Monorail for city centers?

[Cheshire Figment]

First monorail I ever rode was between downtown Tokyo and Haneda International Airport in 1974.

[ktulu]

First monorail I ever rode was between downtown Tokyo and Haneda International Airport in 1974.

Tokyo Monorail, still running! I could see it from my room when I was there last time. I had problems sleeping, so when I was awake I would stare out of the window. It is a little weird to see all of the neon and the signs, then everything goes dark at some point.

[Big Wallaby]

(and kudo's to a manager, Cecil, who looked before leaping)

I miss working with Cecil. Every area I've worked has had at least one awesome manager. Actually, in buses we had a few, and sometimes several. But among them, Cecil was even at the top of that list.

[Mr. D.]

Monorails (and other sorts of high-capacity trains) are best suited for inter-city travel, where you have large numbers of people traveling between common points. True, monorail technology comes in hand at the urban terminals, as it can be snaked in after-the-fact, but that doesn't make it a good tool for local circulation.

For that you want a "Personal Rapid Transit" or PRT design. Think of the PeopleMover cars, all running independently on a network under computer control. A lot of work has been put into this over the past thirty plus years (including a good deal of my own time), and I believe it's a technology waiting for a good demonstration project as proof-of-concept.

I also happen to believe that WDW would be an excellent site for same. And yeah, a small group of us did develop the math to back that up. Let me know when you're ready, Bob!

They are looking for a system to run from Atlanta to Chattanooga. :)

[ktulu]

They are looking for a system to run from Atlanta to Chattanooga. :)

I'd recommend a choo-choo.

[hobie16]

I'd recommend a choo-choo.

Heh!

[TiggerHappy]

I'd recommend a choo-choo.

Gesundheit!

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I'd recommend a choo-choo.

pardon me boys, is THAT the chattanooga choo-choo?

[felinefan]

Out here in CA, they were considering high speed rail, and of course the government said no. Sometimes I wish I could make politicians see the results, both short and long term, of their decisions. If that doesn't make for a more honest government, I don't know what will. :twisted:

[Zazu]

They are looking for a system to run from Atlanta to Chattanooga. :)

They should talk to the folks at the Chatooga & Chickamauga Railroad. The tracks are there, badly underutilized, and they make connections to the city centers of both towns.

Might need some upgrades for high-speed service though. Some of that line was limited to 15mph last time I ran trains over it.

As for the *wisdom* of giving Atlanta easy access to Chattanooga, that's a whole 'nuther story!