Why monorails are bad as public transport - Monorails

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
  • In todays video, we take a look at monorails, why they're bad for public transport and what they're actually good for
    Please subscribe for more
    This video falls under the fair use act of 1976 This video is available to use under the appropriate Creative Commons Licence.
    Any images used that fall under any Creative Commons Licence belong to their respective owners.

ความคิดเห็น • 747

  • @shadow_wolfen
    @shadow_wolfen ปีที่แล้ว +253

    I actually enjoyed the Sydney Monorail... But I was twelve at the time

    • @andosrailway2369
      @andosrailway2369 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Me 2, to bad they were to expensive for a ride to travel

    • @Yorie1234
      @Yorie1234 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      They look cool, and can be very enjoyable, it's just that they are not really a good option for a city to build compared to the rest

    • @CockatooTransit
      @CockatooTransit ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think I was five when it closed

    • @josiahk4581
      @josiahk4581 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Nice twokinds profile picture

    • @j88productions
      @j88productions ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I have a mini monorail

  • @namenamename390
    @namenamename390 ปีที่แล้ว +369

    4:08 that is a bizarre sight. It is the most obvious way to get track ballast to tracks, but seeing a freight train on the Underground, especially a deep level line, is still odd.

    • @TankEngineMedia
      @TankEngineMedia ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Same

    • @roshasensi2220
      @roshasensi2220 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      I would be so excited to see something like that

    • @bearinmind50
      @bearinmind50 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Yeah, try that in Toronto. Except for the newer lines they deliberately used different gauge specifically to prevent hauling freight in trolley tracks. Most agencies cannot run standard rail cars on their transit systems. Even those that do handle some freight often have specially designed and built freight cars.

    • @TaronTT
      @TaronTT ปีที่แล้ว +39

      It's not a freight train, it's actually a service train carrying ballast for the railbedding.

    • @phoenixbloomfield8946
      @phoenixbloomfield8946 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      It's a TFL service trainset, not a freight train. It's hauling equipment needed for track repairs within the deep level system.

  • @TaronTT
    @TaronTT ปีที่แล้ว +23

    I think the Wuppertal monorail is the only exception to this, as it was mainly built above a river, using space which would otherwise have gone to waste - which in turn also saved multiple historical building from being bulldozed.

    • @alexashton6501
      @alexashton6501 ปีที่แล้ว

      Also the Shanghai Airport Maglev

    • @HTtwentyten
      @HTtwentyten ปีที่แล้ว

      Check out the Chongqing monorail, and the Kuala Lumpur monorail. The former has 492km of tracks, 262 stations, and 3 MILLION daily riders! Monorails are incredibly effective and PRACTICAL transport solutions, given the right setting.

  • @Alpha-oo8
    @Alpha-oo8 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I remember the Sydney monorail. I was a youngster, we bought an unlimited ticket, and I spend a good hour or two just riding the line in circles. Ah, simple pleasures

  • @cz.gazz.
    @cz.gazz. ปีที่แล้ว +22

    I cross the bridge at 0:12 to get to work every day, and the old monorail station is still there. The Sydney monorail was an absolute gimmick that pretty much no one used for the reasons laid out in this video, but we still mention how we miss it. We eventually got a lightrail.

    • @JayJayGamerOfficial
      @JayJayGamerOfficial ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yeah, it's weird how they have all of the old Stations sitting around, they have one at both side of the bridge in darling harbour and its kinda an eyesore without the monorail itself

    • @paulsz6194
      @paulsz6194 ปีที่แล้ว

      I think more tourists used it , rather than people who went into the city. The tram line should have been built partly underground, as it is much harder to get around the city now.

  • @pacificostudios
    @pacificostudios ปีที่แล้ว +2

    1:50 - The two reasons that monorail tracks, including supporting columns, are large is not the vehicle weight, but 1) the need to make the system safe from damage, e.g., impact from a large truck, and 2) the need to guarantee that the track remains in alignment. Monorail supports are not driven in from the surface like a telephone pole, but built up from bedrock or driven piles like a bridge support.
    If the monorail can be attached to buildings, it can be truly lightweight. However, that tends to only happen when the monorail builder owns the buildings, such as at Disneyworld. Most building owners don't want tracks attached to their buildings, even when you pay them.

  • @HTtwentyten
    @HTtwentyten ปีที่แล้ว +15

    I'm amazed no-one's mentioning the Chongqing monorail. 492km of tracks, 262 stations, 3 MILLION daily riders. Operational for nearly 2 decades. Monorails are perfect for the city's very hilly terrain. The channel seems to have a high production value, but the thesis of this particular video seems to have come before the research. Monorails (and elevated rail systems in general) are ubiquitous, effective, and awesome modes of transport with the right conditions.

    • @AndreaPacini-bv1zd
      @AndreaPacini-bv1zd 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Of the almost 500 km of Chongqing rail transit, only 95 km are monorails (line 2 and 3). All the other lines are heavy rail metro system.
      Furthermore the monorails were the first two lines to be inaugurated between 2006 and 2011, after that 6 more lines were added, all of them standard metro systems.
      It seems that even the hilly city of Chongquing decided that monorails are not that useful and went all in with the rail

    • @bltzcstrnx
      @bltzcstrnx 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Even with countless cities opting for conventional rail. Monorail or futurist fans still can't let go. I guess it does have a very strong wow effect.

    • @HTtwentyten
      @HTtwentyten 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Well, monorails and AGT systems are legitimate alternatives to conventional rail in certain settings, and they should be seen as such. They are able to navigate steep inclines, they fill in the gap between buses and high-capacity conventional rail, and are also far quieter without expensive sound-dampening construction. The futurism may be a wow factor, but the form follows function, or else the many such lines (across Asian cities in particular) will lose money and cease to operate. @@bltzcstrnx

    • @joantonigualfuster7368
      @joantonigualfuster7368 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@AndreaPacini-bv1zd Line 3 have a ridership of around 1M per day, wdym of not "useful"? And they are useful because any other rail type don't work where those lines go.

  • @lonesailordee3886
    @lonesailordee3886 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    An episode about monorails without a rhyme? Egads dude that’s a true crime!

  • @Zurich_for_Beginners
    @Zurich_for_Beginners ปีที่แล้ว +2

    In Bangkok they are building new monorail lines.
    There it make kind sense. Because of space restrictions and the danger of flooding
    trains have to be elevated anyway. (On the one Subway line you all ways have to make
    few steps up before you can go downstairs, so the subway don't run to easy full of water.)
    The advantage of the monorail is that they are less of a eyesore then existing skytrains.

  • @dutchmansmine9053
    @dutchmansmine9053 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I remember when the Sydney monorail closed, but I didn't realize it's been ten years. However, while the rails and trains are long gone, I think there are still some supports and even a couple of stations still "hanging around".

    • @JayJayGamerOfficial
      @JayJayGamerOfficial ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yeah, there are at least 3 stops that I have seen myself recently, all 3 being around darling harbour. The harbourside is looking likely to go with the redevelopment going on. It really is a bit of an eyesore seeing an abandoned station

  • @murdelabop
    @murdelabop ปีที่แล้ว +87

    I have to disagree. Monorails are a useful mode of transit where they are appropriate. If you're in an area in which you can't build underground transport, and you have to go elevated, then monorail should be part of your consideration matrix.

    • @emjackson2289
      @emjackson2289 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Could be used around North Tyneside in parts for sure to link up bits of the Metro and outlying parts to it/park & rides to it.

    • @surplusking2425
      @surplusking2425 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Even that cases just install standard gauge elevated rails OR just use trams and trolleybuses are OK.

    • @masrimus1607
      @masrimus1607 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Metro also can be built elevated.

    • @murdelabop
      @murdelabop ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@masrimus1607 Sure, metro can be built elevated, but it's more expensive to do so because there's more infrastructure involved than just a 24 inch wide concrete beam.

    • @masrimus1607
      @masrimus1607 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@murdelabop better than monorails for sure.

  • @dragonblaster-vu8wz
    @dragonblaster-vu8wz ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Honestly, monorails should probably stick to private property. When I went to Disney World when I was younger, they had monorails for getting around the park and to the resorts at the place. Though I never considered farmland of some kind to have advantages with monorails due to weather

  • @Pasha350z
    @Pasha350z ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The Alweg monorail here in Seattle is the fastest and easiest way to get downtown

  • @scottpeterson7500
    @scottpeterson7500 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It sounds like a niche technology, extremely useful in some specific situations but not practical everywhere.

  • @dukenukem5768
    @dukenukem5768 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    First time I have heard that they are supposed to be "futuristic". Perhaps because I'm aware the idea has been around a long time. Conventional trains and trams can also be made to look snazzy, and usually are these days. Being raised off the ground is a non-issue. You can raise conventional rail off the gound too, and they often are. You forgot to mention that the overhead rail(s) make a hideous eyesore.

    • @tooleyheadbang4239
      @tooleyheadbang4239 ปีที่แล้ว

      Monorails have been 'futuristic' for 200 years!

