, formally the , is a magnetic levitation train line in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, running between the cities of Nagoya, Nagakute, and Toyota. While primarily built to serve the Expo 2005 fair site, the line has since operated to serve the local community.
Linimo is owned and operated by third-sector railway company and is the first commercial maglev in Japan to use the High Speed Surface Transport (HSST) type technology. It is also the world's first uncrewed commercial urban maglev.韓国独自技術で開発 仁川空港リニアが3日開通 Linimo was the fourth overall commercial urban maglev operated in the world, predated by the Birmingham Maglev (1984–1995), the Berlin M-Bahn (1989–1991) and the Shanghai Maglev (opened in 2004).
Specifications The linear motor magnetic-levitated train has a top speed of , floating above the track when in motion, and is intended as an alternative to conventional metro systems, not high-speed operation. The line has nine stations and is long, with a minimum operating radius of and a maximum gradient of 6%. The line uses automatic train control (ATC) and automatic train operation (ATO). Construction of the track cost ¥60 billion (US$575 million) while the Linimo trains themselves, built by Nippon Sharyo, cost ¥40.5 billion (US$380 million). The construction cost came to roughly $65 million per km without rolling stock.
Rolling stock The trains for the line were designed by the Chubu HSST Development Corporation, which also operated a test track in Nagoya. They were built by Nippon Sharyo, cost ¥40.5 billion (US$380 million). The trains are fixed 3-car train sets (Mc1+M+Mc2). The end cars (Mc Car) are long and the middle car (M Car) , giving a total train set length of . The cars are wide. The Mc car has a capacity of 34 seated and 46 standing, and the M car 36 seated and 48 standing, for a total capacity per train set of 244. The cars have a semi-monocoque construction of welded aluminum, with two emergency doors at each car end and two doors per side.
100 Series formations The line operates eight three-car sets which are formed as follows. Car No.123DesignationMc1MMc2Numbering1x11x21x3
Technical and financial difficulties
Being the first commercial implementation of a new type of transport system, the line suffered a number of highly publicized technical breakdowns during the Expo, with far higher demand during peak hours than the line's carrying capacity of 4,000 passengers per direction per hour. On March 19, 2005, the train stopped departing when it detected an overload of passengers, but this was immediately corrected when a later inspection revealed that the weight-detecting sensors were oversensitive. The line also has to be shut down for safety reasons when wind speed exceeds , a relatively common occurrence in the area.
During the Expo, the line carried an average of 31,000 passengers per day, but ridership dropped to only 12,000 in the first six months after the Expo, and the line lost over ¥3 billion in 2006. While ridership gradually increased to 16,500 passengers per day in 2008, the line still made a financial loss of ¥2.1 billion in fiscal year 2009. In 2016, the line started turning a profit, making a net profit of ¥83.4 million that year.
History Aichi Rapid Transit gained permission to build the line on October 3, 2001.国土交通省鉄道局監修『鉄道要覧』平成18年度版、電気車研究会・鉄道図書刊行会、p.245 The line's nickname, "Linimo" was revealed in November 2002. The names of the stations were decided in December 2003, and the entire line opened to the public on March 6, 2005. After the end of the 2005 Expo, both Yakusa Station and Aichikyūhaku-kinen-kōen Station were renamed from their former names, translated as Expo Yakusa Station and Expo Site Station, respectively.
On August 3, 2019, at approximately 11:15am, a five-year-old girl got separated from her mother and was caught in the 35 cm gap between the train doors and the platform screen doors when the train departed. The girl subsequently fell onto the tracks but no injuries were reported.
To prevent a recurrence of the incident, it was announced that new safety measures will be installed including additional cameras and sensors. From August 10, 2019, until the new measures are in place (estimated to be October 2019), a staff member will travel on every train to ensure passenger safety. Staff used the opening window beside the driver's control desk to observe the doors closing and the train departing. Due to the limited number of staff available, the frequency of trains was temporarily reduced to every 10 minutes between 7am and 10am, and every 12 minutes at other times.
Stations No.IconNameJapaneseDistance (km)TransfersLocation L01 藤が丘0.0Meito-ku, NagoyaAichi Prefecture L02 はなみずき通1.4 Nagakute L03 杁ヶ池公園2.3 L04 長久手古戦場3.4 L05 芸大通4.5 L06 公園西6.0 L07 ("Expo Memorial Park")Formerly named Bampaku Kaijo Station ("Expo Site") 愛・地球博記念公園7.0 L08 陶磁資料館南8.0 Toyota L09Formerly named Bampaku Yakusa Station 八草8.9Aichi Loop Line (18)
Footnotes
Cancelled plan in Taiwan In 2006, there was a plan to use the system for the Xinyi LRT, a proposed line in Xinyi, Taipei, Taiwan.磁浮捷運 開進信義商圈? (Will manglev metro expand the commercial zone of Xinyi?), a report on China Times, June 23, 2006. The news was cited on the Institute of Transportation official website, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Republic of China, retrieved on November 12, 2008. The line was cancelled in 2007.信義區輕軌捷運 市府否決 (The city council rejects Xinyi LRT), a report on China Times, August 9, 2007. The news was cited on the Institute of Transportation official website, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Republic of China, retrieved on November 12, 2008.
See also Expo 2005 High Speed Surface Transport
References
External links
The International Maglevboard