Why arent monorails popular

Sometimes the same transit agency even runs multiple technologies. On its own this last point isn't enough to explain monorails' unpopularity. But combined with other problems, this further narrows the already small set of circumstances where monorails might be the best choice. There is a narrow set of circumstances where monorails are the most sensible option.

If the technical details align, that is when you have a mostly elevated line that doesn't need many switches, and there's not a strong incentive to match an agency's equipment, then the positives of monorails can outweigh the negatives. But if you're Wuppertal, Germany and you want to run a train line over a river where children play, go to town.

First, a primer on why people like monorails A lot of people simply like monorails because they look good. It's just that they usually aren't enough to overcome monorails' three big disadvantages: 1. Monorails are all-el or bust It's true that elevated monorails can be less expensive than elevated standard rails. Switching monorail tracks is hard In any large transit system, trains sometimes have to switch tracks. But take a look at a monorail, and how the train itself wraps around the monorail track: Seattle monorail by the author.

In fact, Wuppertal, Germany has had a suspension monorail since In short, subways and streetcars are more convenient for riders, and LRT is cheaper to build. The longest monorail in the world is in densely populated Chongqing, China; Line 3 is 41 miles long and connects the city and its surrounding suburbs to the airport.

It also goes through an apartment building. About , rides are taken on it per day—in a city of 30 million. In Mumbai, India , a three-year-old monorail does just 17, daily rides—significantly short of the ,—, passengers per day planners and backers anticipated.

Then there are various airport "people mover" trams using everything from magnetic attraction maglev which may account for the remark about the complicated control system to variations on rubber-tire supported trains? Many of them being elevated lines using concrete beams, but a different guidance system than the Alweg?

Are these "monorails" or do we call them something else? So maybe monorail is not a technological or financial failure but instead part of a suite of systems that may be a good fit to particular applications where the demand is for an elevated transit system, an easier-on-the-eyes concrete beam guidway, and a lower-noise rubber tire support system?

Monorails really do not add anything to transit, and the equipment is very expensive and specialized. The system in Seattle has all of the problems of a conventional el and then plenty more. Modern concrete construction can build elevated strcutures that are just as slender and quiet as anything a mono-rail can do.

There is no reason to shy away from modern elevated city transit except of course people's fears that you would be brining back your great-grandfather's el. LION thinks that the experementation with rubber tiers was a mega-flop which is different from a peta-flop. Here there be cats. Much of the Midway L Orange Line is built on concrete superstructure not unlike an elevated highway.

The roadbed on these sections is conventional track and ballast and excessive noise is not a major issue. There is almost off-the-shelf technology that can make an elevated railroad quieter than a surface line. It involves "Barriers than can become walkways for maintenance. I am confident that such firms as Wenger, Overly, Industrial Acoustics, and Trux can engineer walkable surfaces with efficient sound absorption and durable longitudinal hinges to make the concept practical for many situations.

Ten dB Noise Reduction should be realized in many cases. Even where resilient surrounds of rails and ties and clips. Back issues of the magazine should be avialable in any engineering library, and I will be glad to send a pdf of the aritcle to anyone askiing at daveklepper yahoo.

There is also the concept of the elevated light railway, based on the original Dr. The "skyprint" was and would be in the future, no greater than a monorail, possibly less. But, wihtout side walkways of any type, and without anything to walk on between rails directly supported resiliently on the two longitudinal beams, a fleet of cherry pickers would need to be on-hand for emergency evacuation.

As I recall, monorails can also be of the suspended design. The suspended rail is atop a series of pylons, and dual rails can be set in the dead middle of divided streets and highways, thus taking NO extra space. The pylon bases aren't very wide and can be separated by or more feet, and can be raised to be routed OVER buildings, parks and other spaces, disturbing no one. This raised feature also means NO interference with or from other traffic. Why not use this type of monorail?

The raised feature, also known as a suspended or hanging monorail, off the top of my head and with my friend google:. Free yacht rides, 27' sailboat, zip code Delaware River, get great Delair bridge photos from the river. Send me a private message. Paul Milenkovic The idea behind monorail-as-elevated-transit is that a more slender, visually appealing, quieter, and this is a stretch lower cost concrete beam substitutes for the clunky El. Some years ago I happened to be in Kitakyushu in Japan while a monorail system was being built.

While it may be that a monorail has less visual impact than a 19th century elevated railroad, the stations are likely to be just as blighting as an elevated railroad. Unfortunately, significant noise is generated because the trains run at fairly high speed. I would not be surprised if a monorail running at the same speed didn't make a comparable amount of noise, primarily rubber tires agains the concrete guide beams.

This paper is intended as a significant addition to the. In Israel, the Ayolon. Although Fig. Adding to the important wheel—track interface noise. The concept has been applied in part to diesels for other reasons.

In a few cases the structures. The Seattle Monorail Project was a proposed five-line monorail system to be constructed in Seattle , Washington as an extension of the existing Seattle Center Monorail.

The mile 23 km , 17 station Green Line running from Ballard to West Seattle via Seattle Center would have been the first of the five lines to be built. From to the monorail project was a highly contentious political issue in the Seattle area. The system's construction and operation was to be carried out by a new agency, the Elevated Transportation Corporation ETC , using private funding. This proposal was put before the voters as Citizens Petition 1 in November which would proposed to dissolve the ETC, create a new monorail agency, construct the Green Line as the first part of the system, and enact an annual 1.

The petition drew opposition from groups who argued that: the Green Line ridership would not be significantly different from that already achieved by Metro buses; that building an elevated line with 7-foot 2. Reflecting the increased opposition, Citizens Petition 1 passed by just votes, Just two years later in November , a recall initiative, I, was put forth seeking to halt the project by forcing the city to deny the monorail agency the right to use the air space above public city streets.

The tax to fund the project began effective June , [9] and was levied annually on each car registered in the city based on the MSRP of the vehicle and a fixed depreciation table.

The plan proved highly controversial [12] and five days later the SMP withdrew its financial plan and the director and board chairman resigned under pressure. He said: "Many monorail systems run on elevated tracks through crowded areas that would otherwise require the construction of expensive underground lines or have the disadvantages of surface lines.

Alton Towers in Staffordshire has had one since the s. However, Chester Zoo's Zoofari monorail - built in - is being decommissioned as it no longer adequately spans the expanded attraction.

People in the West Midlands still talk fondly about the monorail built to service the Merry Hill shopping centre near Dudley in The system was subsequently sold to a shopping centre in Queensland, Australia. Perhaps the most high profile monorail failure in recent times was also in Australia - in Sydney.

Opened in July to link Darling Harbour with the city's central business and shopping districts, the monorail struggled to capture the public's imagination and was closed in June Announcing plans to pull the whole thing down, New South Wales premier Barry O'Farrell said: "The monorail is not integrated with Sydney's wider public transport network and has never been truly embraced by the community.

That would be The Monorail Society. With more than 14, members in countries, the group has been espousing the benefits of monorails since Aside from the transport's long-touted green credentials, the society says the raised tracks free up the ground beneath for new development, rather than having to build on green spaces.

The monorail episode of The Simpson - famous for its catchy musical number - still irritates members of the society. It said: "In a world where economies lose billions each year due to traffic congestion, which loses millions of acres of wilderness to sprawling development and road construction, we need more green, electric, automated, elevated transportation systems such as monorail, and they need to be represented fairly on television and in the media.

The first city to do monorail correctly will be the envy of the world.