Why Wuppertal's Suspended Monorail Wasn't The Future Of Travel

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  • Опубліковано 23 гру 2024

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  • @tomwoolrych4591
    @tomwoolrych4591 5 років тому +3768

    You kinda missed the original point of the Schwebebahn. The Wupper Valley was full the tracks follow the river which is also the shallowest gradient. A “suspended train” was the only viable option to cram in more infrastructure in a booming late 19th century industrial town built in a narrow valley.

    • @kevinmoore4887
      @kevinmoore4887 5 років тому +105

      Turning a river bed into river rails.

    • @mammutMK2
      @mammutMK2 5 років тому +77

      But since it is all in a valley with a major on a rocky ground, a subway isn't the best option...exept you need to clean it several times a year

    • @kimjunguny
      @kimjunguny 5 років тому +124

      @@LightbulbTedbear2 And yet it still stands to this day. Clearly this option works well for this specific circumstance.

    • @Sneaky_Snivy
      @Sneaky_Snivy 5 років тому +160

      @@LightbulbTedbear2 As a person from Wuppertal, I think I am qualified to talk about this. However, I am by no means saying what I say is correct, it is only a theory.
      I think it's suspended because that made it easier to build. If you simply had an elevated train line over the river that would mean the framework (Don't know if that's the right word) would have to be broader, as is there are simply 2 single rails, one on each of the sides, but if it just were an elevated train line it would have to be broader to fit 4 rails. Plus, they wouldn't have been able to use the space above the rails in a way that gives more structural intergrity (Look at the triangular shape), plus you'd have to make sure the train doesn't fall off. Like this the train can swing freely, if it swings to the right, the wheel on the top will tilt further left, ensuring that the force pulling on the train will always be stopped by the rail, and that way it's practically impossible for it to derail. The only time that ever happend was when a construction worker left a piece of equipment on the rail.

    • @commisar_________________7071
      @commisar_________________7071 4 роки тому +52

      @@Sneaky_Snivy I am sure you are correct. It being suspended both made it easier to build, especially given the geography and its swing on cornering means the load is transferred nicely onto the track. To do this with the train on top means the tracks would have to be banked appropriately.
      I watched them replace an entire section of track and they just lifted it on over the course of an evening, was really impressive to watch.

  • @Dark__Thoughts
    @Dark__Thoughts 5 років тому +1793

    It's a good transport system in Wuppertal because of its geographical location within the valley. The majority of the main city parts go right through it, following a portion of the Wupper (the river). That means there's basically just one main road through it too and side roads are often a nightmarish maze to get through, the Schwebebahn however can just drive along over the Wupper. It's not just faster than taking the bus but also more reliable because buses usually have a schedule of ~20 minutes during daytime while another Schwebebahn usually comes in every 2-5 minutes.
    Sometimes I dream if we could go full apeshit and come up with a hanging magnetic variant that drives more or less silently.

    • @Dark__Thoughts
      @Dark__Thoughts 5 років тому +10

      @berry , strawberry And what does that have to do with anything..?

    • @poppers7317
      @poppers7317 5 років тому

      @@Dark__Thoughts doesn't seem that reliable then.

    • @karimabu-isbeih1012
      @karimabu-isbeih1012 5 років тому +12

      @@poppers7317 are you guys idiots?

    • @waldikempel1233
      @waldikempel1233 4 роки тому

      Karim Abu-Isbeih they hate on everything die iodoten

    • @pikariocraftf2802
      @pikariocraftf2802 4 роки тому +5

      I went to ride it withmy family last year but it was closed.
      Kinda sad about that-
      Oh and I suppose a suspended magnet train could work, if the magnets were on the top rail and... basically a magnet train but the cart hangs from the rail-
      Problem, that would require a lot of work and money, as well as that the carts may go too fast, not sure about that last one, but as I like to pretend I know what I'm talking about: the current system seems more reliable in order to make sharper turns.
      Though I am not an engineer whatsoever.

  • @Naglfar83
    @Naglfar83 4 роки тому +202

    Hi, I'm from Wuppertal. And what I can say is, the Schwebebahn doesn't only look cool (the old orange wagons have also been replaced with newer, blue ones in the last few years) - it is also the fastest and most reliable way to get through the city (or at least through the valley part). Surely, we also have regular trains and buses, but buses get always stuck in the traffic and trains, while being faster in theory, don't depart as often as the Schwebebahn does and also connect parts of the city which are many kilometres apart (like all trains do). So in the end, if you want to reach a certain point, you often end up using the Schwebebahn after the train ride anyway and it would've been sometimes faster and always easier to just use it solely.
    Since Wuppertal is sometimes called the "San Francisco of Germany" because of being surrounded by lots of hills, mountains and elevated areas in general, the city unfortunately also highly depends on buses to get to these areas, which is highly unpleasant in general in Germany (i.a. because buses normally don't have AC in the summer). There have been plans for a ropeway to get from the valley to one of Wuppertal's highest points - which would've been nice - but unfortunately those plans were scrapped because many inhabitants didn't like the idea.

    • @germpore
      @germpore 4 місяці тому +1

      Hmmm...I'm from San Francisco and have spent time in Wuppertal, and I don't think the comparison fits. What it reminds me more of is the hilly old industrial towns in somewhere like Pennsylvania. The part where the Schwebebahn goes through the Bayer factory complex in particular has a strong "rust belt" feel.

    • @Naglfar83
      @Naglfar83 4 місяці тому +1

      @@germpore It is merely used in a jokingly manner and is only about the area, not the towns themselves. You can hardly compare a US town like San Francisco with an old German instrustrial town like Wuppertal. But just like SF, many or most people live in homes which are located at steep slopes. We once even had something similar to SF's cable cars called the "Barmer Bergbahn" (mountain cableway). In any case: Wuppertal is the closest thing Germany has to offer to compare with SF. :)
      Since Wuppertal (or, to be more precice: Barmen) is much older than SF, I like to say that SF is the Wuppertal of the USA. :D

  • @mr.boomguy
    @mr.boomguy 5 років тому +2328

    "Why munorail failed"
    *Shows us a wildly succesful one*

    • @wyterabitt2149
      @wyterabitt2149 5 років тому +57

      I would ask if you are blind, but whatever software you would use to read the title wouldn't get it wrong so that is still not an excuse.

    • @bestonyoutube
      @bestonyoutube 4 роки тому +7

      And it is also not suspended.

    • @bestonyoutube
      @bestonyoutube 4 роки тому +15

      @AlexLP No it is not suspended it is still in use.

    • @bestonyoutube
      @bestonyoutube 4 роки тому +2

      @AlexLP a word should just have one meaning

    • @karateman302
      @karateman302 4 роки тому +19

      @@bestonyoutube I mean...if homonyms weren't a thing, our vocabulary would have to be a lot larger. Just use context to figure it out or else maybe don't communicate with people in English because there are a lot of them.

  • @jack_elliott
    @jack_elliott 9 років тому +2064

    Busses are a much less pleasant experience than trains or trams though.

    • @bingola45
      @bingola45 7 років тому +5

      Buses are part of the benefits system.

    • @hq3473
      @hq3473 5 років тому +140

      Day to day? Yes.
      When a break down happens? In a bus, it's a simple as waiting 10 minutes for a next bus. With a train - it's a nightmare.

    • @adrianchristoffer10
      @adrianchristoffer10 5 років тому +21

      Yea buses suck the only cool buses are Trolleybuses

    • @zach99998
      @zach99998 5 років тому +10

      Buses rule tracks drool

    • @adrianchristoffer10
      @adrianchristoffer10 5 років тому +22

      Tracks are always better in confort and capasity

  • @Badmuthaa
    @Badmuthaa 9 років тому +695

    I miss the old Sydney monorail. Impractical? Yes. Fun to ride on? Hell yeah!

    • @oO_ox_O
      @oO_ox_O 9 років тому +43

      Sesy COD Pope It was heavily used?! Well in that case destroying it was the only logical thing to do.

