I Spent a Day on the World’s Most Pointless Transit System
The Detroit People Mover, a monorail forming a 2.9-mile, 13-stop clockwise loop around downtown Detroit, is Michigan’s longest municipal rail system.
Springfield Should Be Ashamed About the State Of Its Public Transit
A city as progressive as Springfield—renowned globally for its renewable energy production—should be on the forefront of public transit innovation. But as we've learned this week, Springfield is rife with transportation shortcomings.
A Gift Guide for the Transit-Obsessed
This one's for the people who give you more reliable subway directions than HopStop, who can describe to you, in detail, the metro map in any given city, and who want to ride the bus "just because." These transportation-themed gifts will fare well for any and all overzealous public transit enthusiasts in your life.…
This propeller-powered monorail would have linked London to Paris
Scottish inventor George Bennie had a dream. Where trains couldn't link destinations separated by water, grand railways would stretch through the skies, guiding propeller-powered planes from city to city.
Burbank's Aerial Monorail of the Future
The city of Burbank, California was incorporated in 1911 with a population of just 500. Today the population is just over 100,000 and the city is best known as the home of big name movie studios (and the closest Ikea to my apartment). Leading up to the incorporation of Burbank there was a lot of discussion about…
The Unholy Love Child of Bicycle and Monorail Could Revolutionize Your Commute
I'm still waiting for the day when humans navigate cities by being sucked through pneumatic tubes. But in the meantime, New Zealand's bicycle-monorail mash-up, known as the Shweeb, might be the next best thing.
Puppy Monorail Makes Me Fear for Mankind's Future
Of all the ridiculous things one can see at the Maker Faire, the Puppy Mover Monorail might take the cake.
We Want Monorails, These Monorails
The Señor Presidente Obama may want a high speed train. We want it too. Actually, we want a monorail, which have been dreamed and actually built since the very beginning of the 20th century.
Crazy Human-Powered Monorail Would Deliver You to Work in a Sweaty Capsule
How's this sound: rather than hopping on the subway, when in a large city you'd hop into a little pod hanging from an elevated track. It would have pedals. You would then pedal yourself around the city, working up a lovely sweat before you reached your destination. Sound good? No?
Atomic Cars of the 1950s
"Engine in rear? Tricycle wheels? Polaroid Plastic top? Atomic power? Just as at home in the water or in the air as on the highway?" This car of the future was designed and illustrated by Detroit-based commercial artist Arthur Radebaugh for a 1952 ad for National Oil Seals. Click through for a look at Radebaugh's…
Comfy IKEA Train Makes Me Want to Move to the Subway
IKEA has outfitted a train in Kobe with sofas and curtains—probably with names like Oompa-loompa, Svenssonjohansensson, Frida, and Bucarest. Unfortunately, the makeover is temporary, to mark the opening of a new shop in the city. Good, because otherwise I would move to live in there. I will miss my stair bookcase,…
Velocipedes the Wave of the Future, Circa 1900
The Mono-rail Track Velocipede wasn't as flashy as a jet pack, but maybe it was more practical—as long as you had what Scientific American called in May 1900 a "single-rail railway" to use it on, of course. The lucky people of Wuppertal, Germany, have been using just such a suspension monorail since 1901. The …
Lyle Lanley Sells Futuristic Rail System to Ann Arbor, Detroit
Update: Unsurprisingly, this is bunk, as confirmed by Ann Arbor officials. But hey, the concept is still… interesting.
Everybody knows that the biggest, most bustling cities in America are Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan. You know what they say: "If you can make it in Ann Arbor, you can make it anywhere!" That's why…
Puppies Taking Advantage of Mass Transit
Get out of the way, everybody, here come the puppies! On a monorail! They even look like they're enjoying it, too. Built by their handy master, James Horecka, a couple of them are apparently wondering how easy it would be to jump off. What started out as a joke turned into a weekend project for Horecka, who built…
