08-24-2015, 11:43 PM
(08-24-2015, 06:49 PM)Canard Wrote: And just this morning, I was looking skyward, wishing instead of ground-borne disruptive LRT we'd gotten beautiful elevated concrete guideways for Siemens VAL/CityVAL, Bombardier ART/ICTS, INNOVIA 300 Monorail or APM, or...
We can all dream, I guess.
I’m a bit confused what these offer over LRT (other than cool civil engineering works).
CityVAL: http://www.mobility.siemens.com/mobility...irval.aspx
Looks like an LRT but supported by rubber tires and guided by a centre rail. Are the platform edge doors mandatory? If so, very expensive. In any event, looks expensive. Can the cars be replaced later by cars from another manufacturer?
ICTS: Must be grade-separated, no exceptions. That makes it enormously expensive. Also, have they fixed the problems with ice in winter? Note: operation in Vancouver doesn’t prove anything on this front.
I think Wikipedia’s list of Monorail systems is instructive:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monorail_systems
Sort by system length, and note that if ION Phase 1 were a monorail, it would be the 6th longest in the world. If Phase 2 were built also, it would be the 2nd longest. Every stop would have to be elevated, with stairs and elevators, no exceptions: monorail cannot travel at grade, even where doing so is convenient. So you’re essentially proposing that we should have among the world’s largest monorail systems.
LRT, by contrast, can be at grade, below grade, elevated, run in mixed traffic, run in reserved lanes, run fully isolated, with or without freight sharing the tracks. Essentially, LRT can handle any design situation, and these different situations can occur within the context of a single line — a car can start its journey in mixed traffic, run fully isolated for a while, travel elevated through a congested area, and return to reserved lanes. Furthermore, there are several manufacturers that build compatible vehicles, track components, and power supply. I agree that monorails are cool (especially the switch units), but I think it’s pretty clear why way more LRT gets built. I don’t think ICTS has any application other than extending an existing ICTS installation.
Wikipedia’s list of LRT systems is also instructive:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tr...it_systems
Even in pitiful North America, there are already over a dozen systems longer than our system after Phase 2 is built. And it’s just comical how many European systems are larger.
Finally, I wouldn’t worry about disruption. Roads meet other roads, and have to stop at stoplights. I’d rather stop briefly while a tram with dozens of people goes by than wait for those same people to go by in cars or even buses. And if in the future the disruption is found to be too great, strategically chosen segments of the route can always be elevated.