Monorail

The monorail or mono rail , is a railway that works using a single rail which can be located above or below the wagons. In systems that use an elevated rail, the transport carts are supported by means of axles with wheels that move on the upper rail. The system is gyroscopically stabilized . In systems using an undercarriage rail, the wagons are stabilized by guide wheels . There are several types of monorails and it is generally sought to optimize the public systemor public service for all the beneficiaries of a certain city, so that the city can have better accessible means of communication and avoid delays when the user moves from one destination to another.

What is it for

We can say that the monorail is the same as a traditional railway that needs a minimum space to operate. It is an excellent option for public and cargo transport as it operates by means of a mechanism that moves on a series of columns placed approximately 4 or 5 meters above ground level, which would avoid dams and traffic jams in cities and prevent the accidents .

Monorail Features

The main characteristics of a monorail are the following:

• For its construction it is not necessary to excavate the land, which greatly reduces the cost of construction and the time of the same.
• Since they have a smaller surface area, monorails can look more attractive than elevated conventional rail lines, and they also do not cover the landscape of the places where they are built.
• They are much quieter than a normal train, this because the most modern models use rubber wheels on a concrete track .
• They have the ability to climb and descend larger slopes than conventional systems that are heavier or lighter.
• Unlike conventional systems, monorails that work on beams surround their rail and for this reason it is practically impossible for them to suffer derailment , except if the beam itself suffers damage of great proportions, it is for this reason that the monorails have excellent records of security.
• Monorail vehicles are typically smaller than heavy trains, increasing the number of units required to match the capacity of metro systems.
• It is extremely quiet because it works with an electrical mechanism and is efficient for cities that are not large.

History

The desire to create unconventional railways began at the end of the 19th century , with the aim of achieving greater efficiency , speed and lower cost . The first attempts to create a system in which a steel wheel worked on a single rail were many.

The American popular press of the mid- twentieth century was responsible for publicizing the monorail as a futuristic transport and together with images of rockets and space travel it caused interest to develop but at the same time created confusion about whether it was about fashions or ideas. that could be realized.

The monorail train was designed by the German engineer Eugen Langen . Construction began in 1898 and three years later the railway began to operate. On October 24, 1900, Wilhelm II , Emperor of Germany, made his first trip and in 1901, the railway began to function for the people.

Parties

• The parts of a monorail are as follows:
• Hanging bridges.
• towers
• Electric vehicles or wagons.
• Rails

How the monorail works

Suspended or hanging monorails move by means of a system of wheels that move within the beam and that are driven by linear induction motors , or electrical systems . This transport can be driven by people or it can also work automatically .

Examples

Some examples of monorails in the world are:

• The chiba : it is considered the longest suspended monorail system in the world, measuring approximately 15.2 kilometers. It works for the transportation of passengers along the Chiba prefectural capital Chiba, located south-east of Tokyo . It has been in operation since 1988, and over time it has modernized its wagons.
• Shonan Monorail : located in Japan , it measures 6.6 kilometers and connects major cities such as Kamakura and Fujisawa south of Tokyo.
• Las Vegas Monorail in the United States : it has a single line measuring 6.3 kilometers and takes a tour of the south of the renowned Las Vegas Boulevard . It has seven different stations , it is a small system and makes massive transfers of people.