3. Introduction
The traffic in the city is increasing day by day due to increase in population and
improper town planning which is making city not fit to live .
We need to provide a solution for this by providing improved transportation technique.
Monorail is a unique mass transit system which can be put up in any congested and
crowded city within few years for ease and safe transportation, without loss of time.
As the name implies, monorail is a transport system that runs on single rail as against
metro rail that runs on 2 rails like all other trains
4. HISTORY OF MONO RAIL
Monorails have been around since the 1800s, the first monorail was made in Russia in 1820
by Ivan Elmanov, but only really came to public attention in the 1950s when Walt Disney
installed one in his new theme park: Disneyland, California.
Gyro Monorail in 1909
6. Modern monorails are based on a single solid beam that supports and guides the train; the
carriages are either suspended beneath the track, or sit on top. A steel or reinforced concrete
beam in the range of 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 m) wide is used as track. The straddle-beam
style was popularized by the German company ALWEG. Conductive shoes on the carriages then
transmit the current to the train. Monorail is raised at a minimum height of 5.5 meters from
ground level on columns.
The carriages have pneumatic rubber tyres, which drive along the top of beam. Rubber-tired
carriage contacts the beam on the top and both sides for traction and to stabilize the vehicle
and to prevent side-to-side swaying of the train, and also helping to guide the carriages.
11. Almost all modern monorails are powered by electric motors fed by dual third rails, contact wires or electrified
channels attached to or enclosed in their guidance beams. However, diesel-powered monorail systems also exist.
16. Mumbai Monorail
It is the first monorail in India since the Kundala Valley Railway and Patiala State
Monorail Train ways were closed in the 1920s. Construction began in 2009 and the
first operational line, between Wadala Depot and Chembur, was opened to the
public on 2 February 2014. Trains run from 7am to 3pm IST in the initial stage. It is
expected to operate for 19 hours straight by the end of March 2014.
MMRDA( Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) claims that once
monorail starts its journey on the first 9-km Wadala-Chembur stretch, traffic on
the section will reduce by 30%.
The Mumbai Monorail, which is the only such system that is currently under
construction in India, is a four-car train, with a capacity of 140 passengers per car.
The maximum capacity of the system is 10,000 passengers per hour per direction.
A 4-car rake will carry 7,500 passengers per hour per direction and a 6-car rake
will carry 20,000. A 4-car rake can carry 578 passengers while a 6-car train can
carry 862
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) conceived the
idea of an alternate means of transportation, which included the monorail,
sometime in 2005 as part of Mumbai's transportation expansion plans, but the
decision to introduce monorail as a feeder service to the mass rapid transit system
(MRTS) was taken on 28 September 2008
17. MERITS
Monorail can be built faster with less cost. It consumes minimal space.
For cities that have a population of less than three million, monorail is the ideal mode of transport. For denser cities, monorail
can ideally serve as the feeder line that brings passengers in and takes them out of the Metro network.
The monorail itself uses no carbon-based fuels and so does not pollute, unlike cars and buses.
As monorails run around elevated tracks there is no risk of cars getting stuck on crossings.
Monorails are also practically silent, as opposed to trains which make a noise traveling along rails.
Monorails contribute to a greener environment as it helps in removing vehicles from the road.
Monorails regularly operate at an amazing 99.9% reliability. No other form of transit can touch that number. The rubber tires
get little wear running on smooth guide ways. Typically, each load tire gets over 100,000 miles of travel before being replaced
A metro line requires an expenditure of over Rs 200 crore per km on elevated lines (an underground metro can cost up to Rs
600 crore per km). As against this, the cost for a monorail ranges between Rs 120 and Rs 150 crore per km. The Mumbai
monorail’s construction cost is nearly Rs 123 crore per km. Monorail proponents also cite quicker construction time — a
maximum of 3-4 years. The metro requires over 5-6 years.
18. DEMERITS
If a section of track needs to be replaced, the entire system needs to be shut down resulting in no
service.
The capacity of a Metro system, which can accommodate up to nine cars, is about three to four
times more. Thus, the capacity-to-cost ratio is better for a Metro system, even though the per
kilometer construction cost is more.
Without electricity it can not be run.
The Mud Island Monorail, in Memphis, Tennessee (2005)Monorail vehicles are not compatible with
any other type of rail infrastructure, which makes through services onto mainline tracks impossible.
Monorail tracks do not easily accommodate at-grade intersections.
In an emergency, passengers may not be able to immediately exit because an elevated monorail
vehicle is high above ground and not all systems have emergency walkways.
The biggest disadvantage cited in the case of monorail is its limited passenger capacity — typically
ranging from 2,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) to a maximum of 48,000 pphpd.
19. CONCLUSION :
The advantages of monorail technology are tremendous. For overpopulated Indian urban areas, it
seems to be the best solution for safe, quality, and inexpensive mass public transportation.
After successful run in Mumbai, this technology, will become the solution for urban public
transportation in 21st century for India.
