Monorail

{{Short description|Railway with a single rail or beam}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{other uses}} {{redirect|Single rail trains|the type of steel roller coaster|Single-rail roller coaster}} {{multiple image | total_width = 320px | perrow = 1/2/2 | image1 = Chongqing Rail Transit Line 3 Monorail Train near Xuetangwan Station.jpg | image2 = Monotrilho SP (3).jpg | image3 = Mono means one, and rail means rail.jpg | image4 = Wuppertaler Schwebebahn Westende 2019-10-06 06 (cropped).jpg | image5 = Tokyo-Monorail-Type10000 Haneda-Airport-Line.jpg | footer = From top, left to right: [[Chongqing Rail Transit]] has the longest and busiest monorail system in the world, with [[Line 3 (Chongqing Rail Transit)|Line 3]] being the longest and busiest single monorail line; [[Line 15 (São Paulo Metro)|São Paulo Metro Line 15]] is the longest and busiest monorail line in the [[Americas]], and second worldwide; a [[Mark VI monorail|Mark VI]] train on the [[Las Vegas Monorail]]; a [[suspension railway]] of the [[Wuppertal Schwebebahn]] system; a [[Tokyo Monorail]] [[Tokyo Monorail 10000 series|10000 series]] train passing through [[Haneda Airport]].}}

A '''monorail''' is a form of [[urban rail transit]] in which [[train]]s run on or are suspended from a single rail or beam. Monorails typically provide intermediate transport capacity, generally greater than [[tram]]s and less than [[rapid transit|heavy metro]] systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2016/jan/18/comparing-different-modes-of-public-transportation/ |title=Comparing different modes of public transportation |date=January 18, 2016 |publisher=[[Las Vegas Sun]] |website=lasvegassun.com}}</ref> The term is often applied colloquially to any [[elevated rail]] or [[people mover]], though it refers more precisely to the single-beam track structure.{{efn-num|The term "track" is used here for simplicity. Technically the monorail sits on or is suspended from a guideway containing a singular structure. There is an additional generally accepted rule that the support for the car must be narrower than the car.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/WhatIs.html |title=Monorail Society, What is a monorail? |publisher=Monorails.org |access-date=September 11, 2010}}</ref>}}

Two principal types exist: straddle-beam monorails, in which vehicles ride atop a concrete or steel beam, and suspended monorails, in which vehicles hang beneath the guideway. The straddle-beam design, descended from the [[ALWEG]] system of the 1950s, dominates modern installations; suspended systems remain in service on the [[Wuppertal Schwebebahn]] (1901, the oldest monorail in operation) and the [[Chiba Urban Monorail]] (the largest suspended network). Monorail systems are most frequently implemented in large cities, airports, and theme parks.

Early monorail experiments date to the 1820s, with the first load-bearing systems appearing in the late 19th century. Modern mass-transit monorails emerged in the second half of the 20th century, principally in Japan, where [[Tokyo Monorail]] has carried over 1.5 billion passengers since 1964. [[Chongqing Rail Transit]] in China operates the world's largest and busiest monorail system, with [[Line 3 (Chongqing Rail Transit)|Line 3]] alone carrying over 680,000 passengers per day. Monorails are also used in airport shuttle services, niche applications including agriculture and mining, and amusement parks. Monorail systems have been depicted extensively in popular culture, from the "[[Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)|Fahrenheit 451]]" film (1966) to the "[[The Simpsons|Simpsons]]" episode "[[Marge vs. the Monorail]]" (1993), which the [[Monorail Society]] has credited with shaping negative public perceptions of the technology.

==Etymology== {{Train topics}} The term possibly originated in 1897<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=monorail |title=Etymology Online entry for monorail |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=September 11, 2010}}</ref> from German engineer [[Eugen Langen]], who called an elevated railway system with wagons suspended the "[[Wuppertal Schwebebahn|Eugen Langen One-railed Suspension Tramway]]" (Einschieniges Hängebahnsystem Eugen Langen).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/monorail |title=Dictionary.com definitions of monorail |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |access-date=September 11, 2010}}</ref>

==Differentiation from other transport systems== [[File:Chq Monorail2 P1030386.jpg|thumb|right|Monorail on concrete columns in [[Line 2 (Chongqing Rail Transit)|Chongqing]], China]] Monorails have found applications in airport transfers and [[light metro|medium-capacity]] metros. To differentiate monorails from other transport modes, the Monorail Society defines a monorail as a "single rail serving as a track for passenger or freight vehicles. In most cases, rail is elevated, but monorails can also run at [[grade separation|grade]], below grade, or in subway tunnels. Vehicles either are suspended from or straddle a narrow guide way. Monorail vehicles are wider than the guideway that supports them."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/WhatIs.html |title=Monorail Society, What is a monorail? |publisher=Monorails.org |access-date=September 11, 2010}}</ref>

===Similarities=== Monorails are often elevated, sometimes leading to confusion with other elevated systems such as the [[Docklands Light Railway]], [[Vancouver SkyTrain]], the [[AirTrain JFK]] and cable-propelled systems like the [[Cable Liner|Cable Liner people mover]], which run on two rails.{{Citation needed|reason=How does a multi-track system be confused as a single-track system?|date=December 2022}}

Monorail vehicles often appear similar to [[light rail]] vehicles and can be staffed or unstaffed. They can be individual rigid vehicles, articulated single units, or multiple units coupled into trains. Like other [[Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit|advanced rapid transit]] systems, monorails can be driven by [[linear induction motor]]s; like conventional railways, vehicle bodies can be connected to the beam via [[bogie]]s, allowing curves to be negotiated.