  • @aristeon5908
    @aristeon5908 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The argument isn't persuasive. Light rails are not comparable to monorails because they're slow and get stuck in traffic. I have used trams in Berlin, Hong Kong, Hamburg and various other cities, and they are fine for slow trips.
    Monorails need to be compared with elevated railways that need a viaduct, and in that case, the monorail's advantages are less noise, smaller track profile and ability to be implemented in cities that have hills.
    I also would like to know where people get their numbers when it comes to maintenance costs. A video that talks about maintenance costs without actually citing the figures from existing monorails and comparing them with existing elevated railways isn't very useful.

  • @peterthehappywaiguoren
    @peterthehappywaiguoren ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Chongqing and Wuhu both have successful monorails in their metro systems

  • @martijn9568
    @martijn9568 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Aren't some of these drawbacks also drawbacks of any other type of 'rail' such as Maglev and hyperloop?

    • @marcogentile3392
      @marcogentile3392 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yes because maglev and hyperloop are basically monorails

    • @HNBGamer
      @HNBGamer ปีที่แล้ว +1

      At least for maglev it has speed, and is in service. Musk's Hyperloop is non-existent.

    • @IamTheHolypumpkin
      @IamTheHolypumpkin ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Hyperloop would be even worse, you are not just stuck on an elevated alligment but also inside a huge vacuum tube.
      Let's say you have a fire on a pod.
      1. First you have to get to a full stop at 1200kph (750mph). Including all following pods.
      Than you have to isolate the section of track from the rest. De-vacuum the tube.
      But you shouldn't use any gas-mixture containing oxygen for it, it would accelerate the fire.
      Meaning along the whole tube you wound needed tanks to store a non flammable gas to fill the tubes in case of a fire.
      Now the fire department has to use a torch to open up the tube, carrying their own oxygen and oxygen for any survivor.
      Kill the fire. And than they can evacuate.
      I would assume this would take upwards of 1 hour to do.
      By then most passager are burned to a crisp.
      Now because the tube is open, you also have to slowly open the barriers and drive every following pod slowly to the evacuation point or cut open every segment before the effected to also evacuate those passengers as well. And the track will be out of service for weeks.

    • @laurencefraser
      @laurencefraser ปีที่แล้ว +1

      At least a couple of the drawbacks mentioned applie to Regular rail if you elevate it

    • @laurencefraser
      @laurencefraser ปีที่แล้ว

      @@IamTheHolypumpkin Not to mention the scammy nonsense that is using pods in the first place. It's basically 'let's build all the infrastructure for a train... and then throw all the benefits of a train out the window and run what amount to vans, at best, on it'

  • @princessmarlena1359
    @princessmarlena1359 ปีที่แล้ว

    “I’ve sold monorails to Ogdenville, Brockway, and NORTH HAVERBROOK…!”
    “Is there a chance the track could bend?”
    “I call the big one ‘Bitey’!”

  • @shikishinobi
    @shikishinobi ปีที่แล้ว +1

    4:00 A Melbourne (Australia) E Class tram, outside Luna Park in St Kilda. Best model tram we have and is solar powered.
    Not sure if I’m being a nerd or a show off, but happy whenever I see hometown representation.
    This video does answer a lot of questions. I remember being on a monorail as a kid at a place called Casino in Brisbane, Australia. It was a supposed vision of the future that never happened.
    You hear the Simpsons monorail song, I hear “Welcome to the Future” from Batman; Mask of the Phantasm

    • @Hebdomad7
      @Hebdomad7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Solar powered in a sense the state government of Victoria has purchased the equivalent solar energy required to run the trams... the trams still run at night. ;P

    • @MatthewMakesAU
      @MatthewMakesAU ปีที่แล้ว

      Have you seen the movie Malcolm?

    • @Hebdomad7
      @Hebdomad7 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MatthewMakesAU they guy who built his own tram? Classic movie that one.

    • @Skasaha_
      @Skasaha_ ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Rather ironically it was literally the only tram that they should not have shown for the point he was making -- since the trams are standard gauge and the heavy rail is broad gauge we couldn't actually transfer them using the main rail network even if they were connected. Which is the exact opposite the point he was making. Although besides this, this type of interoperability is really rare anyway.

  • @danaihuntrakul7723
    @danaihuntrakul7723 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Because of the heavy at-ground level traffic, monorail becomes the ideal alternative. You can cite as many as hundred reasons against monorail; still, you have to come to terms with the local conditions which entail monoral transit system.

  • @Bobmcjoepants
    @Bobmcjoepants ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I used the People Mover in Detroit and found it immensely fascinating. Is it practical? Absolutely not. Was it useful for me? Not entirely. Was it virtually useless? Yep, especially since it goes one way
    But it was neat, and yeah it looked great plus it's automated and has been since it opened in **1987**
    Are they worth it? Not outside of an airport

  • @BrokenIET
    @BrokenIET ปีที่แล้ว +18

    So, you get rid of one of the main benefits of rail transport (speed due to low friction) by adding rubber tyres and then get no other benefits in return

    • @laurencefraser
      @laurencefraser ปีที่แล้ว +2

      There are niche situations where various things that woud otherwise be gadgetbahns are actually appropriate, what those are varies with the type of system. Outside of those niches, they always loose to regular rail. Paris's rubber tyred metro has the same problem. Significant advantages in one specific niche (when the line has to be uncommonly steep while not really being able to saccrifice speed and acceleration as much as a rack rail would require), but outside of that you've got significantly increased track complexity, wheels that need replacing much more often (and manufacture and disposal are issues all their own), noise issues (whether rubber tyre or steel wheel is quieter depends on speed and track shape: turns too sharp for the gauge (and a couple of other things) and steel wheels will squeel, go too fast and a rubber tyre train line starts sounding an awful lot like a major road).
      And on it goes.

    • @rush4you
      @rush4you ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Silent operation, ability to traverse steeper curves and more pronounced inclination angles (Tokyo et al). Less space taken BOTH on rails and stations (check Daegu, Cairo and Santiago de los Caballeros).
      This video is HUGELY a misinformation piece.

    • @BrokenIET
      @BrokenIET ปีที่แล้ว

      @@rush4you I disagree. You clearly haven't watched the video, you fail to recognise the main issues with it like being raised of the ground, cost, maintenance, safety etc. The main point of being on rails is the speed due to the low amount of friction, like I said, and monorails don't have that advantage with rubber tyres. If you want something to climb a hill use a bus! Busses are cheaper, safer, more efficient and faster compared to a monorail in most circumstances. Most narrow gauge or light rail like trams can traverse as steep as a monorail can, and arguably regular trains are possibly quieter when built correctly

    • @rush4you
      @rush4you ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​@@BrokenIET I just watched it 15 minutes ago, but thanks for the free attack.
      Yes, monorails lose the friction advantage versus steel trains, there's no denying that. But they gain everything that I mentioned in return.
      Now please show me an example of an elevated, silent steel train or one that can climb 13° angles. Again, elevated, because of course you can have less noisy subways, just pay $250M+ per kilometer.
      And the comparison with buses is simply laughable, we are talking about high capacity, no interference with traffic systems that can carry 45000 pphpd.

  • @widescreennavel
    @widescreennavel ปีที่แล้ว

    Give me a Disneyland/Alweg Monorail any day of the week.
    Schuco made a great HO version of it, too.

  • @fe5ks
    @fe5ks ปีที่แล้ว +2

    You used a lot of picture in the video of monorail system in Chonghing and Tokyo which carry 2+ millions and 240k pax per day respectively and you still all monorail a failure because that are not freight ready and "hard to maintain", and you compare monorail with separated right-of-way to trams / light-rail that can easily be blocked by street traffic? seriously?

  • @dwc1964
    @dwc1964 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The only monorail I'm familiar with is the one in Seattle that was built along with the Seattle Center (with the iconic tower that still defines the city's skyline) for the World's Fair. idk if anyone uses it for anything useful, or if it's just a tourist ride. I've never ridden it myself, though I visited the city every year for a couple decades.

    • @jsrodman
      @jsrodman ปีที่แล้ว

      There are a few trips you might use the monorail for in seattle but largely the north of downtown region it serves grew up long after it. It isnt really a transit system with a single short line, but if north of downtown continues to become more dense it could become more useful as part of the overall system. Busses are about as fast but traffic will likely get worse.

  • @rajkumarrathinamanbazhagan2375
    @rajkumarrathinamanbazhagan2375 ปีที่แล้ว

    I believe even the hyperloop will face the same fate as monorails.

  • @wyndhamcoffman8961
    @wyndhamcoffman8961 ปีที่แล้ว

    I find the concept of the road machine in the 1940's really fascinating. That they designed a monorail system to help with construction projects. While it's not exactly flashy, it does certainly look functional.
    I really like that era from the turn of the country to 1950s, that people tried to put trains everywhere.