    • @Badmuthaa
      @Badmuthaa 9 років тому +43

      ***** mainly because of the reasons pointed out in this video. The government didn't want to pay to keep it running because they were probably making a loss. Plus it took up a whole lot of space. Still, i want it back

    • @dygituljunky
      @dygituljunky 9 років тому +16

      +Moeyz69 Taking a loss is true for many, many rail systems around the world.

    • @ThalassTKynn
      @ThalassTKynn 9 років тому +15

      +Moeyz69 Did it take up a lot of space though? It was elevated. The only space it took up was where the legs were. If it was up to me the monorail would have been expanded haha

    • @ThalassTKynn
      @ThalassTKynn 9 років тому +1

      +Sesy COD Pope that sounds accurate :/

  • @DiffuseSachverhalte
    @DiffuseSachverhalte 6 років тому +77

    As the name says, it's located in a valley, in which the Wupper flows. We have A LOT of hills and not much flat space to build things. That's why they came up with this idea: the space above a river is always flat, naturally. Also, we are the city with the most staircases in whole Germany. I hate the hills, but the Schwebebahn pays it off I guess :)

  • @QemeH
    @QemeH 5 років тому +55

    That story about the circus elephant falling from the _Schwebebahn_ because it freaked out isn't only true - up until a very tragic day in April 1999 the story also always carried the "and that is the only serious accident it had ever" tag with it. A claw left by an unattentive maintenance worker sadly changed this, but the "floating train" (which is the literal translation of "Schwebebahn") is still considered the safest means of travel both in death per passengermile and accidents per mile.

  • @JohnyJ25
    @JohnyJ25 9 років тому +86

    Wuppertal is my favorite city in all of Germany! It's a legendary place!

    • @unvergebeneid
      @unvergebeneid 9 років тому +19

      U high?

    • @GermanZindro
      @GermanZindro 9 років тому +12

      +JohnyJ25 The Schwebebahn is cool, but the city is pretty ugly compared to Hamburg or Cologne.

    • @OverG88
      @OverG88 9 років тому +3

      +JohnyJ25 Solingen FTW! :D

    • @S404_44
      @S404_44 9 років тому +2

      +Lazic B. Solingen hat O-Bus, Müngstener Brücke und den Haribo-Laden -> auch super

    • @JohnyJ25
      @JohnyJ25 9 років тому

      +Penny Lane No. I just live for this city.

  • @salvodippolito6013
    @salvodippolito6013 7 років тому +67

    I thought the main advantage was that it wouldn't interfere with traffic, same concept as the underground system but maybe easier and quicker to build..

    • @antorseax9492
      @antorseax9492 2 роки тому +4

      The ground under Wuppertal isn't suitable for an underground route

    • @leDespicable
      @leDespicable Рік тому +3

      @@antorseax9492 That, and building a subway in a narrow river valley is just asking for trouble in case of flooding.

    • @geoffoakland
      @geoffoakland 7 місяців тому +1

      Along those sane lines, some cities are installing ski lift style gondolas for their urban transportation system, as they don't interfere with traffic and there are no tunnels to dig either .
      La Paz is à city that has a large urban gondola network.

  • @CrownAcademyEnglish
    @CrownAcademyEnglish 4 роки тому +310

    I think it looks cool. :)

    • @EightThreeEight
      @EightThreeEight 4 роки тому +1

      It does look cool.
      It's just too impractical.

    • @mattwilcks5156
      @mattwilcks5156 3 роки тому +4

      I’ve been on it. It’s great fun to ride. I highly recommend a day trip.

  • @linchenbienchen1001
    @linchenbienchen1001 5 років тому +11

    I live in Wuppertal and use the monorail a lot and it is brilliant because there are no traffic jams and you can take it every 10 minutes. A few months ago it was ,,renovated" and the monorail is much more comfortable now and it also is very safe to take it!

  • @timwells3171
    @timwells3171 5 років тому +185

    *“Hello, and welcome to the Black Mesa transit system. The time is **8:47** AM”*

  • @Sony_08
    @Sony_08 9 років тому +731

    Well, sir, there's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car Monorail!

    • @Robovski
      @Robovski 9 років тому +12

      +Death Monorail!

    • @Azzamacaza
      @Azzamacaza 9 років тому +9

      +Death Mono... D'oh!

    • @frollard
      @frollard 9 років тому +6

      +Robert “Robovski” Turner Monorail!

    • @sivalley
      @sivalley 9 років тому +19

      I call the big one "Bitey".

    • @shaggy1939gaming
      @shaggy1939gaming 8 років тому +14

      But what about Main street!

  • @102kamii
    @102kamii 8 років тому +23

    Kind of a weird feel knowing Tom Scott was just a 15 minute train drive away from me. awesome

  • @WhatATypicalTime
    @WhatATypicalTime 9 років тому +87

    Tom, Monorails sure, but not all trains. Building ordinary rails rather than suspended/on a bridge (elevated) isn't always cheaper. Sometimes it is the other way around. For example: In the country side in Sweden a big thing is not to disturb the wildlife and make sure fallen trees don't get on the railroad. Solution? Elevated. Also it can surprise you that it's cheaper to build levated railroads when you soil isn't the best and have to be paved in preventing it from sinking. You come around that isue somewhat when you either share the load and make it lighter when it's elevated or have to pave much less ground rather than putting all weight directly on the ground as you do with ordinary railways. The chinese are using this technique really well.

  • @gargoyleex
    @gargoyleex 9 років тому +1054

    Being a german guy, the first one who ever tells me about the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn is a Brit. That's certainly... _interesting_.
    Anyway, as you're currently in Germany I was wondering if you're planing to visit Hamburg. I would love to hear you talking about my hometown!

    • @TomScottGo
      @TomScottGo  9 років тому +183

      +gargoyleex Already have. There's a video about the Elbtunnel somewhere in my previous videos :)

    • @gargoyleex
      @gargoyleex 9 років тому +33

      Oh yeah, I've just seen it.
      I liked it, but at least you couldn't instruct me about my hometown, I guess :p

    • @607
      @607 9 років тому +1

      Haha, nice!

    • @eIucidate
      @eIucidate 9 років тому +1

      +Anton Antonovich Nice one!

    • @MoritzRohwold79Blankenberg
      @MoritzRohwold79Blankenberg 8 років тому +1

      or birth travel and death ?!

  • @KuruGDI
    @KuruGDI 5 років тому +69

    On crowded streets a flyover monorail has one huuuuge benifit. Unlike bus or trams it doesn't have to _share_ it's space. And unlike 'ordinary' trains it doesn't use up that much space in urban areas.
    I would like to see a cost comparison between such a monorail system and a subway. The monorail still has an advantage where you have a complicated underground structure.

    • @TheAnantaSesa
      @TheAnantaSesa 5 років тому +4

      Why a monorail over a normal dual rail?

    • @markcarey8426
      @markcarey8426 4 роки тому +7

      @@TheAnantaSesa Yes, seems a bit of confusion about monorail and elevated rail. Maybe it's because most elevated rail is monorail, but obviously doesn't have to be. The idea of elevated seems like a good idea to me. Chicago's L works well, AFAIK. And a lot of London's rail, not the Tube, is elevated, or overail, and then you can have all those rental spaces underneath. Where villians have car repair workshops as fronts for vice.

    • @Usual_User
      @Usual_User 2 роки тому

      You saying Overground structure are simpler to maintain? Also its SIGNIFICANTLY slower, has lower capacity, cost more.

    • @gregorflopinski9016
      @gregorflopinski9016 Рік тому

      Many trams have dedicated medians grade seperated from the road, just have a glance at Warsaw or Prague’s system

    • @KuruGDI
      @KuruGDI Рік тому

      @@gregorflopinski9016 The city where I live has many old buildings and the inner city is >500 years old (and so is the road infrastructure).
      It's easy to play a dedicated tram lane if you have the space for it, but where I life there is no space other than to share the street with regular vehicles (even though it would of course make much more sense to have their own tram way)

  • @thany3
    @thany3 9 років тому +21

    Hm, the monorail in Naha (Okinawa, Japan) works pretty well... And it doesn't hinder (and doesn't get hindered by) other traffic, and provides some healthy competition for buses. In Japan, only a few of the big cities have trams or light rails, and for such a densely populated country, metros are the go-to solution for intra-city railways. But every-so-often a metro system doesn't work for one reason or another, and they build monorails instead. Although I must say the one in Naha it's not a suspended monorail, but a straight-up one. Does that still count?

