List of monorail systems
A monorail is a railway system in which the track consists of a single rail, typically elevated and with the trains suspended from it. The term is also used to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track. Many monorail systems run on elevated tracks through crowded areas that would otherwise require the construction of expensive underground lines or have the disadvantages of surface lines.
Operational monorails
This is a listing of operating monorails that are open to the public. Only true monorails are included; see people mover for a list of monorail-like systems.monorail at Alton Towers, UK, originally built for Expo 86 in Canada
.
Under construction
Physical construction work has started on the following monorails:Africa
Americas
Asia
Europe
Proposed monorails
Africa
Country | City | Notes |
Spain | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | NA |
Morocco | Fez | NA |
Nigeria | Lagos | |
South Africa | Johannesburg | |
South Africa | Cape Town | |
Ghana | Accra | |
Egypt | Cairo | |
Nigeria | Onitsha | |
Nigeria | Aba | |
Nigeria | Umuahia |
Americas
- Buenos Aires, Argentina. Proposed.
- Niterói, Brazil. Had received the go-ahead from Dilma Rousseff and will connect Niterói, São Gonçalo, and Itaboraí, before the State considered implementing a heavy metro solution instead.
- São Paulo, Brazil has a project to build a monorail that will connect Congonhas Airport to Morumbi and Jabaquara districts.
- São Paulo, Brazil had another project to build a monorail that would connect São Paulo to the neighbour ABC region. It was cancelled and replaced by a BRT system.
- Chicago, Navy Pier
- Sherbourne Conference Center Monorail, Saint Michael, Barbados
- Los Angeles - Las Vegas, Maglev
- Atlanta - Chattanooga, Maglev
- Washington - Baltimore, Maglev
- As part of the DestiNY USA project in Syracuse, a monorail from Syracuse University to Syracuse Hancock International Airport via downtown and the DestiNY complexes is planned.
- Quebec, Canada. For many years, plans for a high-speed transit system have been tabled. Since the cost for a new train would be too high and that it wouldn't be fit for the Québécois winters, the option for a monorail has been debated. In late 2012 TrensQuébec released two newsletters stating that they've found enough investors and supporting politicians to build a 5-kilometer test track.
- A small monorail in the Granby Zoo
- Pittsburgh International Airport - Pittsburgh - Greensburg, Pennsylvania - Maglev
- Lubbock, Texas
- Arequipa, Peru. Proposed.
- Vargas, Venezuela. Proposed. The system would be part of state of Vargas new governor's transportation plan. The project would connect 5 cities: Catia La Mar, Maiquetia, La Guaira, Macuto and Caraballeda. The Swiss corporation Intamil presented the proposal. The trains will ride around 80 km/h and will translate about 60.000 passenger per hour.
- Panama City, Panama. Panama City Metro Line 3. Currently in contractor selection stage. Expected EIS 2022.
- Vancouver. Flyda system. Proposed.
- Montgomery County, Maryland - I-270 Monorail.
Asia
Bangladesh
- Dhaka Monorail, Dhaka, Bangladesh
China
- Wangjing Monorail, Beijing, China
Hong Kong
- Environmentally Friendly Linkage System, New Kowloon, Hong Kong
- West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong
India
- Ahmedabad Monorail, Ahmedabad
- Aizawl Monorail, Aizawl
- Allahabad Monorail, Allahabad
- Bengaluru Monorail, Bangalore
- Chennai Monorail, Chennai
- Coimbatore Monorail, Coimbatore
- Delhi Monorail, New Delhi
- Hyderabad Monorail, Hyderabad
- Indore Monorail, Indore
- Kanpur Monorail, Kanpur
- Kolkata Monorail, Kolkata
- Mangaluru Monorail, Mangalore
- Navi Mumbai Monorail, Navi Mumbai
- Patna Monorail, Patna
- Nagpur Monorail, Nagpur
- Pune Monorail, Pune
- Ranchi Monorail, Ranchi
- Thiruvananthapuram Monorail, Thiruvananthapuram
- Warangal Monorail, Warangal
Malaysia
- Johor Bahru Rapid Transit System, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Philippines
- Baguio Upland Monorail, Benguet, Philippines
- Balanga Monorail, Bataan, Philippines
- Iloilo Monorail, Iloilo, Philippines
- Metro Cebu Monorail Transit, Metro Cebu, Philippines
- Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 4, Metro Manila, Philippines
Sri Lanka
- Colombo Monorail, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Vietnam
- Ho Chi Minh City Monorail, Vietnam
Europe
- Liverpool to Manchester Bher monorail, circa 1900
- Manchester Monorail, a SAFEGE-type monorail proposed in 1966 for Manchester, UK, to run across the city to Manchester Airport
- Preston Monorail, United Kingdom
- Liverpool Monorail, United Kingdom (to be create as part of the Liverpool Waters project with link to John Lennon Airport
- Thessaloniki Monorail, Greece, proposed monorail line that will start at Mikra Station and end at Makedonia International Airport. The plan is unlikely to be realised as an extension of the metro to the airport is preferred.