  • @ethribin4188
    @ethribin4188 ปีที่แล้ว

    Aside of the higher points of failuer, i frastructure incompadability or high maintenance, the main reason monorails are worse are simply that they lack the efficiency of steel on steel friction.
    Monorail are effectivly busses with extra steps.

  • @PJay-wy5fx
    @PJay-wy5fx ปีที่แล้ว

    Don't worry abt the song. It got stuck in my head as soon as I saw this video on your list.
    😂😖

  • @terryaltherr2481
    @terryaltherr2481 ปีที่แล้ว

    I was wondering where the Simpsons references were until I saw the thing at the end. Copyright hacks gonna be copyright hacks smh.

  • @rolandharmer6402
    @rolandharmer6402 ปีที่แล้ว

    A problem with monorails is that because they need to be elevated every stop will require steps and escalators or lifts - extra expense.

    • @fishevans6417
      @fishevans6417 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      true but well thats true of any underground or elivated rail system. its not a particualy strong argument for or against a monorail system on its own. you can also do ground level so long as its seperated from other forms of transport for thesections that are at ground.

  • @spiderplant
    @spiderplant ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Maybe if we all say his name 3 times, Elon Musk will appear to give some half-baked retort and purpose something 5x more expensive and 1/10 the utility!

  • @michaelleiper
    @michaelleiper ปีที่แล้ว

    Just going to highlight that the pink and yellow lines currently being built in Bangkok are both monorails.
    I believe both will have walkways for their entire length.
    They're mostly being built over roads. - following the alignment of existing roads.

  • @IJMacD
    @IJMacD ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Decent video but I thought it was an RM Transit video at first.

  • @echeblog
    @echeblog ปีที่แล้ว

    I'm surprised that this doesn't cite North Haverbrook as a cautionary tale concerning monorails.

    • @Blackadder75
      @Blackadder75 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      But it DID put them on the map!

  • @AllanSavolainen
    @AllanSavolainen ปีที่แล้ว

    Most of the issues also affect elevated rails, they even usually are with non-standard gauge, so almost identical problems as monorail.

  • @EndYouTubeShorts_
    @EndYouTubeShorts_ ปีที่แล้ว +1

    5:43 It's smiling.

  • @awesome-xk8vj
    @awesome-xk8vj ปีที่แล้ว

    Can you make videos about The Midland Railway Paget Locomotive, The BR APT-E & APT-P, The BR 11001, The Fell Diesel, The BR DP1 & DP2, The Manning Wardle L Class 0-6-0ST, The LMS Diesel Twins/BR Class D16/1, BR Class D16/2, BR Class 17 and BR 10800 please. Please just want to get this please.

  • @mojabaka
    @mojabaka ปีที่แล้ว

    Well Tokyo Monorail and Wuppertal Schwebebahn are pretty good actually.

  • @azuma892
    @azuma892 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Can you talk about Jacobs bogies?

  • @WasatchWind
    @WasatchWind ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This discussion reminds me of a similar topic in spaceflight.
    The general public has this bizarre sentiment, that traditional rocket are dumb and old fashioned. They see the space shuttle and similar spaceplane concepts as obviously superior, even though the complete opposite is true.
    Like monorails, spaceplanes capture the public imagination of what the future is - but in reality are way more complicated, expensive, and even more dangerous in some ways.
    Yet in both instances, many in the public shake their heads, very sure of themselves that a stock railway or a basic "old fashioned" rocket is somehow going backwards.

    • @Croz89
      @Croz89 ปีที่แล้ว

      I think with spaceplanes, while I agree they were overhyped and the technology is much less mature than people realise, I don't think they are a complete technological dead end. There are some advantages that could yet prove their practicality for some space missions. Rockets have minimal aerodynamic control in atmosphere, you have to work around mainly ballistic trajectories, just see how much work it took to make just the lower stage of a Falcon 9 return to somewhere near the launch pad. This means there's less flexibility if you need to do re-entry, or even just avoid certain areas on launch. That's not much of a problem when you're dealing with a few dozen launches per year of mainly satellites that don't need to come back, but in a future where more and more people want access to space, that could prove to be a significant barrier.
      I think perhaps we do need to get over the idea that spaceplanes will be used for every space launch in the future, rockets are probably always going to be the best choice for heavy one way freight, but I don't think swinging the other way and declaring them dead in the water is a good idea either, despite what some SpaceX fanboys might think.

    • @WasatchWind
      @WasatchWind ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Croz89 Definitely, the balanced view is best. Rockets are generally simpler, and simple is often best in engineering, but I'm more than happy to see Dream chaser coming online.
      Further one might also make note that SpaceX's Starship, while a rocket, takes a lot of cues from things learned from the space shuttle.

    • @Croz89
      @Croz89 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@WasatchWind I don't think Starship is really comparable to the Space Shuttle apart from reusability. Aerodynamically its little more than a giant capsule with small wings. That's going to give it a little aerodynamic control, but it's trajectory is still going to be mainly balistically determined. If it did have the capability of the Shuttle they'd probably land it on a runway instead of the retrorocket assisted "bellyflop" that seems to be their current plan (unless they've decided to go with a straightforward vertical landing). That alone might kill its chances of being human rated, but I don't think SpaceX is seriously planning on using it for passengers any time soon. Something that massive is probably better suited for large satellites and space station modules.

    • @WasatchWind
      @WasatchWind ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Croz89 I meant in general, starship wouldn't be possible without shuttle having tested the waters first.
      In regards to crew starship, I'm not sure. Polaris III, they talk about it like it'll fly in something like 2026, 2027. I don't know what will happen with that, but there's definitely a lot of questions to be answered, primarily with launch escape and land procedures.
      I feel a lot of people confuse NASA crew rating requirements with general legal crew eating requirements. SpaceX seems quite intent on flying people from launch to landing on Starship, but not in pitching that for any NASA work (at least not yet).
      I feel like there are some things they could do to improve the system (maybe starting by landing crew starship on the ground instead of catch tower...) but I feel like they can likely find solutions to these beyond just "fly it so much you don't need redundant safety systems" which I think to be generally a bad plan.

    • @Croz89
      @Croz89 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@WasatchWind It's hard to know. Musk has a habit of saying things on impulse and then expecting the engineers to magic up a solution, so what they say they'll do and what gets done can be rather different. It's generally worked for SpaceX so far, though with his many of his other ventures, not so much.
      I think mainly, kind of like the Shuttle but to a far more absurd degree, Starship is way over specced for passenger use, and there are smaller, safer solutions put there, spaceplanes being one option but for now even a simple capsule would probably do. In future something bigger will probably be required, but I think even in a future where you may have 100's of passengers, Starship is just too big.
      I think the main safety advantage of spaceplanes has to be manoeuvrability. If something goes wrong, or you can't land where you want to, you can glide to any suitably long runway (or even cruise if you have hybrid engines like SABRE). The Shuttle always had a reserve runway they could divert to. Sure, it didn't save them in either tragedy, but it wasn't a bad idea.

  • @dieseldragon6756
    @dieseldragon6756 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    There are specific cases where monorails - Normally the suspended variety - Are the more practical option, particularly in mountainous areas. Japan has a very good example in the Shonan monorail (A Mitsubishi suspended SAFEGE design) and the common example of the Wuppertal Schwebebahn - Originally built (IIUC) for carrying spoil or aggregates - Was built that way as the river provided the only available option for a route through the area. ⛰🚟👍

  • @tomrogers9467
    @tomrogers9467 ปีที่แล้ว

    Or you could do as Toronto, Ontario, Canada has done. Build a LRT hybrid; half grade level and half tunnel. It’s ten years in, half finished, SIX BILLION tax dollars over budget and the contractors have no idea when it will be completed. Government at it’s finest! (Eglinton Crosstown LRT project.).

  • @hinasolver685
    @hinasolver685 ปีที่แล้ว

    Can you do another vid on Maglevs?

  • @harrisonallen651
    @harrisonallen651 ปีที่แล้ว

    I miss the old Sydney Monorail

  • @giacomogalli2448
    @giacomogalli2448 หลายเดือนก่อน

    And the only advantages are not even exclusive to monorails, if you need elevated rubber tired transit for steep gradients just... build an elevated rubber metro

  • @adeerdoes
    @adeerdoes ปีที่แล้ว +496

    Though limited, there's a really good example of how a monorail system was the best option for a cities public transit. Take a look at Wuppertal's Schwebebahn in Germany. There, the unique geology, plus the cities unusual design characteristics, meant the monorail, or suspension railway, was the best choice. Surprised you didn't use that as a good example at the end. It's been in existence since 1897-1903, only really halted by war and refurbishment. You showed pictures, but I'd say that's a good example of how monorail can be used well for mas/commute transit where other systems would not.

    • @TaronTT
      @TaronTT ปีที่แล้ว +58

      Yep, it uses space with would otherwise have gone to waste, and several historical buildings were saved in the process!