  • @elviswjr
    @elviswjr 8 років тому +354

    I'm not convinced. I think monorails could actually be a vast improvement over light rail. The very fact that they're usually elevated makes them better. For example, they can be placed so they don't interfere with traffic below, and they can go faster because there is less risk of obstacles on the track. Sure, they're more expensive to install, but the convenience they offer may outweigh the cost in some areas. In fact, I know they have their practical uses because there are many of them in regular use in Japan. If only people in the western world didn't view them as nothing more than theme park attractions and futuristic gimmicks.

    • @ostkkfmhtsh012345678
      @ostkkfmhtsh012345678 8 років тому +37

      Also in Chongqing, China, people ride the monorail regularly like a subway. Chongqing, China has the world's largest monorail network. Light rail, tram, streetcar, trolleys are the least safest form of public transportation (www.caranddriver.com/features/howre-ya-dying-fatality-data-from-various-types-of-transportation-feature). Monorails can also be fully automated and run without drivers. That's a critical issue with Light Rail. Because Light Rail can run in the streets, driverless operations is not permitted. This can result in cost of operation and maintenance to be higher than a grade-separated system and to fund such high cost can result in reducing bus services.

    • @mikehathaway2842
      @mikehathaway2842 8 років тому +36

      The advantage of lightrail not needing grade separations is not a good feature. It allows cities to make massive mistakes to save money. San Jose California ran lightrail grade separated then on normal streets through downtown. Because of this the system can't serve the majority of cummuters who pack freeways going from one area with lightrail service to another area with lightrail service.. Most commuters are going from the suburbs to the tech companies on the other side of downtown and trains go from 80mph between stops to a snails crawl in the downtown area, with a small section smack dab in the middle of the system taking 20 to 40 minutes to traverse instead of 5. And because they where not forced to choose a grade separated option the option of bypassing downtown is so expensive its may be impossible.

    • @qjtvaddict
      @qjtvaddict 7 років тому +1

      Elvis S actually they are cheaper than light rail in cities

    • @qjtvaddict
      @qjtvaddict 7 років тому

      Mike Hathaway they should rip up downtown tracks and have suspended monorail take over down town service then act as express or crosstown service for the light rail

    • @wuloki
      @wuloki 6 років тому +6

      As for this particular system, it is indeed cheaper than the light-rail systems of the cities around Wuppertal. When we built a new station in the 80s, it cost just as much as 10 meters (!!) of light rail in Cologne.

  • @unbekannt1110
    @unbekannt1110 5 років тому +154

    Noch ein paar Wuppertaler hier?

    • @AliciaJxckson
      @AliciaJxckson 5 років тому +4

      Hieeeer

    • @RaTaTaRAM27
      @RaTaTaRAM27 5 років тому +11

      Natürlich 😉 einmal Wuppertaler, immer Wuppertaler

    • @Zukirin77
      @Zukirin77 5 років тому +4

      Jawohl. Bin aus zufall hier gelandet

    • @Juli-dv8mn
      @Juli-dv8mn 5 років тому +3

      Jaa 🙋‍♀️

    • @pascal8045
      @pascal8045 5 років тому +2

      @@RaTaTaRAM27 Du sagst es!

  • @erxu
    @erxu 5 років тому +42

    Well, at this very moment I'm in Japan, and I can truly tell you that monorails have not failed here.

    • @the_number_one
      @the_number_one 5 років тому

      Where in Japan do they have this? Please let me know

    • @alex28896
      @alex28896 5 років тому +1

      Did u mean the Maglev?

    • @JamesFluker
      @JamesFluker 5 років тому +3

      @@the_number_one Shonan/Ofuna and Chiba.

    • @thomaswilkinson4027
      @thomaswilkinson4027 4 роки тому +4

      Yes the Shonan Monorail is the sister to the Wuppertal suspended monorail. It was built by Mitsubishi I think, and it’s very expensive compared to other lines. I am not so sure it’s been a commercial success, I heard it has lost a lot of money, but it is certainly well used by commuters.

  • @ram64man
    @ram64man 8 років тому +74

    A completely bias view, monorail is a cheaper alternative to subway and light rail lines, it can be installed in towns without interfering road transit and, is heavenly used in Japan and China mumbi and Korea where new developments have it linked with maglev for a quicker quiter experience, compared to light rail it can be 1/3 more energy efficient, Sidney's line was removed because they chose to expand the light rail line and technical issues relating to design limitations not the other way around.

    • @0000-z4z
      @0000-z4z 5 років тому +14

      The biggest advantage was not said yet: As the Wuppertal Schwebebahn is under the rail it can not be thrown off by centrifugal forces. You can go very fast through narrow curves. By designing the rail correctly the side forces become zero. And in case of a train going slowlier then expected it might be inconvenient for the passengers for hanging sidewards, but the train doesn't fall down.

    • @andrewdevine3920
      @andrewdevine3920 5 років тому

      Biased.

    • @andrewdevine3920
      @andrewdevine3920 5 років тому +1

      I live in Korea and I've never seen a monorail here.

    • @TheAnantaSesa
      @TheAnantaSesa 5 років тому

      0000000 0000000; thanks, i wondered what the advantage was for suspension over just using an elevated track like normal cities.

    • @henriks.2302
      @henriks.2302 4 роки тому +1

      The town makes an annual loss of 20 million Euros by operating this monorail system (at least according to Wikipedia).

  • @levmatta
    @levmatta 9 років тому +65

    Here in São Paulo/Brazil, we were supposed to have a cost effective monorail. but corruption got in the way.

    • @BegbertBiggs
      @BegbertBiggs 9 років тому +2

      I saw the leftovers from the construction sites. Very unfortunate.

    • @Sony_08
      @Sony_08 9 років тому +8

      +Jimmy De'Souza Not on your life, my Hindu friend!

    • @yossarian9985
      @yossarian9985 9 років тому +3

      +Death What about us brain dead slobs?

    • @jimbrown341
      @jimbrown341 9 років тому +11

      +levmatta Brazil is one of the shittiest places in the world because of its corruption. Try shipping packages into Brazil and you will agree with me! So many post office employees steal packages. Its so pathetic that they do that to their own citizens.

    • @SKyrim190
      @SKyrim190 9 років тому +1

      +levmatta We can't have actual solutions that worked in many places of the world to work here, what was the chance of ever having a "cost effective monorail" here?

  • @andrebartels1690
    @andrebartels1690 5 років тому +123

    Thank you for pronouncing Wuppertal right! 😊
    P.s.: That elephants name was Tuffi. Really.

  • @Tracomaster
    @Tracomaster 8 років тому +265

    Hey look at that! The most uneventful city where I happened to grow up in, featured in the video of one of my favorite youtubers

    • @blablazeug
      @blablazeug 7 років тому +4

      Tracomaster Hagen ist besser

    • @blablazeug
      @blablazeug 7 років тому +1

      Tracomaster scheiß wuppertal

    • @gregoirehollander7433
      @gregoirehollander7433 7 років тому

      Immernoch besser wie Radevormwald, denn alle wissen, Rade ist scheisse

    • @De_Helen
      @De_Helen 6 років тому

      Gregoire Hollander Grüße aus Pforzheim.... Mehr muss da nicht gesagt werden...

    • @freazy1626
      @freazy1626 5 років тому +1

      @@gregoirehollander7433 *als

  • @Luke_Starkenburg
    @Luke_Starkenburg 9 років тому +148

    Grade separated is the only way to go in my opinion. Mixing trains with autos, bikes, and pedestrians creates unsafe environments. Just compare the safety record for monorails and light rail/trams and you will find that monorails are far superior. Just look at the monorails in Japan and in Chongqing China to see that monorails work great in transit applications!

