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Frequently
Asked Questions
| Q: |
How
can I help? |
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| A: |
There
are several ways you can get involved in making the monorail
project a reality. Please visit our Get
Involved page to see how you can help out with this
important project. |
| Q: |
Why
is the system elevated? |
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| A: |
I-70
is most frequently closed by snow, rockslides, mudslides
and avalanches. The monorail would avoid all these challenges
while avoiding the hazards of at-grade crossings with
pedestrian, wildlife and highway traffic. During the past
century, monorail was by far the safest form of transportation. |
| Q: |
Why
not just build a train or light rail system? |
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| A: |
Conventional
traction motors used in steelwheel-on-steelrail systems
cannot effectively climb the steep grades characteristic
of the I-70 corridor at high speeds. Trains are quite
slow, by comparison with the monorail, which significantly
reduces their appeal to riders. As a part of the MIS,
CDOT determined that a train paralleling I-70 would require
40 miles of tunnels and nearly a hundred at-grade crossings
with existing roadways. |
| Q: |
Is
the proposed monorail system in use anywhere in the world?
Can I go see it? |
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| A: |
Many
of the subsystems in CIFGA's system are used in transportation
systems around the world. The Vancouver SKYTRAIN, for
exampIe, has used linear induction motors for propulsion
since 1986, and a similar Spanish monorail operated at
125 mph speeds on a test track during the early 1990s.
The fastest monorail in service today operates at 55 mph.
The CIFGA system will be a first of a kind technology,
using proven subsystems, assembled in a unique design
adapted to the challenges of the I-70 corridor. |
| Q: |
How
much will it cost to ride? |
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| A: |
If
current cost estimates are proven accurate during
the test program in Pueblo, it is estimated that system
fares will run about 20 cents/mile. In other words,
a roundtrip from Golden to Keystone would be about $20,
while a Denver to Vail roundtnp would be $40. It is
expected that merchants along the corridor will offer
discount programs to regular monorail riders that will
help reduce the marginal cost of using the system. Like
any transit system, there will be family discounts and
monthly passes.
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| Q: |
How
will I get around when I get off the monorail? |
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| A: |
Fortunately,
both Summit and Eagle counties already have local bus
services. But, if the monorail is to prove successful,
all the communities along the corridor will need to offer
a more flexible array of transportation services. This
includes hourly car rentals in the urban areas and jitney-style
van services that will deliver tourists to campgrounds,
trailheads and fishing holes. |
| Q: |
Can
the monorail carry my skis, mountain bike and camping
or fishing gear? |
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| A: |
It
is expected that as much as a third of the interior of
each car will be available for baggage. Although the system
is unlikely to carry snowmobiles, it should be capable
of handling mountain bikes, skiing gear, snowshoes, snowboards
and similar sports equipment used by mountain visitors. |
| Q: |
How
long will I have to wait for a monorail? |
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| A: |
The
monorail system has been designed to have an eventual
capacity of 10,000 passengers per direction per hour.
While this kind of volume may not be required for another
fifty years, the system can run two to twenty car trains
every two or three minutes. Initially it is anticipated
that service will run at ten minute intervals during off-peak
periods, and more frequently during rush hours. This means
passengers don't have to wait for a scheduled departure,
but can simply wait for the next monorail to arrive. |
| Q: |
What
makes you think people will ever give up their cars? |
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| A: |
For
many Colorado residents, the weekend delays on I-70 have
already hit a pain threshold which is depressing mountain
tourism. More and more skiers, hikers and campers are
simply staying home. Many of these activities involve
driving a car to a destination where it sits for hours
or days before a return trip is made to the Front Range.
The success of light rail in Denver indicates that people
are increasingly willing to consider alternatives to the
personal automobile. |
| Q: |
Do
we really need this now? Isn't the monorail premature? |
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| A: |
The
normal lead time for a transit project, from planning
to completion, is twenty years. By 2020, I-70 will
be congested every weekend, and most weekdays. If no transit
alternative is under construction by then, the default
solution will be to expand the highway even though the
widening won't solve the congestion problem and will be
far more expensive than the projected monorail costs. |
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