    • @eannamcnamara9338
      @eannamcnamara9338 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Wuppertal's system also just looks good, the late 1800 metallic supports and the beautifully modern trains make it just beautiful

    • @enysuntra1347
      @enysuntra1347 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      It's symptomatic for +Train of Thought's oversimplified PoV. If you travel on a Hochbahn, high above ground light rail, you have the same "safely dismount" - problems.
      Monorails are a practical solution for very niche problems. Wuppertal is one of those examples, in 1903, there wasn't the same economy of scale (which started with the Einheitslokomotiven and ELNA in the 1920s, at the earliest with the G12 in 1917).
      The big problem is that oversimplifications like that tend to also group VHST like Transrapid or the SCMaglev into "Monorail". Very High Speed Trains (300-800km/h) are terribly inefficient if you use conventional rail, and don't compete with other rail lines, but domestic air travel. And are right now what we desperately need to cut carbon dioxyde emissions.
      ToT called it "slightly less impractical", but construction/freight monorail actually are lengths more efficient than lorries or Feldbahn (60cm) temporary railways. Yes, you might run into problems with your point-to-point rail if you should, for reasons beyond all practical reason, require switches. If you require a switch in your point-to-point route, you may have to manually lift the car from the rail and put it onto another rail. But you safe on an expensive, over-dimensioned, road legal, taxed lorry.

    • @robertzaenglein7347
      @robertzaenglein7347 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I don't doubt the Wuppertal monorail is a cool, well-functioning system, but you could easily replace it with a conventional elevated metro. The structure would have to be wider, though, that would require more material and stronger pillars.
      IMO Chongqing is a better example. They needed to climb steep gradients which rules out steel wheels (Wuppertal also uses steel-on-steel adhesion, btw). You could solve that problem with an Alstom-style rubber-tyred metro, but I guess that is going to be as much of a hassle as a monorail.

    • @adeerdoes
      @adeerdoes ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@robertzaenglein7347 Yeah, but you're not taking into account the cultural or historical significance of Wuppertal's elevated railway. You could argue the same for San Francisco's cable cars. They're outdated, and modern busses could easily take over. Indeed, they tried to do that back in the 50s an 60s.. But people would have none of it. The system was part of the cities identity, and it's not exactly useless either, so they kept what was left, listed it, and now it serves a great purpose, for tourists and locals alike. An example of transport heritage that still servers a purpose. Back to Wuppertal's system, they'res no need for rubber adhesion cause the route does not trevers any harsh or steep grades. The suspension cars have work well in this fashion for well over a century now.

  • @drakabeko5145
    @drakabeko5145 ปีที่แล้ว +218

    I used to work with the Yui Monorail in Okinawa Japan. There are some specific cases where monorail was the better option. in the Naha area, there's tons of narrow but busy roads, and the landscape is hilly. Its also a coral island, so digging a subway is not feasible. Monorail was chosen because of its ability to more easily climb hills. It looks "futuristic" as you said, which gives it more public support. the rail is thin, so it doesn't impact the skyline as much, and for the many tourists that visit Okinawa, they get a nice view of the island. Also, due to how dense the city is and how difficult developers could acquire land, they chose to build a large portion of the monorail over the river. Okinawa also has a ton of powerful typhoons and there has been no major issues yet. Had they went to to a grade level Tram or Light rain, while the infrastructure would be cheaper, there certainly would have been a ton of operational issues. There would be far more traffic as it would have taken an existing street lane, and given the amount of tourists that can't drive well in Japan, drunk drivers (its an issue in Okinawa), etc, there probably would have been more accidents and even fatalities.

    • @py8554
      @py8554 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I love the monorail in Naha Okinawa! It’s convenient and connects to important places in Naha such as the airport, the main shopping area and the old palace. Tourists do not always find it easy to navigate the bus network and there is no underground railway in the city (reason as explained above). And I agree that it offers a wonderful view of the city from a vantage point for the tourists as well as the locals.

    • @AlexV6
      @AlexV6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Would building an elevated tram line solve the problem?

  • @skywardlp4916
    @skywardlp4916 ปีที่แล้ว +68

    My favourite monorail is the Shonan Monorail, located on the edge of the Greater Tokyo Area. It's a suspended monorail that I think stands out for achieving absolutely insane space efficiency in terms of its ground infrastructure, which I think proves that there is still a bit of underutilised potential with the mode.

    • @bocahdongo7769
      @bocahdongo7769 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Surprisingly you can achieve the same thing with standard monorail nowadays. With less support needed
      It's surprising how far structural science has achieve

    • @surplusking2425
      @surplusking2425 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Greater Tokyo areas are one of the few exceptions that monorail is viable due to their existing vast rail infrastructure. Monorail are just fit for niche cases like that.

    • @alexashton6501
      @alexashton6501 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      There's also the suspended monorail in Wuppertaler called the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn... was also built in like 1901 which is a feat of engineering for the time. It's uniquely positioned due to it running mostly above the river. The Tim Traveler and Tom Scott each have videos on it.

    • @bltzcstrnx
      @bltzcstrnx 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Japan has a very extensive public transport infrastructure. Even in the case of Japan, monorail is only a small minority. China is also the same, compared to their entire network, monorail is next to nothing. Outside those two countries, most opt for LRT instead. There's a reason why the monorail is called gadgetbahn.

  • @SynchroScore
    @SynchroScore ปีที่แล้ว +39

    "Despite their futuristic reputation compared to trains, light rail, or even buses, they tend to be over-engineered and gimmicky and, in the long run, less efficient at their job compared to more conventional forms of public transit."
    *Elon Musk:* "Hold my beer..."

  • @MrJoeyWheeler
    @MrJoeyWheeler ปีที่แล้ว +191

    Monorails have the appeal of simply looking futuristic. They're that kind of thing that you stand in and go "man, I'm living in the future." Especially those ones that dangle from an overhead rail.
    Even though the technology is really old now, it still maintains that sort of...retro-future appeal, aesthetically.

    • @quillmaurer6563
      @quillmaurer6563 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      I'd argue that this is because they are sort of a "future that has yet to come." Because they're so rare (due to their disadvantages) they have a novelty value, still feel futuristic because they aren't common in the present or past, even though the technology has existed for a very long time. But it is unlikely they'll be common in the future either.

    • @radbricks8298
      @radbricks8298 ปีที่แล้ว

      I love the 80s ones they are just so sick!! the Gold Coast one was so amazing

    • @thoughtengine
      @thoughtengine ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Apart from that steam-operated one in Ireland.

    • @fraac
      @fraac ปีที่แล้ว +1

      this is why conan o'brien wrote 'marge versus the monorail'

    • @Chris.Davies
      @Chris.Davies ปีที่แล้ว

      Only ignorant idiots think that. Sorry.

  • @traingoddess
    @traingoddess ปีที่แล้ว +26

    The stations from the Sydney monorail are still there. They even have the advertisements from when it closed, it just has no track.

    • @oliverbooth2872
      @oliverbooth2872 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      one wonders if a drop in replacement of a light rail line would work....

    • @JaseyRae
      @JaseyRae ปีที่แล้ว +4

      They have demolished City Centre (the one inside the building), Paddy’s Markets, Convention and Galeries Victoria stops over the years, the remainder of the network are still in limbo due to ownership disputes, and I have a feeling that the Harbourside stop is going next due to the imminent demolition/redevelopment of the mall.
      Which just leaves Chinatown, World Square, Darling Park as the last standing stations on the former line that closed down in 2013.

  • @andrewgray4212
    @andrewgray4212 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Disappointed that the monorails of Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook were not discussed

    • @SeanGrobe
      @SeanGrobe ปีที่แล้ว +1

      And the video wasn't clear in discussing if there's a chance the track could bend...

    • @stebopign
      @stebopign ปีที่แล้ว +2

      i hear they glide as softly as a cloud!

  • @awesomecronk7183
    @awesomecronk7183 ปีที่แล้ว +110

    There is a monorail in the Orlando, FL airport. That airport also has a hotel inside it the monorail is used to connect multiple terminals together, making what would be a 45min-1hr walk roughly a 5min or less monorail ride. Definitely useful there, but again, very limited.
    EDIT: I stand corrected, I stand corrected! 😂

    • @randomscb-40charger78
      @randomscb-40charger78 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      That's an Automated People Mover or APM not a monorail.

    • @awesomecronk7183
      @awesomecronk7183 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@randomscb-40charger78 it is? I thought it was a monorail...

    • @WesternOhioInterurbanHistory
      @WesternOhioInterurbanHistory ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@awesomecronk7183 it has car tires, an automated bus train thing

    • @randomscb-40charger78
      @randomscb-40charger78 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@awesomecronk7183 Nope, not at all.