    • @DFX2KX
      @DFX2KX 9 років тому +6

      +Luke Starkenburg We've got buses here in my town, and in the time the bus authority has operated, I think we have had two accidents that have resulted in fatalities (one of which was recent). I don't know if trams are any different, but I've not seen any real disruption in traffic or anything unsafe with the bus system.
      I'm a lot more worried about the cars then I am about getting smacked by the Gray line.

    • @qjtvaddict
      @qjtvaddict 7 років тому +1

      Luke Starkenburg actually they only work in cities but then again they are only getting built in dense cities

    • @airplaneplustrainguy8143
      @airplaneplustrainguy8143 7 років тому

      Luke Starkenburg yeah

    • @hackerofawesomeness
      @hackerofawesomeness 7 років тому +2

      New Delhi has a metro system where they use rails on top of an elevated track. It works pretty well, and halves the time it takes to get around the city by car (there's a TON of traffic)

    • @jamescurrie1395
      @jamescurrie1395 7 років тому +2

      Where I live, in Australia, our entire train system is going through the process of grade separation - It's far cheaper & safer to make grade separated trains than monorails.

  • @seal3081
    @seal3081 9 років тому +558

    When I hear monorail I think of that simpsons episode.

    • @KimAPedersen
      @KimAPedersen 9 років тому +19

      and sadly, so do many others. It's sad that people form their opinions based on a cartoon.

    • @seal3081
      @seal3081 9 років тому +27

      masterninjahh the funny thing is that the creators of the simpsons put a lot of science into some of their episodes. I remember my highschool teacher giving lessons on a specific simpsons episodes, homers job at the nuclear plant etc. You'd be surprised at what you'd find under the surface.

    • @volbla
      @volbla 9 років тому +28

      +seal3081 Mono meaning one, and rail meaning rail.

    • @ralien3066
      @ralien3066 9 років тому +21

      +Kim A Pedersen your an idiot at what point in the sentence "when i hear monorail i think of that Simpsons episode" do you hear his opinion on monorail systems because i dont see it

    • @GhostInTheShell29
      @GhostInTheShell29 9 років тому +17

      +Kim A Pedersen I see similar sentiments from a lot of people about cartoons and animes.
      But I just want to point out that the animation style really says nothing about the depth of a show, or how accurate it is.
      The simpsons quality varies.. a lot. It is the longest running show in history. But it has tackled many social issues, and some of them it has done very well.
      The monorail episode accurately sums up what happened in my city when some charlatan had the bright idea to build a giant stadium down town. Now that its been built and the numbers crunched it will actually never be profitable the city will take a major loss on the whole thing. And most the city council is going to jail.
      There are two main reasons giant engineering projects are proposed, sometimes its to benefit the community. Other times its for millions of dollars in kickbacks union fees and so on.

  • @azuredragonofnether5433
    @azuredragonofnether5433 4 роки тому +5

    Well, the fact is, Wuppertal isn't exactly spread out like the common big cities. It is shaped narrowly from the top perspective, mainly to the west and the east and in terms of traffic, it proved to be an issue. This suspended monorail solves many of the traffic problems and, IMO, it continues to do so. While I never rode one, after reading many benefits of this form of transport, I think it remains relevant to this day.

  • @tabithayy2066
    @tabithayy2066 5 років тому +3

    the Schwebebahn actually is not working anymore for like 6 months and the traffic here is a huge chaos since

  • @rfairman
    @rfairman 9 років тому +17

    In many instances you want to have your transit system to be completely grade separated. It is more costly, be it subway or elevated, but the advantages of separating your rail system from ground level traffic and pedestrians is obvious. To do that with traditional rail requires massive tunneling, or cut and cover construction or large and imposing bridge structures. Monorail lets you do grade separation at the minimum cost. If you want to see what a modern monorail looks like, search for videos of the Chongqing, Daegu, Sao Paulo or, Kuala Lumpur monorails , or any monorail system in Japan.

    • @maxwellsmith9988
      @maxwellsmith9988 2 роки тому +2

      isn't monorail riddiculously more expensive what are you talking about, it's just a more expensive version of elevated rail

  • @mazdaman2315
    @mazdaman2315 3 роки тому +3

    I love that both the Tim traveler and Tom have made a video on this they both have very similar styles but Tim is a bit of a comedian while Tom is serious

  • @WupperVideo
    @WupperVideo 8 років тому +15

    And in the last months we got new supended monorail trains in Wuppertal

    • @wilfriedklaebe
      @wilfriedklaebe 3 роки тому +1

      Also, the suspended monorail in Wuppertal is suspended during weekdays currently...

  • @hashkeksii5010
    @hashkeksii5010 5 років тому +4

    If any of you were wondering, the Schwebebahn is currently broken (for nearly half a year now), and will probably be able to function again this September 2019.

    • @bspringer
      @bspringer 2 роки тому

      Die war ja wohl noch einige längere Zeit kaputt, geht die mittlerweile wieder? Auch an Wochentagen?
      Komme theoretisch jedes Mal, wenn ich vom Studium aus meine Eltern besuche, durch Wuppertal. Vielleicht lege ich mal nen Zwischenstop ein, um die mal wieder zu benutzen 😂
      Einmal Vohwinkel-Oberbarmen durchfahren, wenn die DB mir sowieso wieder ne Stunde Verspätung reindrückt ^^

  • @nicolas2419
    @nicolas2419 5 років тому +1

    I went to Wuppertal only for doing a trip aboard the Schwebebahn! That was great! :)

  • @seattleite6631
    @seattleite6631 4 роки тому +3

    Monorails CAN change track though. It's also impossible for them to derail. Also, they usually take up a small footprint and much of system can be built off site.

  • @JorenVerspeurt
    @JorenVerspeurt 9 років тому +1

    Went there last year! I think this is one of the few places where the monorail really works (most of it runs over the river so it doesn't take up extra space, no conflict with cars, ... and the maintenance cost is apparently relatively limited)
    My favorite thing about riding it was the fact that it actually swung pretty far to the side when it took a more-than-slight corner, something you're not really used to with something the size of a tram =D

  • @SharlexUwU
    @SharlexUwU 5 років тому +3

    I didnt know you made a video in my hometown. Greetings from wuppertal here!

  • @Aboleo80
    @Aboleo80 8 років тому

    I used to live in Wuppertal as a teen and had to take Schwebebahn to school from Elberfeld to Vohwinkel every day. Coolest form of public transport anywhere in the world!

  • @prop_thunder_therealone
    @prop_thunder_therealone 4 роки тому +7

    me seeing my city in a popular vid: finnaly someone knows about it
    me looking at it myself from my window: ehhh thats boring

  • @clarkyboio
    @clarkyboio 8 років тому +1

    I went to Wuppertal a few years ago and went on the monorail for myself. It wouldn't stop swaying

  • @AlohaBiatch
    @AlohaBiatch 8 років тому +47

    Sorry, but I completely and utterly disagree with your statements about the viability of monorail. Monorails can actually be very cost effective and even have a high passenger capacity in many cases. You keep claiming that monorails are silly attractions for theme parks, yet if you did your researched and read about the Chongqing monorail, Osaka monorail or Tokyo monorail, you would know that there are very popular and effective lines out there. Amazingly in Chongqing, the monorail is the backbone of public transport there instead of a metro or heavy rail. In that city, the terrain with many hills and gradients means a monorail is much cheaper than both subways or regular elevated or surface rail.
    The main problem with Monorails is the lack of standards among different systems. Unlike the standard gauges on regular rail, monorail differ a lot depending on the maker. This means that cities are reluctant to go into exclusivity with a single manufacturer because the equipment will forever be proprietary.

    • @svartmetall48
      @svartmetall48 8 років тому +8

      Agreed. Been on the Tokyo and Osaka systems myself (not to mention the hanging monorails of the same type as the Schwebebahn in Chiba and Shonan). They are actually very good systems and well-used.

