Monorails, maglev and cable cars: Gadgets or sensible systems?

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If you want to stifle a discussion about rail systems, there are three effective ways to drive your counterpart up the wall: When talking about maglev trains, it's best to mention Edmund Stoiber, for classic monorails, you can refer to an episode of The Simpsons, and if that's not enough, you simply denounce a system as a gadget railway.

For politicians, such systems have a certain appeal. They can seemingly impose an innovative spirit on themselves. This is particularly practical during election campaigns, and then very wild ideas sometimes come up for discussion, which experts would only shake their heads at. So there is something to the term “gadget railway” if one would rather not refer to obvious but boring systems like buses, trams, or subways.

At the same time, being dismissed as a “gadget railway” is often not justified. Because almost every transport system has its justification. Often, however, it is very specific.

The Maglev Train as a Gadget Railway

There are plenty of examples of actual gadget railways. For instance, Berlin wanted to build the Magnetbahn Transport System Bögl (TSB) with so little money that a sensible use would have been hardly possible. Rather, it would have proven that the TSB cannot function without proper investment. However, that would have been clear even before planning: A single-track line with one or two trains is rarely sensible even with classic systems, except for funiculars.

The maglev discussion is particularly poisoned in Germany because there are always proposals for systems that can hardly be classified as application routes. Around Nuremberg, for example, they wanted to force tram passengers to switch to the TSB. But this was only possible with unconventional compromise proposals: one station, for instance, disrupted the operational flow with predominant single-track operation and train encounters in the middle.

Meanwhile, there is a new idea in Berlin: the TSB is to run at the former Tegel Airport. In the first step, the Senate Department for Transport told us: “The already existing transport mode comparison for the tram line from the Urban Tech Republic or subway station Paulsternstraße via Gartenfeld to Spandau will now be supplemented by the consideration of a magnetic levitation train.” At least a double-track variant is to be assumed initially. However, it is questionable whether the potential for a fast, high-performance, and frequently running maglev train exists in Tegel. But there is still hope for the TSB: an application route is planned in China, and the contracts have been signed.

In general, the topic of maglev trains is taken more seriously in Asia. Japan's Linimo system in Nagoya is well-equipped in any case. The same applies to South Korea's Ecobee (Incheon Airport Maglev), which, after an unclear phase, was degraded to a rarely running tourist train and only traveled at 40 km/h during our test drive. In China, there are several large and different systems, such as the S1 in Beijing (Mentougou Line) or the Changsha Maglev Express. Both are integral parts of local public transport as pilot projects. In addition, there are maglev trains in China that operate as tourist trains, and the now well-used Transrapid (Shanghai Maglev Train).

Are established, special railways not actually gadget railways?

But let's look at a few systems where hardly anyone would start a gadget railway discussion anymore. There are quite a few established, unusual systems in this country too.

A good example is the Wuppertal suspension railway, a monorail (suspended), which is hardly perceived as such. What's interesting about it is its route over the Wupper river.

But: At some point, modernization was necessary. New wagons had to be acquired, the voltage increased from 600 volts to 750 volts, and the train control system set to ETCS Level 3 (as it was called at the time). This was a challenging combination at the time, which sometimes required the wagon construction specialist Talbot to help out. But it also shows: Such an old and unique system can be modernized. Of course, it costs a lot of money. However, in the context of a country that has been known for years for saving money on rail transport at every turn. The operators and their partners have even managed to make the old Kaiserwagen compatible with the new system. Test drives have also been taking place for some time. The conversion took seven years.

Otherwise, special systems are found mainly at airports. Düsseldorf Airport also has a suspended railway (Skytrain), which has a relative in Dortmund (H-Bahn). There is also a driverless “People Mover” at Munich Airport as a satellite connection.

One of the most recent examples and a very rare system is the new Sky Line at Frankfurt Airport. It now even has two different people-mover systems. Those responsible decided on a new system because the old one no longer met the requirements and extensions would have been complicated, according to the airport. Instead, there are now two different systems.

The new system is a comparatively young development. Siemens Mobility and Lohr Industries have jointly developed the Neoval (Airval for airports). A rubber-tired people mover steered by a central guide rail (Translohr system). By steering, the airport hopes for lower operating expenses due to less wear and tear. At the same time, the system is quite fast. A speed of 80 km/h is possible, but the system operates at 70 km/h.

Translohr has had to endure a lot of criticism before. This was due to its initial applications. Rubber-tired trams with a central guide rail on classic asphalt were not a good idea. The trains stayed too precisely in their tracks, and ruts formed. The call for a “gadget railway” was quick. Neoval, on the other hand, usually relies on concrete tracks.

People movers and suspended railways are among the most unusual systems, but they are rarely associated with gadget railways. For people movers, this is because they are rarely proposed outside of special areas, even if their implementation would be possible. Taiwan, for example, uses a people mover (Wenhu Line, Metro Taipei) as a metro system, and in Singapore, such systems are active in fine distribution as metro feeders. Both are very well utilized and can handle tight curves without significant noise and vibration.