    • @hobog
      @hobog ปีที่แล้ว +5

      ​@@awesomecronk7183 I think a lot of visitors to FL confuse one kind of APM's with monorails, reasonably, that kind of APM uses a central guiderail

  • @nicolasblume1046
    @nicolasblume1046 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    As expected, the video is making it too simple, reality is more complex.
    Most bad monorail Systems were/are bad not because they are a monorail, but because they're route was designed badly and because of bad integration with the rest of the transit network.
    There are several very successful monorails in the world that move thousands of people daily and which are well integrated

    • @JaimeValladares00
      @JaimeValladares00 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Sadly, people tend to ignore actual examples in order to keep their moronic opinions relevant

    • @bltzcstrnx
      @bltzcstrnx 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You can't look at these systems in isolation. There's a reason why monorail deployments are outnumbered by massive margin to other forms of mass transportation. Even in Japan & China, monorails are outnumbered massively by conventional rail.

    • @JaimeValladares00
      @JaimeValladares00 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@bltzcstrnx Anti monorail lobbyists & unwillingness to try despite the technology being improved since conception thanks to Asian markets. The point here is that monorails are proven to work as a mode of public transport despite what people like you want to believe & there’s plenty of examples. Japan & China’s monorail networks are taken seriously as other methods of public transport & are continuing to open new services including one in Wuhan, but sure go claim they’re all doom for the cities that actually use them on a daily basis

    • @bltzcstrnx
      @bltzcstrnx 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@JaimeValladares00 why don't you take a look at those countries you said. A handful of monorail lines compared to thousands of kilometers of conventional rail. If the monorail was so successful, they would be the majority. Osaka Monorail is 28 kilometers long, compared to Osaka Metro at 130 kilometers. Tokyo Monorail is 18 kilometers long, while Tokyo Metro is 195 kilometers. Chongqing monorail only makes up line 2 & 3, about 97 kilometers, this is against their 524 kilometers of conventional metro.

    • @JaimeValladares00
      @JaimeValladares00 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@bltzcstrnx The needs for these systems are adequate for the area that suits them best, like any other transport. I’m not saying monorails should replace all modes of transport. The point here is that monorails shouldn’t be dismissed as they do work for places that would benefit from them best such as airports & inner city transport through districts or neighborhoods

  • @j-train13
    @j-train13 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    I'd love to see a followup video discussing the Wuppertal specifically, cause I know it gets brought up a lot when people hype up monorails. So I'd be curious to see what the specific circumstances were that just make the German monorail _work_ when in most scenarios it just isn't practical.

    • @katelights
      @katelights ปีที่แล้ว +17

      tom scott and the tim traveller have done good videos on it. it works there because its over the river. its a congested valley and thats the only space for a rail line.

    • @guidor.4161
      @guidor.4161 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Yes a must really, especially as it worked reliably for around 120 years. Real problems only started with modernization and new rolling stock in the last few years...which shows that Victorian or Edwardian era is just more durable and thus reliable!

    • @schenckinator5427
      @schenckinator5427 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      One Big factor was that it needed to be elevated anyways, and that, by hanging on one standard rail, it is lighter and therefore needs less steel to build than a long viaduct, an by hanging it negated the problem of wide or tall track (and introducer the one of swinging into another carriage...)

    • @enysuntra1347
      @enysuntra1347 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      The Wuppertal was a pearl string of towns in a relatively narrow valley. You could not have a tram because the room simply wasn't there; and you could not go down because of AFAIK high ground water. In the early 1900s, all rolling stock in Prussia was essentially hand-crafted, so you simply didn't lose that much money for a bespoke construction.
      So it was built, and after the initial investment replacement stock or rail had a (small) serialised run.
      The line along the Wupper river (Wuppertal - Wupper valley; before, it was distinct towns with the biggest being Elberfeld) doesn't need as frequent switching as a tram or tube network would need (like the Berlin Hochbahn, essentially an underground *above* ground).
      In short, monorail could use all of its advantages in a situation that minimised the impracticalities.
      I haven't seen any "hyping up" of monorails, just videos condemning monorails that nobody wants to construct anyways as an example of the worst engineering since time began. Wuppertal is mentioned because it is a working example of the exact specific situation monorail has been the best solution at construction and still is so good a solution that replacing it would be ineconomic, and may even reduce capacity.
      If you want a monorail where rail is possible, safe the hassle and build light rail. If you cannot build light rail, then monorail may be, depending on the specific situation, a viable alternative.
      Busses, if you cannot build a tramway, aren't better than a monorail system because they travel on the road, which you generally want to relieve with an elevated public transportation system. Trolley Busses or street-running tram are an intermediate step if traffic doesn't justify building a tram or if you want to build a tram incrementally, meaning first the catenary and routing, then putting in the rails at a later date when you have the funds.

    • @bocahdongo7769
      @bocahdongo7769 ปีที่แล้ว

      Simply because standard monorail didn't exist yet at that time.
      Once modern, standard monorail become apparent, suspended monorail no longer have its merit. Heck, even Walt Disney itself said that suspended monorail was suck even just for gadgetbahn

  • @rush4you
    @rush4you ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Look man, I like trains as much as anyone, but there's no need to misinform your audience because of your North American/European centric worldview.
    - There's no mystery in monorail track switching. In Chongquing and Tokyo it is done automatically and there has not been any incident or malfunction regarding that so far.
    - The only fair comparison of monorails are to elevated metro lines because they are both elevated, fully separated from traffic, and have similar construction costs, anything else is absurd. Comparing monorails to trams is just laughable, so there goes 1/4 of your video. The elevated monorail-metro comparison, done fairly, would have revealed that monorails are quieter, can traverse steeper curves and elevations, and occupy less space, at the expense of maximum system capacity and maximum speed. So no, monorails aren't perfect, but they are not the crap you are saying about them, especially on 45000 pphpd capacity routes with little available space.
    - Your safety "concerns" are also unfounded, one would think that Japan, the most seismically active country in the world, would have noticed if their monorails take longer to repair than their elevated Metros. The same with Malaysia, India or Thailand, who are also in the Pacific Rim of Fire. And the passengers being "trapped" in monorail cars without means to escape is solved as simply as installing lateral walkways. It has been done on Sao Paulo with no issues and preserving its aesthetic profile.
    - About the lack of compatibility with rail systems. That's such a big issue in the wealthy Global North, isn't it? Well, it's irrelevant for us in the South, because in most cities where monorails are being built, bad planning due to neoliberal politics has prevented our cities from building trams, and we can't afford underground metros (and no, BRTs aren't a solution either, ask Bogotá). Sure, an underground metro may be the pinnacle of mass transit, but our countries just can't pay $250M+ per kilometer in order to build them. Or as in Peru, we don't have the expertise and legislation for building one, our underground Line 2 is stuck since 2014 with 0 stations working so far. And many of our main avenues don't have enough space for elevated metros, which do require more physical space.
    - And the proof that you haven't done your research is precisely that: that according to you, no monorails are being built for mass transit today, lol. What about Bangkok, which has both elevated and underground metros, but it's also building two monorail lines as we speak? Or Cairo? Sao Paulo? Bahía? Santiago de los Caballeros? Panama? Liuzhou? Are those cities irrelevant because they are not inhabited by wealthy white people?

    • @nicktw8688
      @nicktw8688 ปีที่แล้ว

      Cairo monorail is ...nearly finished.

  • @abrr2000
    @abrr2000 ปีที่แล้ว +273

    Actually, worst case scenarios for standard points include...
    • Derailment
    • the train attempting to go both ways at the same time
    • breaking the points if ran over while pointing the wrong way. (because they position lock to avoid the above)

    • @adeerdoes
      @adeerdoes ปีที่แล้ว +35

      I know I was literally thinking there have been so many railway accidents involving points lol
      would also add...
      • Going over the points too fast ect

    • @abrr2000
      @abrr2000 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      @@adeerdoes Not only that, but the modern hanging box girder style monorail system uses a style of points that are actually SIMPLER than standard points, as they use a single, shorter swinging arm, rather than 2. Though I'm sure access for maintenence is an issue.

    • @tacet3045
      @tacet3045 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@abrr2000 But they still need to move the track support out of the way so that the car support can pass by.

    • @abrr2000
      @abrr2000 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@tacet3045 Do you mean the entire track has to swing? if so that's not true of the "SAFEGE monorail" system. as the entire points mechanism is inside the box girder, and consists of one T shaped iron bar and a mechanism to push it from one side to the other.

    • @TheDemocrab
      @TheDemocrab ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@adeerdoes Random related story: A couple of years ago there was an accident in Australia where a Vlocity DMU essentially slid down the Warrenheip Bank coming into the city of Ballarat due to extremely wet conditions/the locos sand running out before the bank, it blew through a set of heritage gates destroying them in the process and careened through the station where it went through the points from the main line to the platform 1 line at 100km/h (Points are rated for 40km/h maximum) where the commonly held view is that the only reason it didn't derail was thanks to the engines being mounted under the carriage, meaning Vlocities have about as low of a center of mass as a train can have.

  • @eastpavilion-er6081
    @eastpavilion-er6081 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Although Chongqing has stopped building monorails, another city in China, Wuhu, has finished two monorail lines in recent years. Judging by the passenger numbers, the new monorail is pretty successful there.