Monorails are sometimes used in urban areas alongside conventional parallel-railed metro systems. [[Mumbai Monorail]] serves alongside [[Mumbai Metro]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Mumbai Monorail Project |url=http://mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in/mumbai-monorail-project |publisher=MMRDA |access-date=February 7, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219083318/http://www.mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in/mumbai-monorail-project |archive-date=February 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Our projects – MMRDA |url=http://mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in/ |website=mmrda |access-date=August 27, 2018}}</ref> while monorail lines are integrated with conventional rail rapid transit lines in Bangkok's [[MRT (Bangkok)|MRT]] network.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 17, 2025 |title=Monorails on the rise |url=https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/monorails-on-the-rise/ |access-date=February 26, 2025 |website=Urban Transport Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Differences=== Unlike some [[tram]]s and [[light rail]] systems, modern monorails are always separated from other traffic and pedestrians due to the geometry of the rail.<ref name="Greater Greater Washington 2018 b079">{{cite web |title=Why cities rarely build monorails, explained |website=Greater Greater Washington |date=May 1, 2018 |url=https://ggwash.org/view/67201/why-cities-rarely-build-monorails-explained |access-date=September 17, 2023}}</ref> They are both guided and supported via interaction with the same single beam, in contrast to other guided systems like [[rubber-tyred metro]]s, such as the [[Sapporo Municipal Subway]], or [[guided bus]]es or trams, such as [[Translohr]]. Monorails can also use [[pantograph (rail)|pantographs]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Development of mathematical model for monorail suspension system under different track conditions |author=Bakhit Mabrouk and Wafi Adam |year=2015 |s2cid=73592213}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Research on the Influence of Straddle-Type Monorail's Pantograph Head Parameter on Power Collection Quality |author=Zhen Yang, Zixue Du, Cheng Chen, Xiaoxia Wen, and Zhouzhou Xu |journal=Urban Rail Transit |date=November 2017 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=149–157 |doi=10.1007/s40864-017-0066-0 |url=https://rdcu.be/duqzE |access-date=December 24, 2023 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

As with other grade-separated transit systems, monorails avoid red lights, intersection turns, and traffic jams.<ref>Ryan, Phillip "Monorails (All Aboard!)" (2010)</ref><ref name="The Seattle Times 2001 u148">{{cite web |title=Monorail pros and cons |website=The Seattle Times |date=February 18, 2001 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20010218&slug=monoprocon18m |access-date=September 17, 2023}}</ref> Surface-level trains, buses, cars, and pedestrians can collide with one another, while vehicles on dedicated, grade-separated rights-of-way such as monorails can collide only with other vehicles on the same system, with far fewer opportunities for collision. As with other elevated transit systems, monorail passengers receive sunlight and views.<ref>Schafer, Mike "American Passenger Train" (2001)</ref> Monorails can be quieter than diesel buses and trains. They obtain electricity from the track structure, whereas other modes of transit may use either [[third rail]] or overhead power lines and poles.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}} Compared to the [[elevated train]] systems of New York, Chicago, and elsewhere, a monorail beamway casts a narrower shadow.<ref>Dorin, Patrick C. "American Passenger Trains: WWII to Amtrak" (2009)</ref>

Conversely, monorails can be more expensive than light-rail systems that do not include tunnels.<ref name="The Seattle Times 2001 u148"/> In addition, monorails must either remain above ground or use larger tunnels than conventional rail systems, and they require complex track-switching equipment.<ref name="Greater Greater Washington 2018 b079"/>

===Maglev=== Under the Monorail Society's beam-width criterion, some, but not all, [[maglev (transport)|maglev]] systems are considered monorails, such as the [[Transrapid]] and [[Linimo]]. Maglevs differ from other monorails in that they do not physically contact the beam while moving.

==History== {{Main|History of monorail}} [[File:Einschienerp.jpg|thumb|[[Gyro monorail|Gyroscopically balanced monorail]] (1909) by Brennan and Scherl]]

===Early years=== The first monorail prototype was made in Russia in 1820 by [[Ivan Elmanov]]. Attempts at creating monorail alternatives to conventional [[railroad]]s have been made since the early part of the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Finchley Society Annual General Meeting Minutes |author=Finchley Society |url=http://www.finchleysociety.org.uk/Newsletters/1990s/1997/6-97.pdf |date=June 26, 1997 |access-date=April 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204205022/http://www.finchleysociety.org.uk/Newsletters/1990s/1997/6-97.pdf |archive-date=December 4, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=June 25 – Today in Science History |author=Today in Science History |url=http://www.todayinsci.com/6/6_25.htm |access-date=April 3, 2009}}</ref>

The [[Centennial Monorail]] was featured at the [[Centennial Exposition]] in Philadelphia in 1876. Based on its design the [[Bradford and Foster Brook Railway]] was built in 1877 and ran for one year from January 1878 until January 1879.

Around 1879 a "one-rail" system was proposed independently by Haddon and by Stringfellow, which used an inverted "V" rail (and thus shaped like "Λ" in cross-section). It was intended for military use, but was also seen to have civilian use as a "cheap railway".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1376851?searchTerm=cheap+railway#pstart72945 |title=NLA Australian Newspapers – article display |newspaper=Brisbane Courier |date=November 27, 1878 |publisher=Newspapers.nla.gov.au |access-date=September 11, 2010}}</ref> Similarly, one of the first systems put into practical use was that of French engineer Charles Lartigue, who built a line between [[Listowel and Ballybunion Railway|Ballybunion and Listowel]] in Ireland, opened in 1888 and lasting 36 years, being closed in 1924 (due to damage from Ireland's Civil War). It used a load-bearing single rail and two lower, external rails for balance, the three carried on triangular supports. It was cheap to construct but tricky to operate. Possibly the first monorail locomotive was a [[0-3-0]] [[steam locomotive]] on this line. A high-speed monorail using the [[Lartigue Monorail|Lartigue system]] was proposed in 1901 between Liverpool and Manchester.<ref name="nla">{{cite web |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10566928?searchTerm=monorail#pstart327212 |title=NLA Australian Newspapers – article display |newspaper=Argus |date=August 17, 1901 |publisher=Newspapers.nla.gov.au |access-date=September 11, 2010}}</ref>

The [[Boynton Bicycle Railroad]] was a steam-powered monorail in [[Brooklyn]] on [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. It ran on a single load-bearing rail at ground level, but with a wooden overhead stabilizing rail engaged by a pair of horizontally opposed wheels. The railroad operated for only two years beginning in 1890.