- MCH Skybus, Herning, Denmark - MCH's 2025 vision includes a monorail system between the exhibition centre and the town centre.
- Rzeszów, length 7km and 14km
Oceania
- Brisbane Airport Monorail
- Nelson City Monorail
Decommissioned or cancelled
Americas
Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro had a private monorail that linked Barra Shopping mall to its parking lot. Only one part of the track and the platform still remain, in the parking lot.
- The Poços de Caldas Monorail was the very first monorail system in Brazil. It operated for 9 years when it went privatized and closed by its buyer. Today the system remains dead.
Canada
- Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia had a monorail that was moved to Alton Towers in the United Kingdom.
- The Minirail at Expo 67 in Montreal, which joined Pleasure Beach Blackpool in purchasing rail and rolling stock from the monorail system at the 1964 Lausanne exposition, along with new rail cars from the manufacturer.
- The Ontario Southern Railway operated one of the earliest North American monorails between Crystal Beach Park in Crystal Beach, Ontario and the main line railway station.
- Toronto Zoo Domain Ride, Toronto Though technologically closer to a simple rubber-tired metro, it was almost universally referred to as a monorail.
- Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada
United States
- The Boynton Bicycle Railroad was a monorail on Long Island, New York, which ran on a single load-bearing rail at ground level with a wooden overhead stabilising rail engaged by a pair of horizontally opposed wheels.
- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay had a monorail, the Veldt Monorail. It shut down in 1999.
- Busch Gardens Williamsburg had a monorail, Eagle One, that connected the theme park with the nearby Anheuser-Busch brewery. Park visitors could tour the brewery and return via monorail. Eagle One was dismantled in the 1990s.
- Busch Gardens California also had a monorail for the brewery tour. It was dismantled upon park closing however the supports still exist to support brewery piping.
- Carowinds operated the Carowinds Monorail from 1973 through 1994.
- The Centennial Monorail was demonstrated at the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, which was held in Philadelphia to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
- The Epsom Salts Monorail was "the fastest moving monorail in the world" when it was built from 1922 to 1924 by Thomas Wright, a florist from Los Angeles, who had discovered magnesium salts southwest of Death Valley.
- Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, Michigan had a shuttle monorail that connected to the Dearborn Hyatt Regency Hotel to the Fairlane shopping mall.
- HemisFair '68 had a monorail that carried visitors around the pavilions during the six-month event. Over 1 million riders used the monorail, which was designed by Universal Design, Ltd. A collision between two trains on September 15, 1968 resulted in one death and 48 injuries.
- Geauga Lake operated a monorail from 1969-2006, named the Bel-Aire Express
- Jetrail, a suspended monorail, was the world's first fully automated monorail system during operation at Dallas Love Field
- The Trailblazer suspended monorail ran from October 1956 until 1964 at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. The single monorail car was used in Houston for a demonstration prior to its relocation to the State Fair of Texas.
- Kings Dominion near Richmond, Virginia had a monorail as the conveyance for visitors to its Lion Country Safari attraction, which was removed after the 1993 season.
- State Fair of Oklahoma Monorail, Oklahoma City
- The Pelham Park and City Island Railroad in the Bronx, New York operated a short-lived monorail system in 1910. It ceased operation after an accident.
- The Philadelphia Zoo had a monorail in the 1970s and 1980s, but was discontinued in the 1990s.
- Miami Seaquarium Spacerail, Miami Seaquarium
- The Wgasa Bush Line at the San Diego Wild Animal Park near Escondido, California was shut down in March 2007.
- Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York had a monorail during the 1964 New York World's Fair. It was a proof of concept with only one station. It was sponsored by American Machine and Foundry.
- Jungle Jim's International Grocery Store near Cincinnati, Ohio maintained a monorail circulator purchased from Kings Island Theme Park. However, plans are in motion to bring the monorail back online in the future to shuttle people from the grocery store's hotel to the store.
- Six Flags Magic Mountain operated a monorail since the park's opening in 1971 and shut down several years ago due to lack of parts.
- Fairplex operated a monorail built by the American Crane and Hoist company. The middle 90s saw a new station and new cars built by Arrow Dynamics. The new cars were far heavier than the original and caused it to last only a couple of years more until it was dismantled.
- Santa's Village in Skyforest had another American Crane and Hoist monorail that shut down when the park went defunct.
