証明". ITmedia ビジネスオンライン (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
13. ^ a b "クルマ社会沖縄に｢ゆいレール｣は根付いたか". Toyo Keizai (in Japanese). 23 September 2018. Archived from the original on 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
14. ^ a b c "沿革｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). 6 July 2025. Archived from the original on 5 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
15. ^ "会社概要｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
16. ^ a b c d "車両紹介｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
17. ^ "沖縄タイムス | ［解説］中長期の展望示せず モノレール延長". Okinawa Times. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
18. ^ "沖縄モノレールの延長許可 来年５月着工へ – Msn産経ニュース". sankei.jp.msn.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012.
19. ^ "ゆいレール、迫る本番 延長４駅お披露目". 14 September 2019. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
20. ^ "Now operational: Monorail extension into Urasoe adds four new stations". Ryūkyū Shimpō. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
21. ^ "沖縄のモノレール延長から1週間 利用者は1日どのくらい増えたか？". Okinawa Times. 28 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 July 2025.
22. ^ "沖縄「ゆいレール」2両→3両化、"鉄道のない県"にモノレールが根付いた50年の歴史". ダイヤモンド・オンライン (in Japanese). 26 February 2024. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
23. ^ 日本放送協会. "ゆいレール ２９日と３０日 那覇空港駅〜牧志駅 終日運休｜NHK 沖縄県のニュース". NHK News. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
24. ^ "01 那覇空港駅｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). 標準時刻表. Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
25. ^ a b "駅別乗客数｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
26. ^ 琉球新報社 (17 December 2020). "ゆいレール3両化へ 日立製作所と車両の製造契約". 琉球新報デジタル (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
27. ^ "モノレール「ゆいレール」、3両編成へ 19駅でホームドアを増設：朝日新聞". 朝日新聞 (in Japanese). 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
28. ^ 報道制作局, 琉球朝日放送. "ゆいレール「無人駅」化をめぐってバリアフリーの状況を確認". QAB NEWS Headline (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
29. ^ "バリアフリー｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 March 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
30. ^ "沖縄唯一の鉄道「ゆいレール」：4駅延伸で、那覇観光がもっと便利に！". nippon.com (in Japanese). 19 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
31. ^ a b "01 那覇空港駅｜ゆいレール". www.yui-rail.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Okinawa Monorail.

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