The [[Hotchkiss Bicycle Railroad]] was a monorail on which a matching pedal [[bicycle]] could be ridden. The first example was built between [[Smithville, Burlington County, New Jersey|Smithville]] and [[Mount Holly Township, New Jersey|Mount Holly]], New Jersey, in 1892.<ref>{{cite book |title=Iron rails in the Garden State: tales of New Jersey railroading |author=Anthony J. Bianculli |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2008 |isbn=9780253351746 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oif8ddRyYMcC&q=hotchkiss%20bicycle%20railway&pg=PA86}}</ref> It closed in 1897. Other examples were built in [[Norfolk]] from 1895 to 1909, [[Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach|Great Yarmouth]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/100_years_of_fun_and_thrills_1_500609 |title=100 years of fun and thrills |date=September 10, 2009 |newspaper=[[Eastern Daily Press]] |access-date=January 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055403/http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/100_years_of_fun_and_thrills_1_500609 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Pleasure Beach Blackpool|Blackpool]], UK, from 1896.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/332284/hotchkiss-bicycle-railway-great-yarmouth-c-1900/ |title=Hotchkiss Bicycle Railway, Great Yarmouth C. 1900 |publisher=FotoLibra |access-date=January 19, 2012 |archive-date=November 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119111242/http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/332284/hotchkiss-bicycle-railway-great-yarmouth-c-1900/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===1900s–1950s=== Early designs used a double-[[flange]]d single metal rail alternative to the double rail of conventional railways, both guiding and supporting the monorail car. A surviving suspended version is the oldest system still in service: the [[Wuppertal Schwebebahn|Wuppertal monorail]] in Germany. Also in the early 1900s, [[gyro monorail]]s with cars gyroscopically balanced on top of a single rail were tested, but never developed beyond the prototype stage. The [[Ewing System]], used in the [[Patiala State Monorail Trainways]] in [[Punjab, India]], relies on a hybrid model with a load-bearing single rail and an external wheel for balance. A high-speed monorail using the [[Lartigue Monorail|Lartigue system]] was proposed in 1901 between Liverpool and Manchester.<ref name="nla" />

In 1910, the [[Louis Brennan|Brennan]] [[Gyro Monorail|gyroscopic monorail]] was considered for use to a coal mine in Alaska.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5260767?searchTerm=monorail#pstart946719 |title=NLA Australian Newspapers – article display |publisher=Newspapers.nla.gov.au |date=September 5, 1910 |access-date=September 11, 2010}}</ref> In June 1920, the French Patent Office published FR 503782, by Henri Coanda, on a "Transporteur Aérien" (Air Carrier). One of the first monorails planned in the United States was in New York City in the early 1930s, scrubbed for an elevated train system.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=xSgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA71 "America's First Monorail Line Planned For New York."] "[[Popular Mechanics]]", November 1930, p. 71.</ref>

[[File:Xlg russian monorail.jpg|thumb|300px|[https://books.google.com/books?id=2CcDAAAAMBAJ&dq=new+russian+monorail&pg=PA41 "Popular Science" February 1934, p. 41]: "A new Russian type of monorail that runs in a chute on large spheres."]] The first half of the 20th century saw many further proposed designs that either never left the drawing board or remained short-lived prototypes. Another project created on the layout was the ball-bearing train by Nikolai Grigorievich Yarmolchuk. This train moved on spherical wheels with electric motors embedded in them, which were located in semi-circular chutes under a wooden platform (in the full-scale project the trestle would have been concrete). A model train, built to 1/5 scale to test the vehicle concept, was capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 km/h. The full-scale project was expected to reach speeds of up to 300 km/h.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKfWkjpnbE0&ab_channel=enodentetsu |title=Шар |language=ru |website=YouTube}}</ref>

===1950s–1980s=== [[File:Seattle Monorail station.jpg|thumb|[[Seattle Monorail]], built in 1962 and still using the original ALWEG trains]] In the latter half of the 20th century, monorails had settled on using larger beam- or girder-based track, with vehicles supported by one set of wheels and guided by another. In the 1950s, a 40% scale prototype of a system designed for speed of {{convert|200|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} on straight stretches and {{convert|90|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} on curves was built in Germany.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zdwDAAAAMBAJ&dq=true&pg=PA127 "German's Develop Fast Monorail System For High Speed Travel"] "Popular Mechanics", January 1953, p. 127.</ref> There were designs with vehicles supported, suspended, or cantilevered from the beams. In the 1950s the [[ALWEG]] straddle design emerged, followed by an updated suspended type, the [[SAFEGE]] system. Versions of ALWEG's technology are used by the two largest monorail manufacturers, [[Hitachi Monorail]] and [[Bombardier Transportation|Bombardier]].

[[File:6308-DisneyLandHotelMonorailStation.jpg|thumb|The original Red Mark I [[Disneyland Monorail]], with the additional car to make it a Mark II, as seen at the [[Disneyland Hotel (California)|Disneyland Hotel]] station in August 1963]] In 1956, the first monorail to operate in the US began test operations in Houston, Texas.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=QuEDAAAAMBAJ&dq=1954+Popular+Mechanics+January&pg=PA77 "First U.S. Monorail Has Trial Run."] "Popular Mechanics", June 1956, p. 77.</ref> [[Disneyland]] in [[Anaheim, California]], opened the United States' first daily operating [[Disneyland Monorail System|monorail system]] in 1959.<ref name="monoraildisn">{{cite journal |title=Disneyland Adds Submarine and Monorail |journal=Popular Mechanics |date=July 1959 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ttsDAAAAMBAJ&q=monorail&pg=PA77 |access-date=December 21, 2010}}</ref> Later during this period, additional [[List of monorail systems|monorails]] were installed at [[Walt Disney World Monorail System|Walt Disney World]] in [[Florida]], [[Seattle Center Monorail|Seattle]], and in [[Monorails in Japan|Japan]]. Monorails were promoted as futuristic technology with exhibition installations and amusement park purchases, as seen by the legacy systems in use today. However, monorails gained little foothold compared to conventional transport systems. In March 1972, Alejandro Goicoechea-Omar had patent DE1755198 published, on a "Vertebrate Train", built as an experimental track in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. Niche private enterprise uses for monorails emerged, with the emergence of [[air travel]] and [[shopping mall]]s, with shuttle-type systems being built.

