Every so often we are confronted with wonderful and mysterious transportation devices (see Chinese Tunnel Bus). Today, we happen to come across the Sistema Monorail Con Funiculares (or the Monorail System With Funiculars) — a conceptual transit system designed by ECOLVIAS from Medellin, Colombia.
There’s not much information about this technology but it does make me wonder what type of advantages/disadvantages one might discover if you fuse monorail technology with cable cars. Perhaps it offers greater stability, capacity and/or speeds? Or maybe it’s as simple as being able to travel in style onboard teardrop-shaped cabins. Without any additional details it’s really anybody’s guess at this time.
But perhaps our engineer readers have a better idea and could provide us with your thoughts!
If anyone lived in Vancouver back in 1986, they would probably remember Expo86 — a world’s fair which showcased the best and latest transport technologies from around the globe. It included everything from monorails, HSST, and of course, Vancouver’s famous Skytrain.
Skyride sponsored by Air Canada. One of two Expo86 urban gondolas. Image by Flickr user Bob_2006.
Other gondola line sponsored by Canadian Pacific. Image by Flickr user compact collection.
Skyride travelling over venues. Image by Flickr user Jasperdo.
Gondola passing by Science World. Image Flickr user by Jasperdo.
Except for the Skytrain, most of the transport innovations were removed after the Expo. Whatever happened to the two gondola lines remains a mystery for now, however, my guess is that after the system was dismantled, certain parts were recycled for use in other applications.
So despite the fact that the Expo gondolas are no longer operating, I think the pictures of two actual Canadian urban gondolas may have a powerful and positive impact on any Canadian CPT proposal. In other words, while international cable transit examples are helpful, being able to demonstrate and showcase a domestic cable project happening in one’s backyard could potentially bring a proposal back into the realm of possibility.
The episode tells how the naive residents of Springfield choose to spend an unexpected windfall of revenue on a monorail instead of repairing dilapidated Main Street. The salesman is a smooth-talking (and singing) gent in a bowler hat who is an obvious reference to ‘Professor’ Harold Hill from The Music Man. It’s a stunningly well-written episode and about as good as one can expect from television satire.
It’s also probably one of the most quoted episodes in the shows entire run.
It’s also a perpetual thorn in our side (see here, here and here). Those that disagree with the idea of using gondolas as public transit love to cite this particular episode as some kind of proof against the concept. We tend to just smile bemusedly and turn the other cheek.
Lost in all the jabs about monorail technology, there’s also a subtle commentary on the usage of public funds to build transit when the overwhelming majority of people use cars. It’s easy to miss that because of the monorail hook, but replace the ill-fated train with a streetcar, subway or BRT and the episode carries with it an entirely different message.
The monorail adds an absurd element to the proceedings, but at its core, ‘Marge vs. The Monorail’ isn’t questioning the validity of a specific technology, it’s questioning what role government should have in shaping our transportation preferences – and whether or not it’s effective.
Which – even 20 years later – is a question we’re still wrestling with in cities across the developed world.
One thing I love about cable is the questions and discussions it creates.
Generally speaking, people are curious creatures and when confronted with the strange, bizarre and not-so-everyday, they want to know more. They ask questions, ponder and – for better or for worse – they come to their own conclusions.
Those people are amazing because, as I’ve discussed before, they’re skeptics not cynics. And skeptics are amazing. The cynics, not so much.
But what does one do about the cynics? Not much, I guess. These are people who’ve already passed judgement on something the moment they hear about it despite knowing virtually nothing about what they’re passing judgement on. Just look at the comments here and here about the potential for an Urban Gondola in Calgary and you’ll see what I mean.
They’re cynics not skeptics.
But for the sake of curiosity, I thought it might be fun to bring together in one place the 5 cynical arguments I hear most commonly about urban gondola transit . . . and suggest a few ways of dealing with them. Enjoy!
As some people know, there’s a huge subset of bottom-supported cable transit in the form of Cable Cars & Funiculars. Yet it’s a topic I’ve not given much attention to so far. Here’s why:
It’s hard to get people’s attention with Cable Cars. Urban Gondolas? Much simpler.
Back in March I was interviewed for an online news magazine called The Mark News. Bizarrely, as I was talking about bottom-supported systems; the following image was shown:
This picture is from The Gondola Project, but it’s not of a cable transit system. It is, in fact, a Monorail(they kindly re-edited the piece correcting for the error). Is it a big error? I’d say so. But it was also completely understandable. After all, this is what most Cable Car systems look like today:
The Pearson Airport Link in Toronto. Image by Squiggle.
I can’t see the difference, can you see the difference?
The reason gondolas grab people’s attention is because they look different immediately. You don’t need to understand the nuances between cable-propelled trains versus self-propelled trains. With a gondola, you see the cable and it’s up in the air. You don’t need an explanation. That’s both their blessing and their curse: Gondolas look so different from any other form of transit they can quickly arouse fear and suspicion in people. But they can also inspire curiosity.
One way or another, at least people pay attention.
The challenge the Cable Car industry faces is how to differentiate their technology from Automated People Movers (APM), Monorails and Light Rail. Because right now, most people don’t even know there’s a difference.
The Wuppertal Schwebebahn in Central Germany. Image by JuergenG.
In the central German city of Wuppertal is a piece of transit infrastructure completely unique in the world.
Translated directly, the Wuppertal Schwebebahn means “floating railway” and it’s easy to see how it received it’s name. Built in 1900, the Shwebebahn in the oldest monorail on the planet and an elegant piece of transit history and infrastructure. (FYI – It’s not cable propelled.)
Even 110 years ago, civil engineers understood the problems of public transit co-mingling with other private modes of transportation. But unlike today where we try and work around the problem of mixed traffic with dubious Transit Signal Priority Schemes, these engineers decided to forget about the band-aid approach and just get out of traffic’s way completely. And in doing so, they arrived upon the solution of creating the world’s first “hanging monorail.”
While the age of the system gives its infrastructure considerable heft, it’s not at the expense of the urban environment. The green support structures arch gracefully and their conspicuously large steel rivets conjure images of turn-of-the-century skyscrapers and the Eiffel Tower.
Much of the Wuppertal’s route lies overtop of the local river. Whereas some might have thought such a scheme would only be useful for crossing rivers, Wuppertal planners were wise in recognizing the other more intrinsic value of river corridors: Running along a river instead of across a river opens up wide areas of public space and provides an attractive view for riders.
The Wuppertal Schwebebahn shows how aerial transit systems are not only possible, but elegant, practical, safe and efficient. The Schwebebahn has an excellent safety record, and is still an essential part of that city’s transit infrastructure; not just a toy for tourists. It also suggests how an aerial gondola system might be similarly configured/integrated into the urban environment.
Check it out:
Special thanks to Christian for suggesting I discuss this unique and amazing system.