    • @hobog
      @hobog ปีที่แล้ว +4

      It's a successful tech showpiece, but the PRC has been really good at standardising conventional metro design

    • @genoobtlp4424
      @genoobtlp4424 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      If you try well enough, you can design pretty much anything in a way you get high passenger numbers. Doesn’t mean it’s a somewhat bad idea anyways though. High pax throughput is mainly an issue of capacity per vehicle, boarding speed, frequency and demand for a to b in x time for y money. Few things in there are fundamentally incompatible with whatever you want to use to achieve that, but certain combinations stand out for running costs, reliability and/or flexibility. And typically, for high throughput at relatively low average speed, the modern metro train tends to be a favourite due to unbeatable space efficiency and pure running costs, with top marks in maintenance per passenger while often remaining around the same price point to start as other variants

    • @quillmaurer6563
      @quillmaurer6563 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      It may be successful, but the question is if it has any compelling advantages over more conventional trains? The point with this video isn't that monorails are impossible, it's that they rarely have compelling advantages over normal trains, which work better in 99% of circumstances.

    • @thastayapongsak4422
      @thastayapongsak4422 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@quillmaurer6563 It's cheaper and faster to build in an urban environment that require 100% elevated tracks.

    • @quillmaurer6563
      @quillmaurer6563 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@thastayapongsak4422 I suppose I could see that - a short-distance isolated 100% elevated system, functioning as an automated people mover. Though most automated people movers are two-beam, I don't know if the single beam would be any cheaper.

  • @azuma892
    @azuma892 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    In Asia Monorails are way more prevalent and they seem to function fine as low to medium capacity metros.

    • @ayushmankumar1483
      @ayushmankumar1483 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Especially the Mumbai Monorail

    • @surplusking2425
      @surplusking2425 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Because mostly they(their government) are dumb. For low capacity, just install trams and trolleybuses instead. For better capacity, just use standard elevated rail is better. Monorails are only viable when they need for tourism (Like Las Vegas or Tokyo Disneyland), higher gradient is really needed, or in rare case there are too many rail systems already exists there and don't want to cross betwee n them. Even that case jus using trolleybuses for light usage or elevated/underground standard gauge rail is generally more viable option.

    • @surplusking2425
      @surplusking2425 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I cannot understand why Asian people are hating trams and trolleybuses. Actually there's a tram planned to constructed where I live (somewhere in Asia) decades ago but People are really really dumb compared to European counterparts they think trams are transportation of the past so even today they are not constructed yet. Even newly developed district is planned in according to build a tram line so there are a huge promenade (for trams and pedestrian usage) across those districts, people are just dumb and they hate tram

    • @Croz89
      @Croz89 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@surplusking2425 I think part of it is down to the generally higher population density of Asian cities compared to European ones. European cities of comparable density mainly use trams to complement a higher capacity subway and urban rail network. You might use it for short journeys around the city centre, but generally not for longer commutes. Where density is lower, trams are more likely to extend out into the suburbs where they act more like light rail, though in some cases the section in the city centre is underground like a subway (a so-called "pre metro").
      Generally I think some cities in Asia do actually have the right ingredients for a monorail, which is a situation where there needs to be grade separation and high capacity, but you can't tunnel for whatever reason, and space is at such a premium that the profile of an elevated rail viaduct would be too wide.

  • @rosswhite-chinnery5725
    @rosswhite-chinnery5725 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Used the monorail all of twice between moving to Sydney in 1995 and the thing being shutdown. The second time was really just for the sake of riding it with someone from out of town. Sydney is one of those places that is vast by area but poorly joined up. So finding out there was a city-wide tram network ripped up more than 30 years before I moved here taught me what it means to grieve something you never knew!

  • @LinuxLuddite
    @LinuxLuddite ปีที่แล้ว +5

    monorail is perfectly working fine in Singapore, Malaysia and Mumbai. It's better option over busses and trams. The main purpose of monorails is to decongest busy traffic and it does that job. Trams and buses add up to traffic, why monorail offload that traffic. And given how cities are slowly getting gripped in traffic, monorail's benefits outweighs it's cons. Actually a better comparison would be with metro/subway system.

    • @bltzcstrnx
      @bltzcstrnx 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Nah, they're not working fine. Mostly used in tourist areas only for the wow effect. Other than that better to just build LRT or use a bus network.

    • @JaimeValladares00
      @JaimeValladares00 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@bltzcstrnx Line 15 in Sao Paolo, Brazil is designed to carry 48,000 people per hour per direction & is successful, but sure stay ignorant

    • @bltzcstrnx
      @bltzcstrnx 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@JaimeValladares00at least not ignorant enough to look at the monorail as a whole system instead of individual lines. Sao Paolo Line 15 carried around 100 thousand passengers per day in a system that move 4 million in a single day. With the length of 15 kilometers out of the total 104 kilometers. In which the majority are conventional metro.

    • @JaimeValladares00
      @JaimeValladares00 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@bltzcstrnx Your point is? We were talking about capacity here, don’t deflect. Regardless of what you think cities use monorails for uses that best fit them & has proven to work for said uses such as the one in São Paulo & is expanding another line to include monorail, line 17 which would hold up to over 200 thousand people. Look at the recent project within greater Cargo & Shinkansen in Japan, both capable of carrying large amounts of people within single lines. Monorails can be used alongside metros, who says they couldn’t? To dismiss monorails as a whole despite there being actual monorail systems being used around the world is ignorant which is a word that describes you best

  • @misterflibble6601
    @misterflibble6601 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    So... flying cars were a disappointment and now monorails. So what's next, no Star Trek style teleportation?

    • @laurencefraser
      @laurencefraser ปีที่แล้ว

      Monorails at least are useful in niche applications (they get used elsewhere more often due to being 'cool' and how rare those niches actually are, but that's a different matter)

    • @MrJoeyWheeler
      @MrJoeyWheeler ปีที่แล้ว

      Probably for the best that Transporters aren't feasible. You know the old Star Trek Transporter Problem; you're basically being killed each time.

  • @KlingelTimi.
    @KlingelTimi. ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Nice Video! Maybe you could do something like this with the German Plans of 3m- Breitspur Trains and why this was never a good Idea?

    • @enysuntra1347
      @enysuntra1347 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You DO realise that the GWR began in the 2135mm gauge, because of advantages of a broad gauge for efficiency and smoothness of operations?
      In Europe, the US solution to stack shipping containers into 2 floors doesn't work (catenary). For highly frequented lines that are overloaded by today, a broad gauge line could bring the throughput needed in the near future.
      That is, if you don't want to have rail as an ugly duckling besides unecological road hauling.

    • @KlingelTimi.
      @KlingelTimi. ปีที่แล้ว

      @@enysuntra1347 - The 2135mm Gauge of the GWR may have been an innovative idea in the early days when there was no widespread standard track, sure! But why people only stopped building them around 1900, although the 1435 mm had long been standard is hard for me to understand.
      A Broad Gauge CAN'T be more efficient nowadays because you have to build the completely new infrastructure. People are mostly upset if there is only a thinking of additional tracks "near their buildings".
      And you would need much more space for this.
      You are absolutly right about "More Goods to the Rails", but I think more standard rails should do it also.

    • @enysuntra1347
      @enysuntra1347 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@KlingelTimi. You see your problem there? "you have to build the infrastructure anew". Exactly what you need to do anyways with over-encumbered freight rail. So just broaden the load profile, build 3 rails instead of 2 (left rail, Stevenson rail, right rail) - and presto! You have a line where Stevenson (1435) cars still can travel, but where you can have 2 containers where otherwise only 1 fit, AND have a catenary.
      We won't see a switch to Brunel gauge; however, as a solution for especially high-capacity lines like Hamburg-Hannover or (insert name of port)-(insert name of major inland marshalling yard distributing freight coming from aforementioned port), it can be a solution to be considered.
      The Breitspurbahn had some ludicrous PR (but what you see in "artist's renditions" in the 1900-1945s and how it looked like in the end were 2 different things altogether - I know, hard to imagine in our time where "artist's renditions" only show realistic and factually well researched possibilities...), but building a line connecting the major population and industry hubs in Middle Europe (and ONLY them) with a round-course line CAN be a good idea.
      Of course, it was over-engineered. That happens when your engineers have the option to work in a well-protected planning bureau and their alternative is to work in a priority bomb target where all the time, something goes wrong and a scapegoat is needed and the last Workplace Safety regulation is reputed to have been sighted half a decade ago - or directly to "re-gauging" on the eastern front.
      But some of the people tasked with executing the project seem to have indeed known what they were talking about. It's fascinating topics - not the ludicrous "artist's rendition" locomotives, but especially the line planning - that should be discussed in an in-depth video, not some "why xyz was a bad idea from the start and all those people who had the idea did not have valid reasons why they thought this was the right idea, but were morons much stupider than the dear viewer"-clickbait.