===1980s–present=== [[File:Einschienenbahn (Monorail) im Europa-Park.JPG|thumb|One of three monorails at [[Europa-Park]] in Rust, Germany]] From the 1980s, most monorail mass transit systems have been in [[Japan]], with a few exceptions. [[Tokyo Monorail]] is one of the world's busiest, averaging 127,000 passengers per day and having served over 1.5 billion passengers since 1964.<ref>{{cite news |title=1.5 billionth rides monorail to Haneda |newspaper=Japan Times |date=January 24, 2007 |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20070125a2.html |access-date=January 24, 2007 |archive-date=July 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719134846/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20070125a2.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> China began development of monorails in the late 2000s and is already home to the world's largest and busiest monorail system, with mass transit monorails under construction in several cities. A [[Bombardier Innovia Monorail]]-based system is under construction in [[Wuhu Metro|Wuhu]], and several "Cloudrail" systems developed by [[BYD Company|BYD]] are under construction in cities such as [[Guang'an Metro|Guang'an]], [[Liuzhou]], [[Bengbu]], and [[Guilin]]. Monorails have seen continuing use in niche shuttle markets and amusement parks.

Modern mass transit monorail systems use developments of the ALWEG beam and tire approach, with only two suspended types in large use. Monorail configurations have also been adopted by [[maglev train]]s. Since the 2000s, with the rise of traffic congestion and urbanization, there has been a resurgence of interest in the technology for [[public transport]], with a number of cities such as [[Malta]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Monorail system among Malta government proposals for EU funding |date=December 10, 2014 |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141210/local/monorail-system-among-malta-government-proposals-for-eu-funding.547680}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Monorail on backburner as Malta remains without EIB financing |url=http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/64417/monorail_on_backburner_as_malta_remains_without_eib_financing#.V_EvMPArJaR |website=maltatoday.com.mt}}</ref> and [[Istanbul]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Istanbul is building a 47km monorail network to deal with its crippling traffic congestion |url=https://www.citymetric.com/transport/istanbul-building-47km-monorail-network-deal-its-crippling-traffic-congestion-700 |access-date=July 16, 2019 |website=www.citymetric.com |date=January 30, 2015 |archive-date=July 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716200900/https://www.citymetric.com/transport/istanbul-building-47km-monorail-network-deal-its-crippling-traffic-congestion-700 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tender for monorail system in central Istanbul canceled |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tender-for-monorail-system-in-central-istanbul-canceled-116019 |access-date=July 16, 2019 |website=Hürriyet Daily News |date=July 27, 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Istanbul is building a 47km monorail network to deal with its crippling traffic congestion |url=https://www.urbangateway.org/news/istanbul-building-47km-monorail-network-deal-its-crippling-traffic-congestion |access-date=August 8, 2019 |website=www.urbangateway.org |archive-date=August 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808042317/https://www.urbangateway.org/news/istanbul-building-47km-monorail-network-deal-its-crippling-traffic-congestion |url-status=dead}}</ref> investigating monorails as a possible mass transit solution.<ref name="The Wall Street Journal">{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703567404576292914218923744 |title=Has the Monorail's Future Finally Arrived? |last=Trevisani |first=Paulo |date=May 23, 2011 |website=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=May 23, 2011}}</ref>

In 2004, [[Chongqing Rail Transit]] in [[China]] adopted a unique ALWEG-based design with rolling stock that is much wider than most monorails, with capacity comparable to [[heavy rail]]. This is because [[Chongqing]] is criss-crossed by numerous hills, mountains, and rivers, making tunneling infeasible except in some cases (for example, lines [[Line 1 (Chongqing Rail Transit)|1]] and [[Line 6 (Chongqing Rail Transit)|6]]) due to the extreme depth involved. Today it is the largest and busiest monorail system in the world.

In July 2009, two [[2009 Walt Disney World monorail accident|Walt Disney World monorails collided]], killing one of the drivers and injuring seven passengers. The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] found the cause of the accident to be human error by both the driver and controller, contributed to by a lack of standard operating procedures.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/RAB1107.aspx |title=Railroad Accident Brief – Collision of Two Monorails in Walt Disney World Resort |date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=October 31, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103191913/https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/RAB1107.aspx |archive-date=January 3, 2015}}</ref>

[[São Paulo]], Brazil, is building two high-capacity monorail lines as part of its public transportation network. [[Line 15 (São Paulo Metro)|Line 15]] was partially opened in 2014, will be {{convert|27|km|abbr=on}} long when completed and has a capacity of 40,000 [[pphpd]] using [[Bombardier Innovia Monorail]] trains.<ref name="The Wall Street Journal" /> [[Line 17 (São Paulo Metro)|Line 17]] will be {{convert|17.7|km|abbr=on}} long and is using the [[BYD Company|BYD]] SkyRail design. Other significant monorail systems are under construction, including two lines for the [[Cairo Monorail]], two lines for the [[MRT (Bangkok)]], and the [[SkyRail Bahia]] in [[Brazil]]. {{anchor|Straddle beam|Suspended}} ==Types and technical aspects== [[File:Schwebebahn G15.jpg|thumb|The [[Wuppertal Schwebebahn]], the world's first electric suspended monorail]] Modern monorails depend on a large solid beam as the vehicles' running surface. There are a number of competing designs divided into two broad classes, "straddle-beam" and "suspended" monorails. The most common type is the straddle-beam, in which the train straddles a [[steel]] or [[reinforced concrete]] beam {{convert|2|to|3|ft|1}} wide. A [[rubber]]-[[tire]]d carriage contacts the beam on the top and both sides for traction and to stabilize the vehicle. The style was popularized by the [[Germany|German]] company [[ALWEG]]. There is also a historical type of "[[suspension railway|suspension monorail]]" developed by German inventors [[Nicolaus Otto]] and [[Eugen Langen]] in the 1880s. It was built in the twin cities of Barmen and Elberfeld in Wuppertal, Germany, opened in 1901, and is still in operation. The [[Chiba Urban Monorail]] is the world's largest suspended network.

