Number of Naha monorail riders sets new record

The 29th Naha Marathon was held on Dec. 1st, and that was also the day the count of Naha monorail users hit a new record.

Compared to last year, the number of passengers in one day increased by 5,267 to a total of 56,020. Anticipating the increase in the number of passengers because of the marathon that had its start at Asahibashi and goal in Onoyama Sports Park, the Naha Urban Monorail Co. increased the number of daily train runs by 123 a day prior and the day of the marathon. The largest daily passenger count until now was in 2008 when 55,031 people rode the train in one day.

Every month this year the count has been higher than the same day last year, pushing the total 6.25% up to 9,991,195 monorail passengers so far this year. Monorail officials speculate the reason for the increase is an increase of usage among local residents as they  begin to get used to riding a train instead of driving to their business downtown and also an increase of foreign tourists. If the number continues to increase it might beat the count set in 2012 when over 14 million passengers rode the monorail.

07:21 29 Mar , 2024