- The Hotchkiss Bicycle Railroad ran from Smithville to Mount Holly, New Jersey from 1892 to 1897
- The Minnesota Zoo operated a monorail around the grounds of its Apple Valley, Minnesota site from 1979 until 2013.
Asia
Hong Kong
- Monorail in Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park, Hong Kong
- Monorail in :zh:啟德遊樂場|Kai Tak Amusement Park, Hong Kong
India
- Kundala Valley Railway, Munnar, Kerala
- Patiala State Monorail Trainways, Punjab
- Skybus Metro, Margao, Goa
Iran
- Tehran Monorail, Tehran. Project cancelled after completion of 3% of construction work.
Indonesia
- Jakarta Monorail, Jakarta Jakarta Monorail cancelled in 2015 because the Greater Jakarta LRT is starting to make the project.
- TRS Monorail, Surabaya Taman Remaja Surabaya Monorail is closed 'cause has been replaced by other Surabaya Theme Parks.
- THR Sriwedari Monorail, Surakarta Taman Hiburan Rakyat Sriwedari Monorail closed and replaced by Solo Theme Parks.
Japan
- :ja:姫路市企業局交通事業部#姫路市営モノレール|Himeji City Monorail Line, Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan
- Odakyu Mukogaokayuen Monorail Line, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
- Monkey Park Monorail Line, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
- Nara Dreamland Monorail, Nara Dreamland, Japan
- Yokohama Dreamland Monorail, Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan
- :ja:名古屋市交通局協力会東山公園モノレール|Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Monorail Line, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Malaysia
- Sunway Monorail, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Served Sunway City, including Sunway Pyramid mall and Sunway Lagoon theme park and the surrounding. Decommissioned and partly dismantled to allow mall expansion. It being replaced by BRT Sunway Line.
Singapore
- Sentosa Monorail, Singapore. Replaced by the Sentosa Express monorail.
- Jurong BirdPark Panorail.
Thailand
- Fashion Island Monorail, Bangkok, Thailand. Short indoor amusement park monorail in Fashion Island shopping center. Decommissioned due to an accident that killed 2 riders.
- Tuk-Tuk Monorail, Bangkok. Half indoor-outdoor monorail tour operated between LeoLand amusement park and the water park. The track survives in the 6th floor of Central City Bang Na.
Europe
- Blackpool Pleasure Beach
- Milngavie, near Glasgow, had an experimental high-speed propellor-powered monorail, the , built during 1929-30 and abandoned during the Great Depression.
- Butlins Skegness Camp, Skegness, United Kingdom — the first commercial monorail in the UK
- Birmingham Airport had a magnetic levitation train which had to be closed down due it becoming life expired and a lack of spare parts. It was later rebuilt as a more conventional elevated rail system.
- Lartigue Monorail in France and Ireland. A restored 1-kilometre section now operates in Listowel.
- Safari Skyway, Chessington, United Kingdom. Operated in Chessington World of Adventures.
- Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Brierley Hill, West Midlands had a Von Roll Mk III Series monorail which opened in June 1991 but only worked for a short while before finally being sold off in 1996. The rolling stock now operates in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia. Reasons for the closure of this system include a combination of technical problems and safety concerns, exacerbated by a dispute between the owners of Merry Hill and The Waterfront which at this time were owned separately.
- Seville Expo '92
- France has two abandoned test tracks for the Aérotrain, which can be considered monorails. One is between Limours and Gometz-la-Ville and the other between Saran and Artenay. France also had a suspended monorail the SAFEGE that featured in the film Fahrenheit 451.
- Russia had one suspended monorail built in 1899 at a leisure park. A horse-pulled monorail was already built in 1820 in Myachkove near Moscow.
- Phantasialand: Phantasialand Jet, closed and removed. Manufacturer was the german theme park ride manufacturer Schwarzkopf.
- Chester Zoo Operational 1991 to 2019
- Emsland test facility, test track for the Transrapid Maglev.
Oceania
- Sydney Monorail, Sydney, Australia
- Brisbane, Queensland had a Von Roll Type II monorail built for World Expo '88. Four sets, consisting of nine carriages each, operated in a continuous loop throughout the Expo site. A single train set and some track was sold to Sea World, Gold Coast, in 1989 for expansion of its monorail system. The remainder of the sets and track were bought back by Von Roll.
- Oasis Shopping Centre, Broadbeach, Queensland ran between the shopping centre and Conrad Jupiters Casino. The Von Roll Mark III monorail, owned by the Oasis Shopping Centre, consisted of two 4-carriage trains. Two spare carriages that were removed when the system switched from 5-carriage to 4-carriage trains were also kept with the two trains. Most components were original to the Oasis Monorail, but some were sourced from the UK Merry Hill Shopping Centre's former monorail that closed in 1993. As of July, 2017, most of the monorail system has been removed.