Re: Gold Coast Light Rail

["David Martin" <d_martin@mountains.net.au>]

Can you imagine a set of points for a monorail?
Simple enough proposition on a conventional railway line, but major
engineering for a mono-rail.

Emergency access is an issue. What happens when a monorail breaks down or,
worse still, catches fire?

There are monorails in Vancouver, and several locations in Japan, but they
are all simple set-ups, forming a minor part of the regional transport
system.

Monorails have been "the next big thing" for 50 years, but there are good
reasons why they have never taken off.


--
David Martin
Web Developer - FrontPage, ASP, Access
Info Blue Mountains Railway Pages
http://info.mountains.net.au/rail


"EF" <nospampleaseefleming@nospampleasegameznet.com> wrote in message
T_AA6.3462$wP3.20180@news-server.bigpond.net.au">news:T_AA6.3462$wP3.20180@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Read an article in last weekends Gold Coast Bulletin that the Light Rail
> proposal for the city will not go ahead now, due to the Federal
Governments
> decision not to provide the necessary funding.
>
> They are now mooting either an elevated light rail system, or a monorail,
> claiming that it's cheaper.
>
> I'm not very knowledgeable about various forms of rail, but I would have
> thought that something like a monorail would be the best option in the
first
> place. Being elevated, it wouldn't take up room on existing roads, it
could
> go faster because pedestrians wouldn't be on it, etc.
>
> What are the advantages/disadvantages to a monorail like system. And are
> there any cities around the world that have used a monorail as their
primary
> means of public transport?
>
> Thanks for your time.
>
>
>
> Ewan Fleming
>
>
>
>