Vegas: Monorails v. Gridlock 478
TimeTrip writes "Vegas seems to be taking a little cue from Disney. 'Las Vegas, which never stops thinking big, has just embarked on its most ambitious, costly attempt to solve a problem that once seemed impossible to have in this sprawling desert valley: gridlock. It is building the nation's largest monorail system.'"
Or maybe they'll be taking their cue from Lyle Lanly. Frankly this sounds more
like a Shelbyville idea.
The glass protected stations (Score:4, Informative)
Links (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/LasVegas.html [monorails.org]
http://www.lvnvmonorail.com/ [lvnvmonorail.com]
Built by Bombardier Transportation Systems (Score:3, Informative)
from the principal contractor, Bombardier.
This is the largest of three monorails they are building (although they say 4 miles, not 8). What's cool is that two of the three are for systems to get around downtown, not just for a system to get you to the airport parking lot.
Unfortunately, the careers page doesn't reveal any openings. Sigh, this is the sort of socially responsible project that so many aerospace companies were to turn to after the cold war ended.
Seattle is working on this too... (Score:5, Informative)
Seattle suffers from the same problem: too many damn cars. With the 2nd worst rush hour traffic in the US (behind LA) I hope they can pull it off. There have been fights with light rail folks, but I think monorail is a much better option. Keep it above grade so there is little disruption of traffic. Many claim that monorail is Mickey Mouse transit. (no thanks to certain Simpson's parodies). Keep in mind that millions use monorail daily for transportation in Japan. When the people from Seattle went over to look at Japan's system they were blown away by its efficiency and capacity. After spending time abroad, I've become very disappointed with the mass transit systems in the US (or lack there of).
We love our cars way too much.
Re:Extending to the airport (Score:1, Informative)
I'll agree. Having only experienced the Boston T, I was quite doubtful about mass transit options.
Then I visited Switzerland (Zurich in particular). For about $35 you get a full month on *all* the public transit in the near Zurich area. And it's convenient. Along the main tram lines, there are stops every 2-3 blocks or so, and the trains come so often that if your going anymore than 1-2 stops down the road, it's quicker to wait and grab the tram for the next 2 stops than to walk it.
One thing I particualrly liked was the ease of transfers. Zurich has Bus, Trolley Bus and Trams - not subways. The upshot of this is that all public transport stops are on-grade. There is no hastle of walking underground as with a subway. This makes transfering to a different line as easy as walking across the street. Compare this to Boston, where a Blue line - Orange line transfer has you walking the equivalent of 5-10 blocks. Not to mention the fact that the stops, being above ground, are more scenic than the concrete tubes of Boston :)
I think one of the things that makes it work is that tickets are on the honor system. There's an automatic dispenser at the tram stop, buy a ticket (or just buy a monthly pass at the railway station) and get on the tram. No gates, no turnstiles, no queue as you wait for the conductor to check your ticket. They take care of abuse by having the public-transport police conduct random ticket checks. If you don't have a valid ticket, you pay about $50 on the spot. Your're likely to run into them about once a week. (Since monthly passes are only about $35, traveling without a valid ticket isn't worth the risk or the hastle.)
Too bad (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Monorail (Score:3, Informative)
two good trains in japan (Score:3, Informative)
- The monorail from Shimbashi (in Tokyo near the Ginza) to Ariake (manmade peninsula with convention and amusement facilities).
This is an unmanned, beautiful monorail which loops out over the sea. Has some good handholds and soft parts you can lean on because it seems on a narrow train with lots of windows you get pushed strongly to the side when you don't expect it. Beautiful glass car in front is a great panorama.
- The newest subway built in Tokyo, opened last year: Namboku Line which runs from northern Tokyo down to fashionable Azabu. (Like the above monorail I believe) the platform is enclosed on either side by glass walls interrupted by sliding glass doors which only open when the train stops right in front of it. There are metal posts with electric eyes on them just inside where the doors retract, so that they won't try to close while someone is entering. No room also because of those posts for someone to slide outside the glass wall.
Indy getting a mini-version of this... (Score:3, Informative)
Clarian Health, who owns most of these hospitals is foot the 34 million dollar bill for this, and the city will get monthly payments from them for taking land away I guess. I just have to find out if I can catch a ride to class on the thing, or if it will be limited to medical personel only.
to clarify Denver's transportation situation... (Score:4, Informative)
However, the next expansion (which will be completed in a few years, IIRC) is a link between Denver and a large suburb to the south. A benefit to commuters, but also greatly welcomed by shoppers.
Also the proposed monorail [highspeedmonorail.com] is meant to connect Denver with the ski resorts-- it isn't meant to be a "downtown monorail" as the article implies.
What the heck are they thinking? (Score:3, Informative)
Then I saw the route map.
1/2 the strip is not accessed by it. It starts at the MGM grand. And, most problematic, it does'nt go to the airport.
If I was designing this, it would run up the strip to the Sahara, turn right to the convention center, then head north to downtown.
I can't help to think that those cab drivers I hate so much had something to do with this assinine design.
Many European airports have light rail. (Score:2, Informative)
The airport, casinos, and some of the major hotels would be obvious nodes for the rail network. For those fixated on increasing economic growth through 'security' measures, some of the airlines could offer check-in at some of the more prestigious hotels or conference centers. This would be an obvious attraction for tourists and would allow the airlines extra time to scan the bags and back up their 'profiling' with hard data.
In Chicago, many rails came years before many of the buildings. I think there the rail companies did it the other way around and sold air rights to put buildings over the tracks. Monorail's a good option when you don't have the budget to bore tunnels or buy up surface real estate.
What's the geology like there? Maybe they could hire Norwegians to bore tunnels. ;)
(Subway / tube / underground sure, but how about "Casino Moria"?)
Mass transit is best for tourists (Score:5, Informative)
A typical European major city is built around a more or less ancient center, where all roads and transit system originate, with important extensions to the airport and rail stations. As I hope you can see, the mass transit system is working at it's very best for the typical travel patterns of a tourist, going between the main transit centers and all the tourist attractions in the center.
Now, if you were to live in a regular home and commute to a regular job in that same city, things would be very different. You'd be going from one suburb to another, probably having to change train or bus at the center. It would take at least twice as long as going by car, quite likely more. You could and would probably make arrangements so you lived where mass transit was favorable for your commute, but whenever you were going to some friend or some other random place, you'd have quite a logistical task on your hands.
And that's in a city that's always had it's transportation system built for mass transit. In an american city, built from the ground up for cars, it would work quite a bit worse.
I think I know since I moved to San Francisco from Stockholm 7 years ago. And while Stockholm has a quite decent mass transit system, and SF traffic is painfully congested, going by car here just can't compare to going by mass transit there. It's one of my bigger reasons for not moving back.
Re:What the heck are they thinking? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Not just a Disney idea. (Score:1, Informative)
for more info check out: www.monorails.org [monorails.org]
Austin
Re:Mass transit is best for tourists (Score:3, Informative)