3 ms·

Monorails suck and are properity garabage. Is a recepy for bad transit at increase cost.

Zopieux 4mo ago
This. The general concept of "terrible public transport tech disguising as a good & novel idea" has a name: gadgetbahn.
rsynnott 4mo ago
This one seems to work... surprisingly well, considering how bonkers it is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Schwebebahn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Schwebebahn I've always wondered why they've been so generally unsuccessful; conventional elevated rail works fairly well, and at least in theory they should be much cheaper and less obtrusive.
- panick21_ 4mo ago
  I didnt say they dont work. You just end up with highly costume properitery stuff.
  - rsynnott 4mo ago
    Sure, but there's no reason that _has_ to be the case. Like, there've been attempts at standards; the volume is just never really there to make any of them _the_ standard. Underground metro systems mostly started off as deeply weird and proprietary, as well (look at this one, weird gauge, tiny little trains, originally _cable_ operated: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Subway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Subway), but nowadays they're _fairly_ standard, say.
    - panick21_ 4mo ago
      Sure but they aren't and even if there was, for anything but single lines they are worse. Most cities already have a rail system and extending that is better. Monorail operations aren't cheaper, at best their construction is cheaper. But if you need interchanges it gets more expensive again. Its simple really they over very few actual advantages while having many disadvantages, so when they are built its usually because some monorail builder managed to convince some local politicians despite most experts saying they should just build normal rail.
toephu2 4mo ago
Japan has plenty of monorails and they work great. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monorails_in_Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monorails_in_Japan
- panick21_ 4mo ago
  Yes they work but not better then normal trains and worse in some ways. Qnd in terms of sharing infrastructure maintaince, signaling and so on its worse.

This. The general concept of "terrible public transport tech disguising as a good & novel idea" has a name: gadgetbahn.

This one seems to work... surprisingly well, considering how bonkers it is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Schwebebahn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Schwebebahn I've always wondered why they've been so generally unsuccessful; conventional elevated rail works fairly well, and at least in theory they should be much cheaper and less obtrusive.

panick21_ 4mo ago
I didnt say they dont work. You just end up with highly costume properitery stuff.
- rsynnott 4mo ago
  Sure, but there's no reason that _has_ to be the case. Like, there've been attempts at standards; the volume is just never really there to make any of them _the_ standard. Underground metro systems mostly started off as deeply weird and proprietary, as well (look at this one, weird gauge, tiny little trains, originally _cable_ operated: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Subway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Subway), but nowadays they're _fairly_ standard, say.
  - panick21_ 4mo ago
    Sure but they aren't and even if there was, for anything but single lines they are worse. Most cities already have a rail system and extending that is better. Monorail operations aren't cheaper, at best their construction is cheaper. But if you need interchanges it gets more expensive again. Its simple really they over very few actual advantages while having many disadvantages, so when they are built its usually because some monorail builder managed to convince some local politicians despite most experts saying they should just build normal rail.

toephu2 4mo ago

Japan has plenty of monorails and they work great. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monorails_in_Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monorails_in_Japan

panick21_ 4mo ago
Yes they work but not better then normal trains and worse in some ways. Qnd in terms of sharing infrastructure maintaince, signaling and so on its worse.