    • @tjejojyj
      @tjejojyj 8 років тому +3

      AlohaBiatch I agree with those points. Standardisation is the great advantage for rail and the bus.
      The new monorail systems being built are pushing the capacity-to-cost comparison in favour monorails. It will be interesting if the Brazilian lines kick off a trend.
      Cost blowouts are a common problem to all public transport systems.
      The video makes some silly statements about grade separation and heavy overhead structures. This is hardly a unique feature of monorails and in comparison monorail's aerial visual pollution is less than a standard rail system on a viaduct.
      He does say "there are PLACES where it is suitable" but unfortunate doesn't mention any of the others.
      BTW: most people in Sydney haven't missed the monorail. They reused some of the beams for a road bridge over the new north west railway.

    • @MartinBrenner
      @MartinBrenner 8 років тому +2

      The Wuppertal Schwebebahn ("levitating railway") is there because of the special geographic location of Wuppertal - on both sides of the river Wupper in a somtimes narrow valley (hence the name Wupper-tal). And since the valley is packed with buildings and factories there was an obvious place where to put the trains: *over the Wupper*. For most of the length of the track it is elevated above the Wupper, so the increased cost for building the track is made up by not having to pay for property.

    • @ken125y
      @ken125y 8 років тому +9

      Your arguments succinctly refute Tom Scott's weak arguments. Tom Scott seems like a clever guy who understands science and technology, but he seems to have utterly misunderstood the potential of suspended monorails for passenger and freight traffic, particularly in urban environments. Tom Scott seems to have some sort of emotional, almost quasi-religious dislike of suspended monorails. Perhaps he lived next door to a mean or unpleasant suspended monorail when he was growing up.

    • @koohikoo
      @koohikoo 8 років тому

      in the nearest large city to me, there is a system called the Skytrain, it's effectively a mix of a monorail, and a light rail system

  • @chaosmagican
    @chaosmagican 6 років тому +2

    The tram footage from Düsseldorf, I immediately recognized it, I stood there approx. 6 months or so (summed) waiting on that tram :D

  • @jul7985
    @jul7985 5 років тому +6

    1:35 Fun fact: Düsseldorf also has these airport-monorails like Gatwick

    • @BernhardWelzel
      @BernhardWelzel 5 років тому

      Additional fun fact: it is actually based on a (old) system developed in Dortmund University that is connecting parts of the campus

  • @bxdanny
    @bxdanny 5 років тому +1

    This doesn't explain why monorails still fail as a choice compared to standard rail that IS grade-separated (elevated trains). I think it's because the switches (frogs in Brit-speak) are much more expensive and complicated to build for a monorail than for standard rail.

  • @TheDuckofDoom.
    @TheDuckofDoom. 8 років тому +186

    (here in the USA) buses are horribly off schedule due to traffic, are slow and circuitous on a good day, and tend to clog traffic more than they reduce it. Monorails can generally climb much steeper grades than light rail, for electric powered units the supply conductors pose fewer problems, they don't mess up traffic flow like trolleys/light-rail and buses, and there is the real estate issue as they can be built around existing infrastructure without condemning shops and ripping up streets for years of construction. (also reduced real estate reduces some of the the ever present back room real estate deals that plague light rail projects.) The concrete use isn't much more than that used for traditional railroads (all new ties are concrete in this area), and being elevated monorails properly designed and operated can safely run at higher speeds, out of the city traditional rail beds are not reliably smooth enough for speeds much more than 120kph and still have the safety issue of large ground animals, pedestrians, and road crossings.

    • @ostkkfmhtsh012345678
      @ostkkfmhtsh012345678 8 років тому +22

      In addition, Monorails can be fully automated and driverless. Long term operations and maintenance should be lower than light rail and equivalent at-grade rail systems as there is no need for drivers and fully automated trains can run longer hours and shorter headways.

    • @rottenrafflesia
      @rottenrafflesia 8 років тому

      Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley (in Malaysia) has a mix of monorail, light rail, mostly the latter. I'm actually a bit confused by these terms but many parts of the light rail tracks are elevated while some near the city centre are underground.

    • @ostkkfmhtsh012345678
      @ostkkfmhtsh012345678 8 років тому +3

      We're using the American definition for Light Rail/LRT where it is more like a tram/streetcar/trolley and cannot be fully automated and driverless. E.g. Edmonton: oldtrails.com/LightRail/Edmonton/Images/edminbndmt.jpg Hong Kong (Light Rail-car accident): cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980x551/public/images/methode/2016/02/05/fa405e60-cbcb-11e5-9c95-074a8ff7bdd1_1280x720.jpg?itok=YkdU96wi Calgary (Light Rail-car accident): i.cbc.ca/1.2356034.1383597188!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/3rd-accident.jpg

    • @ccityplanner1217
      @ccityplanner1217 8 років тому +7

      Here in the UK the term "light railway" is a system similar to the Bombardier DLR, which has virtually all the advantages of a monorail but is more reliable. It runs entirely separate from streets on a mostly double track system. It has many crucial advantages to a monorail, for example it can run in a tunnel. Some parts of the DLR have a 1:17 gradient. The only disadvantage compared to a monorail is that it looks ugly.

    • @TheDuckofDoom.
      @TheDuckofDoom. 8 років тому +1

      1:17 is less than 6%, that is not quite enough for the West coast of the North America. All rail can run in a tunnel. When you say separate from streets do you mean above/below grade, or just as a replacement for a street?

  • @4ppych
    @4ppych 4 роки тому +1

    Japan has lots of suspended railways, and they continue to build them. Stanchions for hanging tracks are much easier, cheaper, and less disruptive to build over an existing roadway than building a complete platform covering the road. Seems like it's not as cut-and-dried as this video would have it.

  • @NNOTM
    @NNOTM 9 років тому +89

    Probably Schwebebahn, not Schwebenbahn ;-)

    • @Woolookologie
      @Woolookologie 9 років тому

      +NNOTM yeah ^^

    • @Tophu48548
      @Tophu48548 9 років тому

      It says that?

    • @NNOTM
      @NNOTM 9 років тому +5

      Christopher Wright It does now, yes.

    • @Dear_Mr._Isaiah_Deringer
      @Dear_Mr._Isaiah_Deringer 5 років тому +2

      And even further up north experience the unique styled S(ch)wedenbahn.

  • @2001cavador
    @2001cavador 5 років тому +1

    Sydney Australia has no more room for adding light rail or buses to the streets and thus has resorted to building expensive underground metros.
    An idea that WOULD work is a suspension railway between Central and Parramatta along the Parramatta river.Tis would be much easier and cheaper than using expensive tunnel boring machines to build a metro underground and would be a great tourist attraction.

  • @erik_erikson
    @erik_erikson 9 років тому +5

    Nice, I live near Wuppertal. Hope you have a nice time in Germany!

  • @luigigaminglp
    @luigigaminglp 8 років тому +2

    Hello from Wuppertal :D
    Unluckily I live in one of the small parts of Wuppertal which isnt supported with the suspention Railway, up the hill. Just these inside the valley are supported.

  • @Hobbyblasphemist
    @Hobbyblasphemist 8 років тому +13

    "Or a Tram, with JUST some rails laid down"
    cue everyone who's ever lived in Edinburgh during the tram fiasco screeching with anger and despair.

    • @ostkkfmhtsh012345678
      @ostkkfmhtsh012345678 7 років тому +1

      Tram tracks cannot simply be laid down. It stills require digging out roadways like cut-and-cover tunnels for utilities relocation and more in addition to installing track and infrastructure. Whereas for elevated guideway columns including elevated Monorails columns, holes are dug, foundations are created, and column is built. The roadways typically are not completely closed and only closed for short periods of time unlike roadways with tram infrastructure being installed with lengthy closures.

    • @Hobbyblasphemist
      @Hobbyblasphemist 7 років тому +1

      I lived through tramworks, I'm aware how much of a pain they are, it was Tom in his video who said something along the lines of tram rails are just laid down, implying it's a simple construction project.

  • @Ssgmfs
    @Ssgmfs 3 роки тому +1

    in my city we have a monorail system that runs on just one side of the river downtown, they made it free to ride since no one would ride it anymore when it cost $1, now I think only homeless people, some students and maybe office workers take it. But you cant take it anywhere near housing so kinda defeats the purpose.