    • @enysuntra1347
      @enysuntra1347 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Addendum: While Feldbahn (600mm) has fallen out of use, we still have Schmalspur (750mm) and Meterspur (guess!)/C.A.P.-Spur (1067mm) gauges besides Stevenson gauge. It is true many light rail lines switched to Stevenson gauge, but you will still find kilometres upon kilometres of narrow gauge railways where happy trains are chugging along doing a perfectly adequate job. Standardisation and economy of scale is important, but not that important that all lines have to be converted to 1435mm, up to and including your childrens' garden railway.

  • @ladymorwendaebrethil-feani4031
    @ladymorwendaebrethil-feani4031 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Sao Paulo's monorail has a suspense safety path along the rails for the safety of users and repair.
    The system has the large passenger's capacity in the world, with each train carrying 1292 passengers.

  • @carrieann1640
    @carrieann1640 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Visit Seattle, Washington and enjoy a trip on ours. Built in 1962 for support of the Century 21 Exposition, it connected downtown with the Exposition grounds. It runs the same route today, though the downtown platform was relocated some years ago. The trip is a little less than a mile, and there is no stop. Great fun.

  • @redwolfcorprevamped8266
    @redwolfcorprevamped8266 ปีที่แล้ว +80

    They're pretty useful in specific isolated cases (airports and resorts), but when it comes to a serious mass transportation network, other options are much more appealing.

    • @enysuntra1347
      @enysuntra1347 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      A niche solution for niche applications. Never been more, never constructed and planned to be more.
      A Monorail is practical for applications where you need a monorail. If you don't need one, you can build one with the explicit mission to be an oddity and put it to good use, but you will spend less if you use iron rails.

    • @quillmaurer6563
      @quillmaurer6563 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Most airports and resorts use two-beam automated people movers. Monorails for such applications would be possible, but two-beam designs are far more common.

    • @alexashton6501
      @alexashton6501 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@quillmaurer6563 Whilst correct, things like the Shanghai Maglev are pretty amazing (and a maglev is basically a monorail)

  • @ChiliCheeseNuggies
    @ChiliCheeseNuggies ปีที่แล้ว +4

    i've always been annoyed by the clipping in the intro audio

  • @Larry
    @Larry ปีที่แล้ว +1

    How can they be bad? They put Ogdenville, North Haverbrook and Brockway on the map!

    • @Blackadder75
      @Blackadder75 ปีที่แล้ว

      I think, no.. wait, that's more a Shelbyville idea...

  • @thastayapongsak4422
    @thastayapongsak4422 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Some points presented in this video are valid for outdated monorail system. Newer system being built currently are cheaper and require less space than normal train system, while having the same capacity and speed. Bangkok is currently building 60 kilometers of monorail, and it's scheduled to open next year. The monorail also has steeper climb, and that made going up and around existing elevated roads and rails easier.

  • @C3840-g7f
    @C3840-g7f ปีที่แล้ว +58

    The Sydney system was quite odd compared to other von-roll systems around the world. It tried to be an automated people mover but unfortunately the technology wasn’t there at the time for the trains to run automatically. Also of note is that the von-roll mk2 and mk3 systems were only really used as theme park transport with Sydney, merry hill and an airport line in the USA as systems with public transport in mind.

    • @sgtdavscuba
      @sgtdavscuba ปีที่แล้ว +1

      And the Merry Hill one has been gone a while. Even the track has gone now. What did Butlins use at Minehead?

    • @JaseyRae
      @JaseyRae ปีที่แล้ว +3

      And yet it was operated with a driver until the complete end of the monorail back in 30th June 2013, the drivers car was completely inaccessible to the passengers.

    • @Dave_Sisson
      @Dave_Sisson ปีที่แล้ว

      The Brisbane Expo '88 had a Von Roll monorail too. It also had the only Von Roll chairlift ever installed in Australia, the hundreds of chairlifts at their ski resorts were all made by other companies.

    • @stephenarbon2227
      @stephenarbon2227 ปีที่แล้ว

      As I understood it, it was designed to be and could run fully automated,
      but a political decision was made to use drivers onboard, after a couple of operational breakdowns early in its life.

  • @whippetwild1952
    @whippetwild1952 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I feel you will get two hundred comments on Simpson reference episode
    Monorail
    Monorail
    Mono ...
    Cool episode.

  • @thespaldo
    @thespaldo ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The best examples of monorails are in Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook. Don't believe me? You should. After all, the monorail sure did put them on the map!

  • @Jaymac720
    @Jaymac720 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Disney's Monorail system is really fun. Capacity kinda sucks at the end of the day when parks are emptying en masse, but during the day, they are still a lot of fun. Also everyone knows the iconic "Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor, manténgase alejado de las puertas."

    • @agentepolaris4914
      @agentepolaris4914 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Those are just magical

    • @murdelabop
      @murdelabop 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Keep in mind, though, that the Disney Monorail System carries a many daily riders as some heavy rail systems.

  • @protoharry552
    @protoharry552 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Watch out, you’ll offend Walt Disney!

  • @tetegaming7402
    @tetegaming7402 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Well, the fact that they take less space off the ground can be a good point for cities, and possibly cheaper to build than some metros that can now be very hard to expend, especially in the center of a city...

  • @My-Opinion-Doesnt-Matter
    @My-Opinion-Doesnt-Matter ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This guy claims 1:28 and then shows monorail 1:42 with a smaller profile than any train (excluding metro with third rail), and claiming that you could build a raised light rail with same amount of resources is just plain ignorance.
    And points about switches, freight and so on are so clueless I won't even bother answering them.
    Anyways, it's half the cost of the underground metro, and it doesn't take up street real estate like trams/buses do and it's immune to traffic jams/accidents/etc.
    The only reason monorails are not more common is that "experts" like this guy are advising local governments.

    • @My-Opinion-Doesnt-Matter
      @My-Opinion-Doesnt-Matter ปีที่แล้ว +2

      And here's how much more material is needed for elevated conventional rail compared to monorail:
      www.monorails.org/webpix/TPDisB1.jpg

    • @Tampa0123456789
      @Tampa0123456789 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Exactly. Lack of investment is the real reason why Monorail don't measure up. If we had invested in Monorails the same way we did everything else Monorail would be traveling super sonic by now.

  • @scottthewaterwarrior
    @scottthewaterwarrior ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Honestly comparing Monorail to ground based trams/light rail doesn't seem very fair. Like ground based transit is always going to be cheaper, its just a question of whether it is even possible. Underground metro/elevated light rail vs. monorail is the better comparison.

    • @My-Opinion-Doesnt-Matter
      @My-Opinion-Doesnt-Matter ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yup, and ground based transit will always create more traffic jams...

  • @flakbait5771
    @flakbait5771 ปีที่แล้ว +48

    Goodness, I didn't realize monorail had that many problems. I mean not that I go around thinking about it much but still.
    Thanks again for an informative video!

  • @IBeforeAExceptAfterK
    @IBeforeAExceptAfterK ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Half way through the video, I was like "Is that Black Mesa music I hear?" Good choice, by the way.

    • @mikegroberman247
      @mikegroberman247 ปีที่แล้ว

      I believe that's the theme from "On a Rail" the level where you ride around on an underground monorail system...

  • @idavid42
    @idavid42 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Now have that song from the Simpsons stuck in my head!

  • @AISPs
    @AISPs ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Video: monorail is bad
    Comment section: it's actually good

  • @enysuntra1347
    @enysuntra1347 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    WHY MONORAILS SUCK:
    They don't. They are specialised solutions where rail was not an option. A monorail is a very practical solution for a problem where you need a monorail.
    Wuppertal Schwebebahn could now be replaced by light rail, but that would be a waste of money to pull down a system that's perfectly adequate and rebuild another one that isn't really that much better. That's why the Schwebebahn stays where it is.

  • @RegebroRepairs
    @RegebroRepairs ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Of all the upsides you mentioned, the lack of derailing is the only actual upside. Many trains in the Paris Metro run on rubber wheels as well. And you can have standard trains on raised tracks as well, but unlike monorails they don't HAVE to be.

  • @theotherohlourdespadua1131
    @theotherohlourdespadua1131 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The only "monorail" I will support is the Ewing System that was used in the Patiala State Monorail Tramway...

  • @CoolAsFreya
    @CoolAsFreya ปีที่แล้ว +1

    At 4:00 you show a picture of a Melbourne tram, whilst our tram network is standard gauge (1435mm) our heavy rail network here is actually broad gauge (1600mm) which kind of contradicts the point you make about connection and interoperability. Great video otherwise!

    • @nerd1000ify
      @nerd1000ify ปีที่แล้ว

      Australian rail gauge situation is really silly, to be honest. Queensland uses narrow gauge for everything (even where standard gauge would be better), NSW standard and Victoria broad. So running trains across state lines is very inconvenient. The XPT line from Brisbane to Sydney is dual gauge for part of its length, with three rails to accommodate trains from both sides of the border!

