Electrify
Senior Member
Shame, Sydney's line may not have been well planned, but it was a great example of how a monorail could work in a dense urban setting visually.
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Monorail for Toronto
- Thread starter ssiguy2
- Start date
ssiguy2
Senior Member
From what I have seen of it it does look like they tried to lessen it's footprint in the core but the reality is that it was still built for tourists. Anycity that build systems for tourists have not got their priorities right.
Toronto needs a mass system like SaoPaulo which they could build at a fraction of the price of a tunneled subway but Toronto has this stupid idea that you should tunnel everywhere which is why the Eglinton LRT line will be the most expensive LRT line ever built on this planet.
You know the thing that gets me?..............Toronto doesn';t seem to even consider monorail for a project funded by a senior level of government as they think it's a waste of money but that same senior level of government just gave Bombardier $15 million to build a new monorail test track in Kingston so they can showcase the technology.
Toronto needs a mass system like SaoPaulo which they could build at a fraction of the price of a tunneled subway but Toronto has this stupid idea that you should tunnel everywhere which is why the Eglinton LRT line will be the most expensive LRT line ever built on this planet.
You know the thing that gets me?..............Toronto doesn';t seem to even consider monorail for a project funded by a senior level of government as they think it's a waste of money but that same senior level of government just gave Bombardier $15 million to build a new monorail test track in Kingston so they can showcase the technology.
ssiguy2
Senior Member
Here's an interesting concept and would well along suburban routes like Finch. Has a great video, check it out.
www.skytrolley.com
www.skytrolley.com
Justin10000
Banned
Old.
And mixing the worst of BRT and monorail is not a good idea!
And mixing the worst of BRT and monorail is not a good idea!
ssiguy2
Senior Member
Why so?
ssiguy2
Senior Member
More good monorail new..........
Delhi has just announced they will be building a new 10.8 km monorail line to be completed by 2017. Delhi Metro Rail has stated that monorail is the preffered technology for the area as the area is very densely populated and elevated Metro would take up too much space, take longer to build, be more disruptive to build and be too loud for the area residents as opposed to rubber tired monorail. The federal government has announced support for the project and it is expected to go out to tender late 2012.
I do not know of the capacity of the line but it must have a fairly high pphpd capacity as they estimate that the 10.8 km line will carry approximately 150,000 passengers a day.
Delhi has just announced they will be building a new 10.8 km monorail line to be completed by 2017. Delhi Metro Rail has stated that monorail is the preffered technology for the area as the area is very densely populated and elevated Metro would take up too much space, take longer to build, be more disruptive to build and be too loud for the area residents as opposed to rubber tired monorail. The federal government has announced support for the project and it is expected to go out to tender late 2012.
I do not know of the capacity of the line but it must have a fairly high pphpd capacity as they estimate that the 10.8 km line will carry approximately 150,000 passengers a day.
skylyte
New Member
Looks like Sydney's state gov't (the equivalent of our provincial one here) is getting rid of the monorail for good and replacing it with LRT:
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/monorail-to-be-pulled-down-20120323-1vnss.html
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/monorail-to-be-pulled-down-20120323-1vnss.html
ssiguy2
Senior Member
Unfortunate but not surprising. Somehow they expect monorails that run one way in a circle to get good ridership and relieve traffic but then wouldn't build other mass transit that way.
Monorails niche market is beginning to wane and that's a very good thing as more city's are realizing it's true potential as an affordable, comfortable, safe, reliable mass/rapid transit system.
It's actually quite similar to double-decker bus situation. While only 2 cities in the world really embraced then {London and Hong Kong} and other city's just viewed them as tourist rides that is changing as more cities {including Greater Toronto} relaize that there is a reason why they were so succesful in those cities. Similar to Tokyo and Osaka's successful monorail systems they rest of the planet is beginning to realize that these, like double decker buses, are not just tourist and niche vehicles but are rather true effective transit systems.
Monorails niche market is beginning to wane and that's a very good thing as more city's are realizing it's true potential as an affordable, comfortable, safe, reliable mass/rapid transit system.
It's actually quite similar to double-decker bus situation. While only 2 cities in the world really embraced then {London and Hong Kong} and other city's just viewed them as tourist rides that is changing as more cities {including Greater Toronto} relaize that there is a reason why they were so succesful in those cities. Similar to Tokyo and Osaka's successful monorail systems they rest of the planet is beginning to realize that these, like double decker buses, are not just tourist and niche vehicles but are rather true effective transit systems.