===Power=== Almost all modern monorails are powered by [[electric motor]]s fed by dual [[third rail]]s, contact wires, or electrified channels attached to or enclosed in their guidance beams. Historically some systems, such as the [[Lartigue Monorail]], used steam locomotives, but diesel-powered monorail systems also existed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/Metrail1.html |title=Metrail Test Track Photo Essay – page one of three |publisher=Monorails.org |date=October 18, 2002 |access-date=September 11, 2010}}</ref> Some monorail systems use [[Linear motor|linear induction motors]],<ref>{{cite web |year=2013 |title=Linear Motor Driven System |url=http://www.hitachi-rail.com/products/rolling_stock/linear/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930090347/http://www.hitachi-rail.com/products/rolling_stock/linear/index.html |archive-date=September 30, 2018 |access-date=June 23, 2019 |website=Hitachi-Rail.com |publisher=[[Hitachi|Hitachi, Ltd.]]}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=October 2023}}<ref>{{cite web |year=2015 |title=Monorail |url=http://www.railsystem.net/monorail/ |access-date=June 23, 2019 |website=RailSystem.net}}</ref>{{unreliable source|date=October 2023}} for example Disney's [[Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)|Tomorrowland]] [[Disneyland Monorail|Monorail]].<ref name="HSMP">{{cite web |title=Technical Page – High-Speed Monorail Propulsion |url=https://www.monorails.org/tMspages/TPTrVpr.html |website=www.monorails.org |access-date=July 16, 2025}}</ref>

===Magnetic levitation=== [[File:Transrapid 08.jpg|thumb|[[Transrapid]] maglev on monorail track]] [[Maglev train|Magnetic levitation train]] (maglev) systems such as the German [[Transrapid]] were built as straddle-type monorails. The [[Shanghai Maglev Train]] runs in commercial operation at {{convert|430|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, and there are also slower maglev monorails intended for urban transport in Japan ([[Linimo]]), Korea ([[Incheon Airport Maglev]]), and China ([[Line S1 (Beijing Subway)|Beijing Subway Line S1]] and the [[Changsha Maglev Express]]). However, it is argued that the larger width of the [[Railway track|guideway]] for the maglevs makes it not legitimate to call them monorails.<ref>{{cite web |last=Svensson |first=Einar |title=Definition and Description of Monorail |url=http://www.urbanaut.com/Definition%2520and%2520Description%2520of%2520Monorail.pdf |access-date=August 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of monorail |url=http://www.monorails.org/tmspages/WhatIs.html |publisher=Monorail Society |access-date=August 16, 2012}}</ref>

===Switching===

[[File:Osaka switches tms.jpg|thumb|left|Switches at a storage facility of [[Osaka Monorail]]]]

Switching in monorail systems varies by design and technology. One of the earliest systems, the [[Wuppertal Suspension Railway]] in Germany, uses vehicles suspended beneath a single elevated rail, with steel wheels running on top. Due to the design of the cars, switching required a complex rotating mechanism that physically turned the track structure. As a result, the system operates without bypasses or spur lines, with a loop at either end to turn trains around.<ref name="Switch Myth">{{Cite web |last=Pedersen |first=Kim |title=The Switch Myth |url=http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/switch.html |access-date=January 15, 2007 |website=The Monorail Society}}</ref>

The mechanical complexity and limitations of early switching systems contributed to the perception that monorails are generally inflexible or unsuited for branching routes. However, modern monorail technologies have introduced a variety of switching methods that address these limitations.<ref name="Switch Myth" />

For suspended monorails, newer designs such as those used by SAFEGE and H-Bahn systems incorporate internal pivoting components. These systems use movable plates within the guideway to change direction without moving the entire beam, allowing for more compact and efficient switches.<ref name="Switch Myth" />

[[File:Monorail switch moving (São Paulo Metro).webm|thumb|right|A switch changing direction on São Paulo Metro Line 15]]

Straddle-beam monorails employ either segmented or beam-moving switching systems. The segmented switch, developed by ALWEG in the 1950s and still in use in Japan, uses flexible beam sections that can shift between straight and curved alignments, requiring relatively little space and enabling faster switching. Another method, known as the beam replacement switch, involves moving a straight beam section aside while a curved beam section moves into place and is capable of completing a switch in approximately 12 seconds.<ref name="Switch Myth" />

Rotary switches have a straight beam and a curved beam on either side of a plate, which can rotate 180 degrees.<ref name="Switch Myth" />

In addition to these switching mechanisms, some systems use [[railway turntables|turntables]] or [[transfer table]]s at maintenance facilities or depots. These allow vehicles to be redirected to and from storage or service lines.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.american-rails.com/turntable.html |title=The Railroad Turntable |work=American-Rails.com |access-date=February 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.workwithsounds.eu/sound/railway-turntable/ |title=Railway turntable |website=www.workwithsounds.eu |language=en-US |access-date=February 3, 2018 |archive-date=February 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204070416/http://www.workwithsounds.eu/sound/railway-turntable/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Grades=== [[Rubber-tired metro|Rubber-tired]] monorails are typically designed to cope with a 6% [[Grade (slope)|grade]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hitachi-rail.com/products/monorail_system/advantages/steeper/index.html |title=Steeper Grade, Smaller Curve Radius |publisher=Hitachi Rail |access-date=September 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719002052/http://www.hitachi-rail.com/products/monorail_system/advantages/steeper/index.html |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Rubber-tired light rail or metro lines can cope with similar or greater grades – for example, the [[Lausanne Metro]] has grades of up to 12% and the [[Montreal Metro]] up to 6.5%,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/metro/story.html?id=c84a8361-0981-403c-b6df-8ce82fc71db2 |title=Sticking with rubber |access-date=December 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517031404/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/metro/story.html?id=c84a8361-0981-403c-b6df-8ce82fc71db2 |archive-date=May 17, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> while [[Véhicule Automatique Léger|VAL]] systems can handle 7% grades.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n7_v199/ai_20996430/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708043720/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n7_v199/ai_20996430/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |work=Railway Age |title=Is there people-mover in your future? |year=1998}}</ref>