  • @david_walker_esq
    @david_walker_esq ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Why didn't you discuss the number of monorail systems operating in Asia as mass transit systems? The monorail only seems to be a failure in the English speaking world.

    • @tooleyheadbang4239
      @tooleyheadbang4239 ปีที่แล้ว

      Mass transit is a failure in the English speaking world.

  • @QuintonMurdock
    @QuintonMurdock ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Monorails look cool but are gimmicky and inefficient. But they aren’t standard trains so the average person thinks they are better because train old so train bad

    • @laurencefraser
      @laurencefraser ปีที่แล้ว

      Also, they were one of several technologies introduced at a point where other transportation methods were improving a lot faster than regular rail was, surpassing it in a number of use cases. ... Of course, a decade or two later technological improvement had regular rail blowing the vast majority of those technologies out of the water again.

  • @sweetmapleleafs
    @sweetmapleleafs ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This stigma we put on monorail transit really began with that one episode of The Simpsons, where they sing that stupid monorail song. No one ever had a bad opinion of monorails before that Simpsons episode

    • @tooleyheadbang4239
      @tooleyheadbang4239 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The concept of monorail passenger transport had been debunked LONG before The Simpsons.
      That episode actually REMINDED people that Monorail promoters HAD existed, years back.

  • @spoddie
    @spoddie ปีที่แล้ว +4

    The Sydney monorail also had a big disadvantage of going from nowhere to nowhere. If it had gone through Circular Quay as originally planned, it would have been at least useful.
    On the other hand the Tokyo Monorail is an important link to Haneda airport, although the terminus at Hamamatsucho is not convenient.

    • @TrimeshSZ
      @TrimeshSZ ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah, which is why the Haneda monorail was originally intended to terminate either at Shinbashi or Tokyo station. It was shortened to end at Hamamatsucho because the cost overruns on the Tokaido shinkansen left them short of money for other projects. There were periodic attempts to extend it, but none of them came to anything and since there are now plans by JR to build the Haneda airport access line as conventional rail, it will probably never happen.

  • @AndoCommando1000
    @AndoCommando1000 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Growing up in Sydney, I had fond memories of riding the monorail with my dad or my grandma - but it was always if we had a day out to the city and it was a fun little thing to do as a kid.
    It wasn’t useful as an actual means of public transport for commuters.
    It was a one-direction loop around parts of the city and Darling Harbour, super expensive for a ticket - and it didn’t really connect any one location with any other location in a direct way. It was circuitous and it was slow.
    So yeah, while I remember it fondly for nostalgia reasons - it was more of a fun-ride through the middle of the city - and great for tourists with kids to do something a little bit quirky and unique.

  • @colormedubious4747
    @colormedubious4747 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    While I am not a "monorail enthusiast" per se, I do accept it as a viable modal option for certain environments.
    That being said, there are a few errors, misconceptions, and/or omissions in your well-produced video:
    1) Light Rail Vehicles weigh FAR more than monorail vehicles. They even weigh more than heavy rail metro vehicles, because LRVs are designed for crashworthiness (emerging triumphant in collisions with cars, trucks, and buses), which is a scenario that simply cannot happen with monorail or heavy rail designs. The "Light" in Light Rail and the "Heavy" in Heavy Rail do NOT refer to vehicle weight. They refer to passenger CAPACITY.
    2) Your discussion of switching issues is not completely unfair, but elevated conventional rail is subject to exactly the same limitations. Rotary switches eliminate the "ends in thin air" issue. Beam replacement switches are quite fast -- the one at the MGM end of the line in Vegas took less than 12 seconds to fully traverse and lock (I timed it several times).
    3) Discussing surface running of monorail is EXTREMELY disingenuous -- and you cannot be serious! Monorail was designed from the ground up (play on words absolutely intended) to be an ELEVATED mode. Also, you're omitting the extensive subsurface engineering that surface rail (especially street trams and LRT) requires.
    4) Your point about repairing elevated beams also applies to elevated conventional track. You also exaggerate the cost and difficulty. Any company that can build, repair, or replace a bridge can easily build, repair, or replace a monorail beam. It's just reinforced concrete with a few cables and busbars strung alongside it.
    5) Emergency egress. Don't pretend that's any different for other elevated rail modes! Modern supported monorail designs (like the LVM) feature emergency catwalks beside or between the beams. It's an FTA regulatory requirement. You're not wrong about suspended monorails, though, which is one of several reasons why I don't like those designs.
    6) Japan has shown that monorails can be adapted to high-capacity transit applications. "Futuristic" is literally the WORST criterion in selecting a transit mode. The selection of monorail or any other mode should be driven by environmental factors, such as location (coastal cities with squishy soil, tight cities with smaller blocks, desiring stations within buildings, etc) or applications like overlays atop freeway medians. Like everything else in transit: It depends.

  • @benchaak_vam_demer
    @benchaak_vam_demer ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Monorails do have their use-cases in public transport. The issue with most monorails built, is more political, than technical. They have simply been built to have a monorails, rather than having the need for a transit line, where a monorail would be the best fit.
    Examples I would kindly ask you to take a good look at, are the Shonan Monorail in Enoshima, and the Schwebebahn from Wuppertal. Both have been built, as the need for a transit rout was present, and a Monorail was the best option.
    Building a Monorail somewhere like New York City, would be a bad idea, since the terrain allows subways/metros to be more efficient. But if you take look at Wuppertal, neither the terrain nor traffic allows any other mode of transport, to be as efficient as the Schwebebahn. Its problems in recent years have to do with bad management, and not with the technology. It ran over 100 Years without any major issues, and had only 1 major incident till this day. I can't say the same from any tramway built anywhere in the world.
    My point is, that as a mode of transport, monorails are not inherently better or worse, than "conventional" rails. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. But if you use one, where its advantages are meaningless, but its disadvantages are a big issue, then you (as the planer) are at fault, not the technology.

  • @sansornpoommaprang7068
    @sansornpoommaprang7068 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I disagree with your objections on monorail
    -The monorail is NOT “MONO” in direction it means it has only “ONE” (with is “mono” means) rail instead of 2 or 3rd-rail
    -If people stuck on it or need maintenance just look google map type MRT Lat Phrao and drag slightly left the screen along Lat Phrao rd. Or use street view you will find the simplest solution. “Just built the walk way along it”. And its track also made from concrete like elevated LRT or even convections rails but no need for steel rail on it because it is a “rail” its self(because I from Thailand that why I choose Newly built monorail in Bangkok to be example)
    -Lastly it is specific built for specific reason like in Thailand it don’t considered as main metro line it just a feeder but with complexion like fly-over ,narrow road ,cross over another transit line like ARL with use over head not 3-rail ,horrible traffic jam along the line(I use to stuck in traffic jam like an hours just for 2 km(around 1 mile)along Lat Phrao rd. And that day is not rainy day)and the biggest reason is the monorail is cheaper and faster to build compared to conventional railway.It’s not our first monorail in Thailand we used to have them so we all know it well.
    -Just for example the real horrible metro is Detroit people mover it has only one track and one way loop like Sydney monorail its not just what type the track are but what the system that created it. If it built to serve the local people it will be good transit for local people and benefits for tourist too but if for tourist like in the past it will all fail.

  • @LegateMalpais
    @LegateMalpais ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Rail: expensive, almost always subsidised, but has legitimate use and is well-developed and practical for intended purposes.
    Monorail: when achitects managed to enslave the engineers and force them to design a system at gun-point, that nobody ever needed our could justify besides being "cool". Nothing makes less sense and is more wasteful.
    Hyperloop: hold my beer!

  • @BrandEver117
    @BrandEver117 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    While I agree with the points about the rail itself, I disagree with the idea that a raised rail is inherently worse. You can easily make a walkway along it for emergencies, and the space savings and traffic reduction in crowded areas are worth the trade-off of trickier maintenance. Portland has a lightrail that is mostly street level and it very often gets stuck in traffic, meanwhile Seattle has one that is mostly raised or underground and it's almost always on time (and a more pleasant experience). Monorails might still be good for increased traction (although I bet you could just as easily make some kind of cogged track system for hills with normal rail), and Maglev type monorails are probably best for really high speed trains (like the 300mph kind)

  • @UltraHylia
    @UltraHylia ปีที่แล้ว +1

    What do you mean? There's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six cart monorail!

  • @tjejojyj
    @tjejojyj ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is pretty lazy. Tell us how a conventional railway would have been better to the two monorail lines in Chongqing.
    Why not examine the new high capacity lines built in São Paulo?
    Monorails aren’t a universal solution. But at least examen the issue.
    Also mono-racks are extensively used in Japan and Korea as well.
    Also other types of suspended industrial monorails are used in factories, mining and agriculture.

  • @nunyabidness117
    @nunyabidness117 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Jungle Jim's grocery store in Fairfield, Ohio has a non-functional monorail on display. It is from the now defunct Wild Animal Safari from King's Island amusement park.