Automation Gallery
Superstar
Nice try, but unfortunately nothing like this would fly in this city...bring in something more 3rd world, and it just might stand a chance to fit in with the rest of the City of Toronto infrastructure and mentality.
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ssiguy2
Senior Member
Toronto should be so lucky as to have a rapid/mass transit as many 3rd world countries.
Automation Gallery
Superstar
Yes i know, but what i meant was less sophisticated
ssiguy2
Senior Member
Well it's about time Toronto, Torontonians, and the TTC took their head out of their ass and started entertaining the idea of alternative technologies, infrastructure, and planning.
Toronto's attitude of only using the tried and true is what has gotten Toronto into the situation it is in today. Toronto has all kinds of rail ROW and hydro corridors across the city and yet doesn't use one of them.
Toronto's attitude of only using the tried and true is what has gotten Toronto into the situation it is in today. Toronto has all kinds of rail ROW and hydro corridors across the city and yet doesn't use one of them.
drum118
Superstar
New group plans to have Ballard-to-West Seattle monorail running by 2018
http://queenanne.komonews.com/news/...ve-ballard-west-seattle-monorail-running-2018
http://queenanne.komonews.com/news/...ve-ballard-west-seattle-monorail-running-2018
New group plans to have Ballard-to-West Seattle monorail running by 2018
Submitted by Michael Harthorne, KOMO Communities Reporter
Monday, March 26th, 2012, 9:36am
Topics: Transportation
Expanding? Courtesy of the Seattle Center Monorail.
On the 50th anniversary of the Seattle Center Monorail Saturday, a new group announced plans to bring a Ballard-to-West Seattle monorail to the city by 2018.
Century Transportation Authority – backed by pro-Viaduct, anti-tunnel activist Elizabeth Campbell – has already drawn up the map for a 16-mile, 18-station route through Ballard, the 15th Avenue corridor, the Seattle Center, downtown and West Seattle.
The new monorail would be completely separated from traffic and would use some of the previous planning and engineering work from the city’s last (doomed) monorail project.
But, that plan comes with a steep price tag. According to the Century Transportation Authority, or CenTran, the new Seattle monorail would cost at least $85 million per mile for a final minimum price tag of $1.4 billion.
In its March 24 announcement, CenTran vowed to create a viable financial plan for both construction and operation of the monorail through possible public/private partnerships, public stock sales and bonds.
Despite being very recently formed and still recruiting board members, CenTran has an aggressive schedule in place for the new monorail system, starting with gathering 3,600 signatures to place the creation of the new transportation authority up for a public vote in August.
After that comes ones year of planning and design and two years of environmental reviews and permitting. Construction could start in 2016 following a second public vote to approve funding and construction. According to CenTran, that would make the monorail operational by 2018.
A Ballard-to-West Seattle monorail has been a popular idea with many residents for a number of years and was part of Mayor Mike McGinn’s election campaign. But, the question remains: With the Alaskan Way tunnel and light rail projects already underway, the city looking at a handful of new streetcar lines, and a failed monorail project in the city’s recent past, are Seattleites ready for another expensive transportation project?
nfitz
Superstar
Doesn't sound particularly likely, reading the article. After 50 years, they are still only have 2 stations.
I haven't been overly impressed when riding it - always seems slower and more rickety than I'd expect.
ssiguy2
Senior Member
Thing is is that it was suppose to be used for the entire LINK system. Seattilites twice held a plebicite on the LRT or Monorail battle for rapid transit and both times the citizens voted for monorail and then the city and transit "professionals" politely told their citizens to f...off and used LRT instead.
The result?.....a US$2.6 billion 25km line with very bad ridership numbers. In the US, transit authorities continually underestimate ridership levels so any number looks good. Now 2 yeaars on LINK is still below it's dismal forecasts and running at just 28,000 passengers per day. This lack of patronage has led to poor frequency levels and a system that runs at part along roadways so the line cannot be automated. In fact numbers are even worse than one might think as many routes were redirected to meetup with the LRT stations so very few riders are new.
$85 million per mile is dirt cheap especially compared to what Toronto spends.
The result?.....a US$2.6 billion 25km line with very bad ridership numbers. In the US, transit authorities continually underestimate ridership levels so any number looks good. Now 2 yeaars on LINK is still below it's dismal forecasts and running at just 28,000 passengers per day. This lack of patronage has led to poor frequency levels and a system that runs at part along roadways so the line cannot be automated. In fact numbers are even worse than one might think as many routes were redirected to meetup with the LRT stations so very few riders are new.
$85 million per mile is dirt cheap especially compared to what Toronto spends.