==Monorail systems== {{Main|List of monorail systems}} Manufacturers of monorail rolling stock with operating systems include [[Hitachi Monorail]], [[BYD Company|BYD]], [[Bombardier Transportation]] (now [[Alstom]]), [[Scomi]], PBTS (a joint venture of [[CRRC Nanjing Puzhen]] and Bombardier),<ref>{{cite web |title=Bombardier's Chinese Joint Venture Wins its First Monorail Contract in China |url=https://rail.bombardier.com/en/about-us/worldwide-presence/australia/en.html/bombardier/news/2017/bt-20171218-bombardiers-chinese-joint-venture-wins-its-first-mon/en |access-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref> [[Intamin]], and EMTC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://emtcgo.co.kr/eng/agt/ |title=Smart Monorail |access-date=June 26, 2021}}</ref>

Other developers include [[CRRC Qingdao Sifang]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Monorail prototype unveiled |url=http://www.china.org.cn/business/2017-07/25/content_41278267.htm |access-date=July 4, 2021 |publisher=China.org.cn |date=July 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=CRRC unveils China's first high-tech monorail train powered by magnet motor |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-05/30/content_25522955.htm |access-date=July 4, 2021 |publisher=China Daily |date=May 30, 2016}}</ref> [[China Railway Group Limited|China Railway Science and Industry Group]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Wuhan tests driverless suspended monorail |url=https://www.railjournal.com/technology/wuhan-tests-driverless-suspended-monorail/ |access-date=July 4, 2021 |publisher=International Railway Journal |date=November 16, 2020}}</ref> Zhongtang Air Rail Technology,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nair |first=Shalini |date=June 29, 2021 |title=New-energy sky train rolls off production line in China |url=https://www.railway-technology.com/news/new-energy-sky-train-china/ |access-date=June 3, 2024 |website=Railway Technology |language=en-US}}</ref> Woojin,<ref>{{cite web |title=SMART Monorail |url=https://www.wjis.co.kr/en/business/monorail.php |access-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref> and [[SkyWay Group]].

===Records=== As of 2014, notable monorail records include:

*Busiest line: [[Line 3 (Chongqing Rail Transit)|Line 3, Chongqing Rail Transit]], 682,800 passengers per day (2014 daily average)<ref name=record>{{cite web |url=http://cq.cri.cn/115/2014/11/21/5s720.htm |title=重庆轨道3号线成世界上最繁忙的单轨线 |publisher=国际在线 |access-date=November 30, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205072828/http://cq.cri.cn/115/2014/11/21/5s720.htm |archive-date=December 5, 2014}}</ref> *Largest system: [[Chongqing Rail Transit]] (Lines 2 and 3), {{convert|97.8|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.163.com/13/1012/21/9B12OUDB00014AEE.html |title=重庆单轨里程世界第一列车国产化率95% |last=网易 |website=news.163.com |access-date=January 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708163111/http://news.163.com/13/1012/21/9B12OUDB00014AEE.html |archive-date=July 8, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> *Longest straddle-beam line: [[Line 3 (Chongqing Rail Transit)|Line 3, Chongqing Rail Transit]], {{convert|55.5|km|mi|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cqmetro.cn/wwwroot_release/crtweb/ztbd/shx/index.shtml |title=重庆市轨道交通（集团）有限公司——3 号线 |website=www.cqmetro.cn |access-date=December 29, 2012 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023415/http://www.cqmetro.cn/wwwroot_release/crtweb/ztbd/shx/index.shtml |url-status=dead}}</ref> or {{convert|66.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} including the Jurenba branch *Largest suspended system: [[Chiba Urban Monorail]], {{convert|15.2|km|mi|abbr=on}} *Oldest line still in service: [[Wuppertal Schwebebahn|Schwebebahn Wuppertal]], 1901

==In popular culture== [[François Truffaut]]'s [[Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)|1966 film adaptation]] of [[Ray Bradbury]]'s 1953 novel "[[Fahrenheit 451]]" contains [[Suspension railway|suspended]] monorail exterior scenes filmed at the French [[SAFEGE]] test track in [[Châteauneuf-sur-Loire]] near [[Orléans]], France (since dismantled).

The "[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]" episode "[[Brink of Disaster (Thunderbirds)|Brink of Disaster]]" (February 1966) is about the financing and building of a high-speed driverless cross-country monorail project. Two of the Thunderbirds crew find themselves trapped aboard a monorail train, with no possibility of escape, when it is discovered the train is speeding toward a stricken bridge.

The [[List of James Bond films|James Bond film franchise]] features monorails in three films, all belonging to the villain. In "[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]" (1967) there is a working ground-level monorail inside the SPECTRE volcano base. In "[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]" (1973), a prop monorail is shown in the villain's lair on the fictional Caribbean island of San Monique. In "[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]" (1977) there is a working monorail on the villain's supertanker (submarine dock).

In 1987, [[Lego]] released a monorail among the "Futuron" [[Lego Space|Space]] line. Despite being the most expensive Lego set of its time (due to being massive and including electrical elements),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://brickset.com/sets/year-1987 |title=Brickset Database of LEGO sets from 1987 |work=brickset.com}}</ref> it was very popular, with Lego releasing a "[[Lego Town|Town]]" themed monorail in 1990 and another Space monorail in 1994 among the "Unitron" line, as well as additional track. The monorail system was also prominent in the unreleased "Seatron" Space line and prototype "[[Lego Wild West|Wild West]]" sets. Its popularity has endured over thirty years later, with Lego paying homage in promotional sets and fans manufacturing compatible components.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schefcik |first1=Dave |title=LEGO Monorail: Bring it Back or Build Your Own? |url=https://bricknerd.com/home/lego-monorail-bring-it-back-or-build-your-own-7-6-21 |access-date=November 15, 2021 |work=BrickNerd}}</ref><ref>{{cite mailing list |url=https://www.4dbrix.com/newsletters/001/newsletter.html |title=The Monorail is Back! |date=2016 |access-date=November 15, 2021 |mailing-list=4DBrix}}</ref>

The fourth season of the American animated television show "[[The Simpsons]]" features the episode "[[Marge vs. the Monorail]]", in which the town of [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]] impulsively purchases a faulty monorail from a [[confidence trick]]ster at a wildly inflated price. The Monorail Society, an organization with 14,000 members worldwide, has blamed the episode for sullying the reputation of monorails,<ref>{{cite web |title=Marge vs. the Monorail |url=https://www.monorails.org/tMspages/msvsmr.html |publisher=The Monorail Society |access-date=February 24, 2021}}</ref> to which "Simpsons" creator [[Matt Groening]] responded "That's a by-product of our viciousness... Monorails are great, so it makes me sad, but at the same time if something's going to happen in "The Simpsons", it's going to go wrong, right?"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chalk |first1=Will |title=The Simpsons creator Matt Groening on equality, memes and monorails |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-56024683 |access-date=February 24, 2021 |work=BBC News |date=February 24, 2021}}</ref>

The 2005 feature film "[[Batman Begins]]" features a monorail, constructed by Bruce Wayne's father through Gotham City, that is part of the climax of the film. The monorail is also included in the spin-off [[Batman Begins (video game)|video game]].

