Mono-rail

[#Metro]

48000 pphd.

Well I wonder how they stop crashing into each other at high headway?

[colinw]

Full driverless operation.  ATO with Communications Based Train control. With the excellent acceleration & braking performance of a monorail it should handle 2 minute headways with ease.

[SurfRail]

No issue with this at all.  Horses for courses.

Wouldn't work down in my neck of the woods because (a) we need something that actually sits at ground level and reactivates the space; and (b) we don't need that much capacity. 

The application described above would be a different kettle of fish.

[colinw]

+1. The proposed São Paulo monorail is an example of Monorail as a metro, and is a very high capacity transport mode indeed. It would a a gross overkill for the Gold Coast, and (I am fairly sure) is NOT what the monorail weenies down on the coast had in mind.

IMHO the LRT proposal for the Gold Coast is bang on the money. There is very little about it that I would change, except for the horrible bumblebee  yellow colour of the trams.

I can't actually think of anywhere in Australia that needs a monorail of the capacity of the São Paulo one. São Paulo fits 11 million into an area smaller than Canberra, and close to 20 million into a greater metropolitan area 60% the size of Brisbane.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Going from the drawing I'd hate to walk up the stairs to those platforms considering it dwarfs the buildings in the background.

[O_128]

That monorail just looks like a train, just build the dubai metro then

[colinw]

The vendor lock-in is the big problem with monorail. If you build a bog standard metro, you have an open choice of rollingstock, signalling systems, protection systems, etc.  Go monorail and you're stuck with whoever you purchased from.

Ditto for LRT. If you build standard gauge with 750V DC catenary as the Gold Coast is doing, then you have access to a worldwide market of tram suppliers. Want to add some more trams to the Gold Coast LRT? Go with the best bidder, even if it isn't the original supplier. Again, difficult to do that with a monorail.

[Golliwog]

Going from the drawing I'd hate to walk up the stairs to those platforms considering it dwarfs the buildings in the background.

Probably got the new kid to do the photoshopping...

[SurfRail]

The vendor lock-in is the big problem with monorail. If you build a bog standard metro, you have an open choice of rollingstock, signalling systems, protection systems, etc.  Go monorail and you're stuck with whoever you purchased from.

Ditto for LRT. If you build standard gauge with 750V DC catenary as the Gold Coast is doing, then you have access to a worldwide market of tram suppliers. Want to add some more trams to the Gold Coast LRT? Go with the best bidder, even if it isn't the original supplier. Again, difficult to do that with a monorail.

Exactly.  With what we have, once GoldlinQ's concession is up, we have the option of buying from Bombardier, Alstom etc, or even Crotram or Tatra (which would make Tony Prescott very happy).

Its this sort of thing which makes me steer clear of things like O-Bahns, Translohrs, monorails and the like.  Last thing we need is to end up like Adelaide with a system which locks you into keeping ancient vehicles running for lack of a suitable replacement.

[Gazza]

Go monorail and you're stuck with whoever you purchased from.

Really?

I mean, obviously LRT systems are perhaps the most flexible in terms of what you can run.

But at the same time, there are heavy rail systems with very specific requirements, and they have been able to get around that.
Im sure you could convince other manufacturers to provide rolling stock that fits on the beam.

Its not like the London underground, with their very specific trains, were stuck with Metro Cammell.

[#Metro]

I have to say propriety technology is a risk but one that can be managed.
Imagine if buses and trains were proprietary? Would we still use them or would we just have to make do with horse and cart everywhere because 'that's not proprietary'.

As more cities come on board, the risk is lowered.

Remember, Vancouver skytrain is/was proprietary and actually considered a terrible and utter hands down failure when it debut in Toronto. In fact the TTC will be ripping the Toronto RT up in the near future.

It was proprietary. Works a treat in Vancouver!!
This is also a lesson that reminds us all that how a system is designed can also affect it's general image. Just because SE busway has problems at Cultural Centre doesn't mean that in general BRT isn't a good application in many contexts...