  • @olli449isthebest
    @olli449isthebest 9 років тому +6

    Well, sir, there's nothing on earth like a genuine, Bona fide, Electrified, Six-car Monorail

  • @lmlmd2714
    @lmlmd2714 4 роки тому +2

    "Coolness" should be a factor in the cost-benefit study for all transit projects.

  • @nickclark2278
    @nickclark2278 7 років тому +3

    Actually monorails are making a come back in south east Asia and South America. They're taking on the role of metro lines.
    In busy and densely packed cities grade separated systems are more reliable and cheaper to deliver than either extensive tunnelling or viaducts.
    A lot of monorails were taken down as the majority were proprietary systems from companies that no longer exist. The industry broadly has settled on the alweg system which both bombardier and hitatchi provide products for.
    In the case of Sydney it was never built on its originally intended route and didn't actually connect anything useful and ended up being a novelty loop. Being 30 years old and at the end of its design life it needed a refit, new trains and heavy investment. Being a vonroll product there were no more parts to really keep it going, there were only 2 working trains out of 7 as the others just got parted out over time to keep it going.

  • @lasentinal
    @lasentinal 6 років тому +1

    Monorails are safe, reliable, up out of the way of traffic, take up far less ground space, are fast to construct, and far less expensive than so called light rail. A suspended railway could be constructed under an elevated roadway.
    Monorails are successfully used in Japan, China and Seattle in the USA. The Sydney monorail was not thought out very well, but there was a plan to extend it to run past the University of NSW and connect it to Central station. These plans were suspended with the election of the Greiner government.
    Monorails that have been built and successfully operated in recent years are:
    2001-Tokyo Resort Monorail;
    2002-Dusseldorf; 2003-Kuala Lumpur Monorail;
    2003-Okinawa Monorail;
    2004-Las Vegas Monorail;
    2004-Moscow Monorail;
    2007-Singapore;
    2011-Chongqing Monorail;
    2014-Mumbai Monorail;
    2014-Daegu Monorail;
    2014-Sao Paulo Line 15;
    2014-Qom Monorail;
    2014-Xi'an Monorail;
    2015-Sao Paulo Line 17;
    2015-Riyadh KAFD;
    Numerous other monorails are in advanced planning, with construction to begin soon. All this activity proves that monorails are NOT 'just a ride!'
    So, what you have said is not borne out by the facts.

  • @bruceschneider4928
    @bruceschneider4928 5 років тому +4

    "Doesn't look as cool, though." That's for sure. Monorails are right up there with jet packs on the coolness scale (and we don't have THOSE, either!).

  • @Aragorn.Strider
    @Aragorn.Strider 6 років тому +1

    In general trams are indeed cheaper and better. Monorails shine in difficult areas to cross, such as from mountain top to another and/or above existing busy roads maybe integrated into airports. Busses can easily get congested and carry to few in busy cities. In smaller villages and neighbourhoods busses are best

  • @Amzide
    @Amzide 9 років тому +4

    Hm interesting... the electric sign on the monorail station didn't flicker when filmed by your camera but the signs on the bus did. So it seems that the bus signs and the monorail signs work on different hertz. My guess is that it has to do with the fact that the bus sign is powered by the (non-alternating) battery in the bus whereas the mono sign is powered by the alternating current in the grid.

    • @S404_44
      @S404_44 9 років тому

      Well the Schwebebahn signs are mostly just paper with a light bulb behind it whilst the buses have LED or do you mean the "Next train announcer" on the platform?

    • @Mezgrman
      @Mezgrman 9 років тому

      +Amzide The AC doesn't have anything to do with it. It's most likely just a different multiplex frequency.

    • @Amzide
      @Amzide 9 років тому

      SimonHellinger Yeah I meant the 'next train'-thing :)

    • @Amzide
      @Amzide 9 років тому

      Mezgrman What's multiplex frequency? The only thing I get up when googling is that multiplexing means "combining many signals into a single transmission circuit or channel" which to me doesn't seem very related to led-signs. Does it refer to the frequency at which the screen updates it's image or something?

    • @Mezgrman
      @Mezgrman 9 років тому

      +Amzide That's a different definition of multiplexing :) what i mean is the frequency at which it "scans" the lines, a nice visual example is here: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dot_matrix.gif
      and here's an explanation: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplexed_display :)

  • @sugarfrosted2005
    @sugarfrosted2005 8 років тому +1

    0:14 Occasionally people mistakenly think all airport trams are monorails. For example O'Hare's shuttle actually has two rails.

  • @nougatbitz
    @nougatbitz 7 років тому +17

    None of the arguments you made seem applicable really. Reliability of monorails aren’t principally an issue when such and old and complex implementation like this hanging version can operate smoothly. These things can be build to high standards. Even when they weren‘t they surely won’t be involved in street traffic accidents, which allows engineers to build them lighter and slimmer than street cars. When they run on top of a slim profile rail, they certainly require less space and the whole „concrete pillars in the ground“ aspect is negligible as a negative argument since it‘s a solved problem engineering wise. Street cars / trams add thousands of horrendously looking cables on top of their wide tracks, claim a lot of precious ground space of which they only use a tiny fraction of at any give time.

  • @cerisskies
    @cerisskies 4 роки тому +1

    Osaka, Japan has a monorail with two tracks; it's expensive, slow, and only runs across the north of the city, whereas down in the heart of the city there is a brilliant subway system, a tramline, average buses (only slightly better than the monorail), and several trainlines, one of which includes the loop-line, which takes you in a loop around the city

  • @honi7186
    @honi7186 9 років тому +3

    I've never been on a monorail (that I can remember at least) but this looks so neat! Especially considering how old it is, wow!

  • @Anrhok
    @Anrhok 5 років тому +2

    Have you tried to travel with it? Its an amazing feeling tho. I do live close to Wuppertal and always its fascinating and amazing. They even have one Car left from the beginning, the Kaiserwagen. If it travels for special Events the Staff crew even wears Special Uniforms that they used in the past for the Schwebebahn. The Manufacturing Facility was in Oberhausen by the way.

  • @RayLiehm
    @RayLiehm 9 років тому +59

    Dude! You're in Germany? You should totally swing by the Effelsberg 100m radio telescope while you're in the area :)
    Also, the Schwebebahn is one of my favorite things in the NRW, I went to Wuppertal last year specifically to take a ride on it.

    • @greenday331996
      @greenday331996 9 років тому +9

      +RayLiehm I was in Wuppertal for the same reason. Fun Fact: about half the tourists that go to Wuppertal are just there for the Schwebebahn

    • @ZaunpfahlsSpieleVideos
      @ZaunpfahlsSpieleVideos 9 років тому +7

      +Wei Hawei apart from the zoo there isn't much else to see in town though ;)
      just around the corner is also the "Müngstener Brücke" (bridge), highest (and maybe oldest) railway bridge in Germany. Also a nice sight and a techical monument of it's own.

    • @RayLiehm
      @RayLiehm 9 років тому +1

      +Zaunpfahls Spiele-Videos I spent a few hours in the zoo while I was there, it was surprisingly pretty good. The wolves were a rare treat for me.

    • @markpolo97
      @markpolo97 9 років тому +1

      +RayLiehm It is certainly an interesting place, even if it just misses being the biggest moveable radiotelescope. On one visit the scientist doing the presentation was a bit annoyed, "We could put a meter of aluminum foil around our telescope and beat the Americans…"

    • @paulkennedy8701
      @paulkennedy8701 9 років тому

      +RayLiehm It's the best sort of toursit attraction: you go there, you see it, you get on it, and it takes you somewhere else.

  • @PatricioGarcia1973
    @PatricioGarcia1973 5 років тому +1

    The subway in New York runs on elevated tracks also. This I see has advantages on inclement weather, were regular trains have delays due to snow, rain. No risk of people jumping on the tracks....