Blaine the Mono is a train featured in [[Stephen King]]'s "[[The Dark Tower (series)|The Dark Tower]]" series of books and first appears in "[[The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands]]".

Monorails have also appeared in a number of video games including "[[Transport Tycoon]]", "Japanese Rail Sim 3D: Monorail Trip to Okinawa" by [[Sonic Powered]], "[[SimCity 4: Rush Hour]]", "[[Cities in Motion 2]]", "[[Cities: Skylines]]" (in the "Mass Transit" expansion pack of 2017), "[[Planet Zoo]]", and a rideable elevated monorail system in the 2020 video game "[[Cyberpunk 2077]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wald |first=Heather |date=March 6, 2024 |title=The making of Cyberpunk 2077's metro system: "From day one, we considered the NCART to be a roleplaying feature first and foremost" |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-making-of-cyberpunk-2077s-metro-system-from-day-one-we-considered-the-ncart-to-be-a-roleplaying-feature-first-and-foremost/ |access-date=October 2, 2024 |website=GamesRadar |language=en}}</ref>

===Public perception as mass transit=== {{refimprove|section|date=November 2025}} From 1950 to 1980, the monorail concept may have suffered, as with all public transport systems, from competition with the [[car|automobile]]. At the time, [[Economic history of the United States#Post-World War II prosperity: 1945–1973|post–World War II optimism in America]] was riding high and people were buying automobiles in large numbers due to [[suburbanization]] and the [[Interstate Highway System]]. Monorails in particular may have suffered from the reluctance of public transit authorities to invest in the perceived high cost of unproven technology when faced with cheaper mature alternatives. There were also many competing monorail technologies, splitting their case further. One notable example of a public monorail is the AMF Monorail that was used as transportation around the [[1964 New York World's Fair|1964–1965 World's Fair]].

This high-cost perception was challenged most notably in 1963 when the ALWEG consortium proposed to finance the construction of a major system in [[Los Angeles County, California]], in return for the right of operation. This was turned down by the [[Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors]] under pressure from [[Chevron Corporation|Standard Oil of California]] and [[General Motors]] (which were strong advocates for [[automobile dependency]]),<ref>{{cite book |title=American Society of Civil Engineers – Los Angeles Section: 100 Years of Civil Engineering Excellence 1913–2013 |author=American Society of Civil Engineers |author-link=American Society of Civil Engineers |pages=169–170 |publisher=[[AuthorHouse]] |date=September 30, 2014}}</ref> and the later proposed subway system faced criticism by author [[Ray Bradbury]] as it had yet to reach the scale of the proposed monorail.

Several monorails initially conceived as transport systems survive on revenues generated from [[tourism]], benefiting from the unique views offered from the largely elevated installations.{{cn|date=November 2025}}

==Farm, mining, and logistics applications== [[File:Peg Leg Railroad, Quit Business 1880, Bradford, PA.jpg|thumb|right|Bradford and Foster Brook Railway, 1880]] Monorails have been used for a number of applications other than passenger transportation. Small suspended monorails are also widely used in factories, either as part of movable assembly lines or material handling systems.

===History=== Inspired by the [[Centennial Monorail]] demonstrated in 1876, in 1877 the [[Bradford and Foster Brook Railway]] began construction of a {{convert|5|mi|km|abbr=on}} line connecting [[Bradford, Pennsylvania|Bradford]] and [[Foster Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania|Foster Township, McKean County]] in [[Pennsylvania]]. The line operated from 1878 until 1879 delivering machinery and oil supplies. The first twin-boiler locomotive wore out quickly. It was replaced by a single-boiler locomotive which was too heavy and crashed through the track on its third trip. The third locomotive again had twin boilers. On a trial run one of the boilers ran dry and exploded, killing six people. The railway was closed soon after.

[[File:Monorails in Central Java (2).jpg|thumb|Monorail in the Grobogan area (north of [[Purwodadi (town)|Purwodadi]])]] [[Monorails in Central Java]] were used to transport timber from the forests of Central Java located in the mountains to the rivers. In 1908 and 1909, the forester H. J. L. Beck built a manually operated monorail of limited but sufficient capacity for the transport of small timber and firewood in the Northern Surabaya forest district. In later years, this idea was further developed by L. A. van de Ven, who was a forester in the Grobogan forest district around 1908–1910.<ref name=Lugt>Ch. S. Lugt: "Het boschbeheer in Nederlandsch-Indië." 1933, S. 75–76. Zitiert in: Rob van de Ven Renardel de Lavalette: [http://www.pentalpha.nl/baroe/index.php/diversencxcxc/articles-3 "De Monorail van Grobogan."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203164254/http://www.pentalpha.nl/baroe/index.php/diversencxcxc/articles-3 |date=December 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>[[:File:Monorails in Central Java (7) Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad, 16-7-1913.jpg|'‘Dankbetuiging." Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad, July 16, 1913.]]</ref> Monorails were built by plantation operators and wood processing companies throughout the mountains of Central Java.<ref name="deWit">Augusta de Wit: "Een bevloeiingswerk". In: "Natuur en menschen in Indië", 1921, page 125. First published in "Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, Avondblad A," November 30, 1911. Referenced in: Rob van de Ven Renardel de Lavalette: [http://www.pentalpha.nl/baroe/index.php/diversencxcxc/articles-3 "De Monorail van Grobogan."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203164254/http://www.pentalpha.nl/baroe/index.php/diversencxcxc/articles-3 |date=December 3, 2017}}</ref> In 1919/1920, however, the hand-operated monorails gradually disappeared and were replaced by narrow-gauge railways with steam locomotives as forest utilization changed.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171204061334/http://www.ziarahspoor.blogspot.co.at/2012/09/pernah-ada-monorel-hutan-di-jawa.html "Pernah ada Monorel hutan (forestry monorail) di Jawa."] Ziarah Spoor, December 13, 2012.</ref>

