monorail mania

Yikes, it's been over a month since my last post! There's just been so much going on that I haven't had the time to report, but today I'll write about one of my favorite Chiba City things: the monorail!

So I know I've written about the monorail before (when I went to the monorail matsuri last year), but I'll just say it all again because I love talking about the monorail.  :D

The Chiba Urban Monorail first opened in 1988, and when all the sections were completed a few years later (construction was done in segments), it became the world's longest suspended monorail at 15.2km total (it's actually in the Guiness Book of World Records; I checked). A year or two ago, the newest model of monorail car, the Urban Flyer, which includes a small section of glass flooring in the driver's room, won a Good Design Award. These are all the major facts that I knew about the monorail until recently, which I proudly boast to everybody who I talk about the monorail with, haha. 

Well, a few weeks ago, a delegation from Mersin, Turkey came to Chiba City to observe that monorail, because they are considering building one of their own. (Actually I'm pretty sure they're planning to build one longer than ours and steal the claim to fame as the world's longest suspended monorail, but...) So I spent the day accompanying them through their courtesy visit to the mayor, lunch, trip to the monorail company, and the Chiba Zoological Park (which for some reason they requested to visit). Except this time they hired a Turkish-Japanese interpreter, which means I hardly had to do anything! 

So obviously the highlight of my day was when we went to visit the headquarters of the monorail, not far from the Zoological Park. Since this was the main purpose of their visit, the delegation had a lot of questions for the monorail officials and took the

discussion very seriously, so by being there I learned a lot more about the monorail, which was pretty cool. For example, I learned that there are generally two types of monorail, suspended (where the rail is above the cars) and overlapping (with the rail below, like a normal train), and that one of the first suspended monorails was built in Wuppertal, Germany, which the delegation had also visited before coming here. And I learned that they considered both types of monorail and also a subway system when deciding what king of new public transportation system to build, but chose the current type because it fit best with the numbers and needs of passengers. Also that the monorail can run with 4 cars at a time, but with current needs it only uses 2. Also a bunch more technical stuff I can't trait remember but was very impressed that the interpreter could translate just like that (because I'd have had trouble; I guess that's the difference between amateurs like me and professionals).

Last lifeline!

Anyway, after lots and lots of talking, we went to tour the facilities! I'd actually been there before during the monorail matsuri, but this time they made us put on hard hats and I got to see a few things that most people probably never have the chance to see. Like the control room, where they monitor the lines that are running, keep track of time schedules, etc. I totally geeked out while watching the monorail moving real time on the screens and seeing the special phone they use to call conductors. So cool! We also went to look at the cars that were in the depot and they explained more technical things I mostly don't remember, other than when they pointed out the thick metal cord that is the last lifeline in case the monorail ever falls... oh and also when they showed the different ways people can evacuate in case of emergency, which includes a cloth chute in a corner of the floor that people can slide down to safety in! I'd love to try that someday, haha.

So basically I had the chance to fangirl all day over the monorail, which was really awesome and informative (have I mentioned how cool my job can be?). Also the other day in doing some research I learned that you can buy both a stapler and a flashlight that are in the shape of the monorail, and went and bought the stapler today... anyway, this ends my rambling about the monorail. If you ever come to Chiba City, be sure to check it out! :)

Chiba Urban Monorail
http://chiba-monorail.co.jp/