  • @daffygrey
    @daffygrey 7 років тому +6

    Being a Mancunian, the ripping up of the roads for the recreation and extension of the Manchester tram system convinced me that monorails are a good idea. There is no need to rip up the roads to re-route the sewers and other services. The monorail would be a boon at rush hour, as it would not be caught in the traffic on the road, unlike buses and trams. If routed over a picturesque river, the monorail could also be used to attract tourists.
    By the way, it's snowing here, trains and buses have been cancelled and drivers have been told not to travel unless necessary. Monorail? It would be out of the way of snow drifts and skidding vehicles, and they wouldn't have to deal with snow or leaves on the line.

  • @doczooc
    @doczooc 5 років тому +1

    I still think it must be cheaper than a subway when you just need grade separation. Maybe also for autonomous train driving, to cover the nighttime etc.
    Also, going fast through corners without throwing the passengers off their feet is a fantastic thing for building a highspeed metropolitan transit.
    Downturns of the Schwebebahn:
    - The neighbours will not be amused that passengers can look right into second-level apartments
    - Building track switches is a nightmare

    • @TheAnantaSesa
      @TheAnantaSesa 5 років тому

      What switches? It goes back and forth. No cross trains.

  • @edwinstar100
    @edwinstar100 8 років тому +5

    How is it different from a subway or an elevated system, grade separated is what makes it rapid transit; separate from traffic, see Vancouver's Skytrain very fast 80Kmph and totally automated for over 25 years with trains running 90 seconds or less apart.

    • @WerewolfLord
      @WerewolfLord 7 років тому

      Skytrain is a horrible example. Automated trains necessitate longer stopping time at stations, so trains bunch up (Commercial, Metrotown), which makes them seem 90 seconds apart.

  •  9 років тому +8

    Mono rails are expensive for they are rare, but if they had been the norm they had been cheaper than a normal track, in the example in the video the track do not use much land that can be very expensive in a city.

    • @QW3RTYUU
      @QW3RTYUU 9 років тому +11

      No.

    • @gengarwarrior6802
      @gengarwarrior6802 9 років тому

      +Jim Engström that's not how it works man

    •  9 років тому

      GengarWarrior How do it work? I just think back to the history when the experts did think railroads was to expensive to replace horses and boats for traveling. But soon will both monorail and normal railroad be sèn as old ☺

    • @alstorer
      @alstorer 9 років тому +2

      +Jim Engström putting a massive, light-blocking structure over a river or street is controversial (which is why new elevated conventional railways are rare). Monorail proponents will make claims about them blocking "less" light, but the devil there is in the detail!
      Monorails don't suit being part of "networks". Almost every monorail in existence is either a simple loop or line. Track switches are enormously complicated compared to conventional rail (and the switches for those are hardly simple to start with) so they're kept to a minimum, mainly for either turnbacks or depot access.

    •  9 років тому

      ***** Look at that video again, it is not blocking so much light and you can get two trains running in different directions in that small space, it also use land near the river where you can't build any houses nor and trolley track or bus lane.
      A monorail do not need to be a loop, but it has to be one line just for it is hard to change track, therefor are monorails no substitute for existing systems and nor shall it be seen as that. But in a city you can get 4 monorail tracks in the same space as one trolley but without taking up as much ground space.
      The problem today are that no one that are manufacturing monorails, there is no standard for mono rails, and all monorails today are special built ant it may be hard to get spear parts if it breaks.
      But it will be cheaper to build tracks out of concrete and let the trains have rubber wheels, rather than building urban rail systems in the future, and if we want even faster train we just need to rethink the whole railroad concept, 1000 km/h would be easier on a monorail rather than on standard railroad track with railway switches.

  • @TheGamersLegion1
    @TheGamersLegion1 8 років тому +3

    the SkyTrain in vancover works around the same way as a monorail and on top of that where still building new traks

    • @metropod
      @metropod 8 років тому +1

      +TheGamersLegion Skytrain is a normal light metro system. two rails.

    • @Electrify85
      @Electrify85 7 років тому

      metropod if it were built as a monorail though, it would have a smaller physical footprint.

  • @asantaraliner
    @asantaraliner 5 років тому +1

    The Tokyo Monorail & Chongqing Monorail worked because it was connected to the airport. There are another Suspended Monorail such as in Chiba & Shonan.

  • @Electrify85
    @Electrify85 7 років тому +18

    Yeah, monorails are such a bad idea because they are grade separated. That is why cities like London, New York, Paris, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, etc. built and expanded their rapid transit systems at street level, right?
    Oh wait...

    • @TheAnantaSesa
      @TheAnantaSesa 5 років тому +1

      They’re a bad idea because the forces from putting all the weight in the center require much more engineering skill to handle than just using 2 rails. You can elevate dual rail lines just like monorails.

    • @lars7935
      @lars7935 4 роки тому +3

      @@TheAnantaSesa The nice thing about monorails is that (with more modern designs) they run much quieter than traditional elevated rail. And the engineering problems are easily solved. The downside is mainly that they are not compatible with existing networks and some people see them as ugly.

    • @TheAnantaSesa
      @TheAnantaSesa 4 роки тому

      Lars; mag lev is definitely quiet. i always thought they were more aesthetic than heavy use train tracks.

    • @lars7935
      @lars7935 4 роки тому +1

      @@TheAnantaSesa Even monorails running on normal monorail track are usually quieter since their wheels are enclosed wtih minimal gaps. The Wuppertal monorail is an exception to that.
      I agree that they look neat but sadly many people don't.

  • @S404_44
    @S404_44 9 років тому +2

    Woah, Tom Scott was in Wuppertal. I live in the town next to Wuppertal *trying to breath again*

  • @CzornyLisek
    @CzornyLisek 8 років тому +3

    Monorail is good when it's not tourist attraction but properly build as mass transit.

  • @schmatzler
    @schmatzler 9 років тому +1

    A friend of mine lives in Wuppertal. She will love this video! :D

  • @suburiboy
    @suburiboy 9 років тому +8

    Is there a good explanation for why monorails have trouble with elevation changes?

    • @Kasperekdk
      @Kasperekdk 9 років тому +25

      +Jacob Mccann same as trains. steel on steel doesnt have good traction and monorains have even fewer wheels than a train so even worse traction

    • @NNOTM
      @NNOTM 9 років тому +3

      You can use rack railways though
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rack_railway

    • @suburiboy
      @suburiboy 9 років тому +1

      +NNOTM I'd also think that you could devise some kind of cable car system with the one rail used as a support structure.

    • @BlackSharkfr
      @BlackSharkfr 9 років тому +3

      +Jacob Mccann
      Dealing with elevation changes has little to do with the number of rails, but number of wheels, and type of wheels and engine.
      Monorails being elevated don't need to handle steep grades, they can spread the elevation change over longer distances, so they tend to be built with reduced grade capability.
      But if you really need a custom made hill climbing monorail, it can perfectly be done.

    • @suburiboy
      @suburiboy 9 років тому +1

      +BlackSharkfr I thought that was the implication of "constantly elevated track" in the video. I don't see why one couldn't design a ground level monorail system.

  • @ouvsyproductions630
    @ouvsyproductions630 7 років тому +1

    I remember the Sydney Metro Monorail. Everyone was so sad when they scrapped it. I went on the Farewell Tour and everyone who rode on it in its last month in Sydney got a free Token that said "Sydney Metro Monorail - Farewell" then it had an image of a Monorail then said underneath "1988 - 2013"

  • @vzxvzvcxasd7109
    @vzxvzvcxasd7109 9 років тому +3

    or in japan, where they do also have the monorail for mass transit

    • @Gamesaucer
      @Gamesaucer 9 років тому

      +victor vicy Wikipedia only shows 10 monorails that are currently in service in Japan. That's not a whole lot.

    • @rockstopsthetraffic
      @rockstopsthetraffic 9 років тому +1

      How many subway systems does Canada, for example, have?
      Ten is not an insignificant number.

    • @Gamesaucer
      @Gamesaucer 9 років тому +1

      Canada has three rapid transit systems, which isn't a whole lot, but the total length of those combined is still more than double the length of all Japanese monorail tracks combined, clocking in at just under 70 miles.