[SurfRail]

Go monorail and you're stuck with whoever you purchased from.

Really?

I mean, obviously LRT systems are perhaps the most flexible in terms of what you can run.

But at the same time, there are heavy rail systems with very specific requirements, and they have been able to get around that.
Im sure you could convince other manufacturers to provide rolling stock that fits on the beam.

Its not like the London underground, with their very specific trains, were stuck with Metro Cammell.

It depends on who owns the technology and what conditions are placed upon its use.  Also, if it's patented, say goodbye to any other manufacturers for a decade or so.

You may also end up with sub-optimal outcomes.  Adelaide now run Scanias on the O-Bahn which was designed for Mercs, but they do not work as well - tyre scrubbing, bodywork problems etc.  The single low-floor Merc which is equipped for it reportedly hammers along, but there is only one of it compared to hundreds of the other things.

[O_128]

what about the rubber wheeled trains in paris? still I don't see why you wouldn't just do an elevated metro then, but I guess it really doesn't matter.

[ozbob]

NEWS NATION --> Read: How is Monorail different from Metro train

New Delhi : In it's another step towards development, India got its first Monorail service to be operative from Sunday in Mumbai. After successful operation of metro in national capital it's time to experience the new service of monorail.

And what makes a monorail difference from a metro train, read here:

A monorail is usually confused with cable car, light rail or tramways. A monorail, in simple terms, is an electric-powered bus that runs on an elevated concrete beam.

The Mumbai Monorail, which is the only such system that has launched in India, is a four-car train, with a capacity of 140 passengers per car. The maximum capacity of the system is 10,000 passengers per hour per direction ...

[ozbob]

Railway Gazette --> Tokyo Monorail plans to extend

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/900118326470361088

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/904412060762742785

[Cazza]

Does anyone know how fast they can travel up to? I don't think the article had anything on that.

[ozbob]

Does anyone know how fast they can travel up to? I don't think the article had anything on that.

' Capacity between 10,000 to 30,000 passengers an hour (each way) and a high speed of up to 80km/h '

http://www.byd.com/news/news-364.html

[Cazza]

^Cheers! 80km/h is pretty good and definitely a very competitive speed across congested streets. I feel that it would be better for shorter, inner city trips and leave heavy rail for the outer suburbs.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/MetroReportInt/status/904979658952802304

[ozbob]

China Plus --> CRRC first Chinese company to build monorail trains for export

CRRC Corporation Nanjing has signed a contract with Bangkok's rail network for the delivery of 288 monorail trains, making the company the first in China to build straddle-type monorail trains for export.

The company will build the INNOVIA 300 self-driving straddle-type monorail trains for the new Yellow and Pink lines of Bangkok's railway. The lines are currently under construction, and are due to come into service by the end of 2021.

The first delivery by CRRC Nanjing has been planned for June, 2020. Delivery of the trains is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

[ozbob]

[rogerfarnworth]

I have been enjoying Adrian Garner's book "Monorails of the 19th Century." I have recently purchased it because it has a couple of chapters about Lartigue Monorails. More of that anon.

Here is the review:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/26/book-review-monorails-of-the-19th-century

[rogerfarnworth]

An Early Mono-rail in Uganda!

As I have mentioned, I have been enjoying Adrian Garner's book "Monorails of the 19th Century." I discovered that the first rail link between what was at the time Port Kampala and Kampala itself was a monorail!

Rolling stock was propelled along the line by bullocks rather than any form of mechanical propulsion.

The line was less than 8 miles long and lasted no more than a few years.

These are the details:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/28/a-monorail-in-kampala

[rogerfarnworth]

The Listowel and Ballybunnion Railway.

This line has fascinated me for some time. I hope this post is of interest. Is it a mono-rail?

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/31/the-listowel-and-ballybunion-railway