In the 1920s the [[Port of Hamburg]] used a petrol-powered, suspended monorail to transport luggage and freight from ocean-going vessels to a passenger depot.<ref>{{cite news |title=Passengers' Luggage Handled Speedily by Monorail Line (Jul, 1929) |url=http://blog.modernmechanix.com/passengers-luggage-handled-speedily-by-monorail-line/ |access-date=August 9, 2021 |publisher=Modern Mechanics |date=July 1929 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811010727/http://blog.modernmechanix.com/passengers-luggage-handled-speedily-by-monorail-line/ |archive-date=August 11, 2014}}</ref>

In the northern [[Mojave Desert]], the [[Epsom Salts Monorail]] was built in 1924. It ran for 28 miles from a connection on the [[Trona Railway]], eastward to harvest [[epsomite]] deposits in the [[Owlshead Mountains]]. This Lartigue-type monorail achieved [[gradient]]s of up to ten percent. It only operated until June 1926, when the mineral deposits became uneconomic, and was dismantled for scrap in the late 1930s.<ref>{{cite web |first=Richard H. |last=Jahns |url=http://www.dzwirner.ch/resources/Eisenbahn/Monorail/Epsom.pdf |title=The Epsom Salts Line – Monorail to Nowhere |access-date=December 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725224159/http://www.dzwirner.ch/resources/Eisenbahn/Monorail/Epsom.pdf |archive-date=July 25, 2015 |url-status=dead}} (Republished in "[[Trains (magazine)|Trains and Travel]]", October 1951)</ref>

In the [[Soviet Union]] the Lyskovsky monorail in the [[Nizhny Novgorod]] region was designed by the engineer of the timber industry Ivan Gorodtsov. A Lartigue-type line of about {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} long was opened in November 1934 to connect the village of Selskaya Maza with the villages of Bakaldy and Yaloksha to carry timber. Following this example, a separate {{convert|42|km|mi}} cargo-and-passenger monorail was built from the town of Bor to the village of Zavrazhnoe, where forest and peat were exploited. The Lyskovsky monorail stopped operating in 1949.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

The British firm "Road Machines (Drayton) Ltd" developed a modular-track ground-level monorail system with a {{convert|9|in|mm|abbr=on}} high rail segments, {{convert|4 to 12|ft|m|abbr=on}} long, running between support plates. The first system was sold in 1949 and it was used in industrial, construction, and agricultural applications around the world. The company ceased trading in 1967.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Industrial Monorail |url=https://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/16/Monorail.htm |publisher=The Industrial Railway Society |access-date=August 6, 2021}}</ref> The system was adapted for use in the 1967 James Bond film "[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]". An example of the system exists at the [[Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre]] in Britain.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Tiny Monorails That Once Carried James Bond |website=[[YouTube]] |date=September 21, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irv3KJR6B80 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211111/Irv3KJR6B80 |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=August 6, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Recent applications=== [[File:Монорельсовая дорога 3.JPG|thumb|Mining monorail]] Very small and lightweight systems are used widely on farms to transport crops such as bananas.<ref>{{cite news |title=Far north Queensland gets a monorail... for bananas |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2012-04-17/far-north-queensland-gets-a-monorail-for-bananas/6167136 |publisher=ABC News |date=April 17, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Banana Field Monorails Exist! |url=https://www.monorails.org/tMspages/banana.html |access-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref> First developed in Japan, industrial versions of [[slope car]]s are used in agriculture in steep sloped areas such as citrus orchards in Japan and vineyards in Italy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Monorail for Gardening and Farming |url=http://monotec.international/using/full/51.html |access-date=August 6, 2021}}</ref> One European manufacturer says they have installed 650 systems worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |title=Monorack Ecofriendly, energy-saving and compact A transport solution of the special kind |url=https://www.doppelmayr.com/products/monorack/ |access-date=August 6, 2021}}</ref>

In the mining industry, suspended monorails have been used because of their ability to descend and climb steep tunnels using rack-and-pinion drive. This significantly reduces cost and length of tunnels, by up to 60% in some cases, which otherwise must be at gentle gradients to suit road vehicles or conventional railways.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Besa |first=Bunda |date=July 2010 |title=Evaluation of monorail haulage systems in metalliferous underground mining |url=https://espace.curtin.edu.au/handle/20.500.11937/1196 |degree=PhD |publisher=Western Australian School of Mines |access-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref>{{page needed|date=July 2025}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Monorail Suspended Transport |url=https://www.mining-technology.com/products/monorail-suspended-transport/ |access-date=July 4, 2021 |publisher=Mining Technology |date=February 23, 2018}}</ref>

A suspended monorail capable of carrying fully loaded 20' and 40' containers has been under construction since 2020 at the [[Port of Qingdao]], the first phase of which was put into operation in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=Qingdao Port smart system a world first |url=https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202011/17/WS5fb333b9a31024ad0ba9497e.html |access-date=July 4, 2021 |publisher=China Daily |date=November 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=World's first smart container transport system put into use at east China's Qingdao Port |website=[[YouTube]] |date=June 30, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQILPiUGETo&t=7s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211111/SQILPiUGETo |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=July 4, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==See also== *[[Bennie Railplane]] *[[Gadgetbahn]] *[[Innovia Monorail]] *[[List of monorail systems]] *[[Slope car]]

==Notes== {{Reflist|group=note}}

==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links== {{Commons}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160819162316/http://www.wuppertaler-schwebebahn.com/home.asp?lang=en Schwebebahn] – Monorail in Wuppertal, Germany *[http://www.monorails.org/ The Monorail Society] – volunteer organization promoting monorails *[http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/ Innovative Transportation Technologies] – [[University of Washington]] transportation engineering program

[[Category:Monorails| ]] [[Category:Magnetic propulsion devices]] [[Category:Russian inventions]] [[Category:Articles containing video clips]] [[Category:1890s neologisms]]