    • @Gamesaucer
      @Gamesaucer 9 років тому +2

      Oh also, Canada has about 25% percent of Japan's population, so no wonder mass transit is used less there. Regarding population density it has a respectable amount.

    • @rockstopsthetraffic
      @rockstopsthetraffic 9 років тому +1

      +Gamesaucer that's all fair and good, but my point really is more that even "normal" systems are comparatively underdeveloped in other countries, and really, that ten systems is not a small number for a system that is supposed to "not work". I suspect it has more to do with building roads underneath and existing infrastructure being in the way. Also, I'm sure those same places in Japan also have other state of the art infrastructure serving them.
      Canada may not be the best example, but in terms of population density, while Canada is huge and obviously has wide, unoccupied swathes of land, the metropolitan areas that are rather dense tend to be sorely under-served by rapid transit.

  • @tinol6090
    @tinol6090 9 років тому +1

    been there done that! I was once in Wuppertal and I fell in Love with it!

  • @sarahabdelwahab7757
    @sarahabdelwahab7757 5 років тому +8

    I live in Wuppertal

  • @matsv201
    @matsv201 7 років тому +1

    1:00
    "They general fail on cost and realibility"
    What? Base cost for monorail is about $10M/km/rail. That is cheaper than pretty much all other options (including tram) apart from BRT systems.
    Most Monorail systems in the world (including wuppertal) is dual rail system.
    1:12 The size of the concreaste block needed for monorail is much smaller than the one needed for trams. A normal tram have about 3 meter wide blocks that covers 1/3 of the distance (with syls) or the full distance (with slabs, tha are thinner). Generally trams need 1 ton of foundation per meter track.
    A monorail slab is is about 3x3 meter and about 50 cm deep. so 10 tons. But you only need one ever 25 meters. So on average its less than 0.5 ton per meter for the slab.
    1:30 Light rail track generally cost between $20M and $100M/km to build. The reason why Trams are that expensive to build is that it press down on sub ground water mains, so all mains have to be moved or reinforced. Monorail can often simply put down the support where its no mains under. Or they can simply move the ones that are a bit to the side. Its far cheaper.
    Elevated tracks are generally much cheaper to build than grade track. And it also have other advantages, that it use less land, and have no blocking effect and don´t interfere with ground traffic, there for is much faster and more reliable.
    1:38 No.. you can´t just lay rail on a street and think it work. The whole substructure must be reworked.

  • @michaelwalker1119
    @michaelwalker1119 8 років тому +3

    systems lke this and in fact, eny mass transit system work fine. Its only when you have to show a profit for share holders ect that they become unprofitable. If the systems are owned by the government/you, then all they have to do is pay for there up keep. maintenance, staff ect.

  • @stupidburp
    @stupidburp 8 років тому +1

    If you use magnets to eliminate friction then local rail with grade separation can be faster and more economical. You can apparently set up the lifting magnets in a checkerboard pattern of alternating perpendicular orientation that may provide some additional efficiency. This way you can at least match highway speeds in sufficiently long runs between stations. Average speeds can then be slightly better than on normal roads. Really long runs can potentially get extremely fast if the safety design is good enough.

  • @hobog
    @hobog 8 років тому +11

    yep, monorails are niche, not necessarily terrible. look at Chongqing 's system

  • @kyh148
    @kyh148 2 місяці тому

    An interesting thing to note, the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) which you showed isn't actually lightrail. It's a light metro, which has smaller trains compared to regular metros, but is still fully grade separated (most of it is elevated, while some parts are actually underground).

  • @uselessDM
    @uselessDM 9 років тому +76

    Good job pronouncing Wuppertal though.

    • @fried_out
      @fried_out 7 років тому +4

      Why? I don't find it difficult and i'm not even German. :P

  • @ccityplanner1217
    @ccityplanner1217 8 років тому +1

    0:10 | Gatwick isn't a monorail.
    They used to think Monorails would be able to go almost as fast as planes, when there's actually no justification for that argument, especially now we have high-speed rail systems like CFGV.
    I had an idea of a suspended monorail going through a bus stop stopping at the same platform. The bus road would come over a hill & there would be signals to prevent vehicles from going in at the same time.

  • @YonaSchuh
    @YonaSchuh 9 років тому +8

    what about the japanese monorails?

    • @Zukirin77
      @Zukirin77 5 років тому +1

      They are a basic copy of the schwebebahn.
      Well anyway, the schwebebahn and one of the japanese monorails partnered up for some reason. They now call themself the sister monorails. Still don't like it tho.
      The schwebebahn is more than a 100 years old and no one knows about it except the people that live in wuppertal

    • @MerleTrains
      @MerleTrains 5 років тому +1

      @@Zukirin77 well many germans know about it but by far not all.

  • @KevintheBooth
    @KevintheBooth 9 років тому +1

    This with Roads above and a central walkway and cycling paths alongside. Enclose the entire structure with separate air systems for the traffic and others. Design it with small spaces for businesses along the length. Use the rail system for smaller self driving units, following the defined paths (are separate roads better?).
    Year round walking in any climate, tons of space for small business to get tons of foot traffic, etc etc etc....
    my ramble for the day.

  • @canguar
    @canguar 9 років тому +4

    i thought there would be some amazing background story... but no..
    now i have to use wikipedia myself, goddamit

  • @maxgoddard2445
    @maxgoddard2445 8 років тому +1

    after I looked through these comments to not find one person say anything about how important the Vancouver "sky train" as we call it while everyone else call's them monorails. considering how tightly spaced Vancouver is a light rail is impossible while something that goes above the road is much better when snow comes or traffic builds up. and with a new extension and Carry's many commuters every day you can barely call it usless

  • @LarsMezaka
    @LarsMezaka 9 років тому +9

    :o that was way to short! Tell us more! Youre videos are generally really good, answering all the important questions but i feel like this one didnt. Even if it takes you more time: dont waste a topic! You can do better!

  • @TheDrexxus
    @TheDrexxus 5 років тому +1

    I like the idea of monorails for long distance travel/transportation because the elevated track means everything can pass freely and safely beneath, like natural wildlife that doesn't have to risk getting hit by a train multiple times a day.

  • @NanoLT
    @NanoLT 9 років тому +3

    Germany has the best public transport in the world, in my opinion.

    • @ascientist1238
      @ascientist1238 5 років тому

      When it comes to reliability, Germany is very bad compared to other European countries like Switzerland or Austria.

    • @MerleTrains
      @MerleTrains 5 років тому

      @@ascientist1238 just Switzerland and austria and some smaller countries (and maybe scandinavia). If you compare this also to other countries like France (maybe UK) and the eastern and south eastern countries, Germany is *AT LEAST* average. But I agree it could definitely still be much better.

  • @73hhK41
    @73hhK41 2 роки тому +1

    I studied near Wuppertal and never knew about this.... now I have regret. I'll have to go back to Germany, just to visit Wuppertal.

    • @nenmaster5218
      @nenmaster5218 2 роки тому

      Adam Something, the UA-camr, also covered this Topic.

    • @jochenkraus7016
      @jochenkraus7016 2 роки тому

      If you are interested in special railways, include Stuttgart. It has:
      Funicular (Standseilbahn) to Waldfriedhof (cemetary)
      Rack railway ("Zacke") to Degerloch
      Ridable 15" miniature train (Parkeisenbahn) on Killesberg
      Unfortunately meter gauge line 15 is gone now 😞
      But there's still a tram museum with meter gauge trains.

  • @gigglyfitzgirl
    @gigglyfitzgirl 9 років тому +4

    Remember the Simpsons song?
    🎶 Monorail!! Monorail!! MONORAAAIILLL!!!🎶 😂😂

  • @davebar96
    @davebar96 9 років тому

    Wow! I currently study in Wuppertal and i wouldve never thought to see my city on your channel. Hope you had a nice time filming here :)

  • @ihathtelekinesis
    @ihathtelekinesis 9 років тому +4

    A lesson that Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook learnt the hard way.