Monorail

[gs3]

I heard there had been a fire on one of the monorails which is why they were taken out of service. While at Seattle Center I heard work going behind a fence and peeked around. Men were on the monorail cars obviously retro-fitting / repairing. Anyone know when the monorail is going back into service? Will it be extended? Saw the new lightrail track construction on the way to Sea-Tac, but this doesn't include any monorail extension, correct? Just curious about the future of the monorail. Such a Seattle icon!

[monsoon]

The planned expansion of the monorail system in Seattle has been shelved. It's $6 billion price tag (due to the financing) was just too much.

[gs3]

The planned expansion of the monorail system in Seattle has been shelved. It's $6 billion price tag (due to the financing) was just too much.

Thanks metro. Sad to know they aren't adding to it, but good to see them working on it. I just want to see the original portion back in service.

[zed]

The monorail is out of service because of a sideswipe accident last fall. Basically there was some part of the route where two trains were not supposed to be at the same time (too narrow) - but somehow they were...

I think it is supposed to reopen sometime this year...

[gs3]

How is the conversion of the Metro Bus tunnel to rail coming along? Last time I was in Seattle, this was well underway. Will be back in January, and just wondering if it's complete. Anyone know the completion date for this project?

Has the monorail reopened yet?

[Sundodger]

The planned expansion of the monorail system in Seattle has been shelved.

[MV_Klahowya]

How is the conversion of the Metro Bus tunnel to rail coming along? Last time I was in Seattle, this was well underway. Will be back in January, and just wondering if it's complete. Anyone know the completion date for this project?

Has the monorail reopened yet?

[gs3]

The tunnel is scheduled to reopen no later than September 2007.

The Monorail has reopened.

[MV_Klahowya]

Great! So when the Metro Tunnel reopens, it will serve both electric bus and light rail? Or just light rail? I've always loved riding the buses through the "subway" tunnel.

[hagetaka]

opinion!

Ahh the monorail, Seattle's poor excuse for rapid transit. I lived in Seattle for 4 years my time there was fun, I learned a lot about the way the natives feel about that mile long track. Someone dreamed of expanding the line, modernize it, and turn it into a true monorail system, but then things went wrong.

The citizens of King County act like they are scared to invest in the infrastructure. I-5 is falling apart, the viaduct can collapse at any time, I'm just waiting for the 520 to skink, yet they just talk and talk, but never make any progress.

It may seem like I am bashing the place, but I am going on what I seen, the typical Seattle attitude, if it ain't broke, don't fix it & if you don't like it you can leave. So I did what was necessary and left.

Now back to the monorail. This track was built for the World's Fair; the train is well over 40 years old. I used it a few times to get from my apartment in Belltown to the heart of downtown quite a few times; I rarely met a resident on it, mainly tourist. The tracks near Westlake were shorten, for whatever reasons, this eventually caused an accident back December of 2006.

Memorial Day of 2004, a fire happened, unnecessary in my opinion. The people failed to invest into a true monorail system. They complained, said it was useless, and all the above. The city should be embarrassed, very embarrassed. It has a metro area of 3.5 million, makes its cousin and brother sisters of Vancouver BC & Portland envy, but those 2 invested in transit in the late 70's and early 80's. Today, getting around VBC & PDX is a breeze, thanks to rail.

The tunnel under 3rd Avenue was a joke also, tracks were laid, but Sound Transit & the city knew they were taking a short cut to reduce cost, but years later have to close it to retrofit the existing rail so a train can use it. Another mistake in the Emerald City. I just don't get it, I really don't.

The monorail went to vote several times, I voted yes for it, but I believe it was voted on 3 to 5 times, finally it was crushed. This East-West track could have been tied into the Central Link, but no. We don't need it; it will mess up the existing Seattle Center, or put large columns on our streets. Sick, I tell ya. But it's done, the monorail is Seattle, both are in major need of an upgrade.

Portland, Oregon

Vancouver, British Columbia

[Sundodger]

comments:

- The third street tunnel was not a joke. It took massive amounts of busses that were clogging up the streets and put them underground, making it easier to catch a bus (except at night when they closed the tunnel too early) and made using the bus into downtown more fast and efficient.

- The current monorail is a world's fair relic, nothing more. It is not a transit system and never designed to be one.

- The monorail proposal was insane! It wasn't created by transportation engineers, but by a bunch of dopes who know nothing on the subject. A cab driver came up with it. I think all the people that voted for the sucker should cough up some $ and pay us back for that expensive pipe dream.

- Sepnding billions on multiple, poorly designed and routed transportation systems is insane! Another reason to kill the monorail with the light rail system currently being built.

- Vancouver isn't easy to get around, that's why I don't go through there much anymore and the Portland system is massively overrated and wasn't built in the early 80s.

The problem with Seattle is lack of leadership, and it is the voters who are to blame. If we had real leaders, we would have good planning and good execution, instead we got Sound Transit, which has wasted millions of dollars and is building a subpar line that will turn people off from massive transit projects in the future and that idiotic pipe dream monorail project, which already has hurt local transportation efforts.

As long as Seattle keeps electing people like Ron Sims, Greg Nickles, and for pipe dream transportation projects dreamed up by cab drivers, the city will continue to suffer. I am glad I moved away. I hate idiotic govt. and people content with it. I hope someday people in Seattle wake up and change, but I doubt it. The schools are a failure so the next generation of dupes is being indoctrinated as we speak.

[Inkdaub]

So what sort of transit do you think should be built, Sundodger?

[Sundodger]

So what sort of transit do you think should be built, Sundodger?