Nippori-Toneri Liner

An automated people mover opened in 2008, linking Nippori and Minumadai-shinsuikoen over 9.7 kilometres and 13 stations. A driverless AGT system running on rubber tyres along a guideway, it filled the transit gap in western Adachi, where no railway had run before.

A Line Drawn Through a Transit Gap

The Nippori-Toneri Liner opened on 30 March 2008, linking Nippori with Minumadai-shinsuikoen at the northern edge of Adachi Ward. It runs 9.7 kilometres across 13 stations. Operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, the line gave western Adachi — until then without any railway and dependent on buses — its first rail-based connection running directly to the city centre.

The elevated cars are an AGT (automated guideway transit) system, following a guideway on rubber tyres and running driverless. It is the same technology as the Yurikamome on Odaiba. The alignment, borne aloft directly above Ogubashi-dori, reflects the design of an urban people mover: securing transport capacity without carving through the dense residential fabric below.

An Opening That Changed the Town

The change the line brought was large. Before it opened, reaching the centre from western Adachi meant a slow bus ride; with the Liner, Nippori became directly and quickly accessible. Shorter commutes and lower pass fares drew people in, and the opening was reported to have reshaped the population and character of the districts along the route.

Ridership climbed steadily after opening. Because there is no driver’s cab, the front car offers an open forward view, the city sky spreading beyond the rooftops of the residential streets. That straight-ahead view — a feature only driverless operation can give — is one of the line’s pleasures.

Summary

Since 2008 the Nippori-Toneri Liner has connected the transit gap of western Adachi with the city centre over 9.7 kilometres and 13 stations. Its driverless, rubber-tyred cars run lightly on an elevated track above the residential streets. Take the front seat and watch the forward view, and the sight opens from the streets of Adachi to the city sky — scenery only this line offers.

Related: Yurikamome / Tokyo Monorail

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