Suspended railways are still very rare. Germany has comparatively many with its three systems. Japan also still has some. Very new is China's rubber-tired Wuhan Optics Valley Air Rail Train.

Cable Cars, Elevators, and Escalators as Transport Systems

There are even more unusual means of transport, which usually have something to do with overcoming inclines: cable cars, elevators, and even escalators. We will omit the rail-bound cable cars, where a train is pulled by a cable. These are found mainly in mountainous regions. Sometimes also in flat areas, as in Doha Airport (Doppelmayr Cable Liner).

But what about the inner-city gondola cable car without a mountain? Politicians in Germany discuss such things surprisingly often. In 2024, the then Transport Minister Wissing, for example, advocated for urban cable cars as a public transport solution. The advantages: Only a few tall cable car pylons are distributed in the city to install the cable base. This is particularly conceivable for crossing large bodies of water when a ferry is not worthwhile, or simply difficult terrain. In Paris, such a case occurred. The Câble C1 from Doppelmayr in the south of the city was created there as an extension of the Paris Métro. At the end of the subway line, there is no longer a need for a high-capacity system. A tunnel would therefore have been hardly worthwhile. At the same time, an actually cost-effective above-ground continuation was difficult. The road situation and a larger track field make this complex (see Openrailwaymap). So Paris opted for a cable car.

According to our measurements, it only travels at a maximum of 18 km/h, but the route is more direct than with a bus. Furthermore, there are practically no waiting times for the next vehicle. A cabin is usually always ready. However, it can happen that you have to wait in a queue. Currently, however, this is hardly to be expected. 9,000 to 10,000 passengers use the system daily so far, slightly below the forecast.

However, passengers with a fear of heights must factor in detours. And with a bit more wind, users should enjoy the rocking. Within the city, the system also appears simply too slow.

When vertical meters actually need to be covered, the question of usefulness is less of an issue. Besides rail-bound funiculars and gondola systems, there are other alternatives.

Even if it sounds strange: one of them is an elevator. The Elevador de Santa Justa is part of the “fleet” of the public transport company Carris in Lisbon. It even has a timetable and requires tickets. Capacity: 20 seats and 15 standing places. Escalators can also incur fees. This is the case, for example, with the Chongqing Crown Grand Escalator. Here, of course, there is no timetable in the conventional sense. A step is always ready. Similar to Câble C1, there are operating hours.

The system examples show how specific a problem must be to justify an unusual system. However, there is one city that is like a big fair itself and offers gadget railways to match: Las Vegas.

The City of Gadget Railways and the Tesla LV Loop

The city in Nevada is not only home to countless casinos and other entertainment attractions. It also offers a lot of experimental space for alternative public transport systems and is home to strangely designed rail systems.

For example, the city has several cable-drawn railways. Between the casino resort Mandalay Bay and the Hotel Excalibur, two so-called trams run on their own tracks, one of which serves as an express train. In addition, there is the Aria Express and the currently closed Treasure Island Tram.

In fact, the free systems for inter-casino transport with their two to four stations are of little relevance. The journeys are hardly worthwhile, which is why the connections are hardly used. However, there are exceptions: the tram between Mandalay Bay and Excalibur is particularly busy during sporting events. This sometimes leads to very long waiting times, and then it's even more worthwhile to walk.

It's similar on the east side of the Strip. The Las Vegas Monorail runs there. A system with rather small vehicles of the type Bombardier Innovia 200.

The railway actually has potential, but it has its own ticketing system and at 6 US dollars it is expensive. However, the population of Nevada only has to pay one dollar. But even that brings few passengers. There are only seven stations far from the Strip, and they are hard to find.

Although there have always been ideas to connect the airport with the monorail, it is questionable whether the monorail would have been up to the task for passengers with suitcases. Formally, the train has 72 seats and up to 304 standing places – at 0.125 square meters per person.

A failure was therefore, like other expansion plans, probably unavoidable, and the story is complex. The future is also uncertain, but the monorail most likely has another decade secured.

Las Vegas continues to rely on more or less poor bus service, with some BRT-like improvements in the east of the city. Operators see alternatives more in other concepts. For example, heise online recently tested the autonomously driving Zoox system from Amazon.

The city is also a large playground for the Las Vegas Loop of The Boring Company, which is equipped with numerous Tesla vehicles in tunnels. However, the system is very personnel-intensive. Due to the point-to-point connections, a driver sometimes transports only 1-2 people. In addition, there are masses of guides at the stations. A tram station, on the other hand, could be operated without personnel.

Precisely because the bus-based public transport in Las Vegas is so poor, the system works quite well despite many broken promises. This applies particularly to the trade fair area. Getting from the exhibition center to the Strip is indeed fast and relatively inexpensive at 4.25 US dollars per person. However, the operating hours are short. Usually, it's over by 9 p.m.

"Missing Link"

What's missing: In the fast-paced world of technology, we often don't have time to sort through all the news and background information. At the weekend, we want to take this time to follow the side paths away from the current affairs, try out other perspectives and make nuances audible.

• All our the "Missing Links"

At least the Las Vegas Loop now has an airport connection for 12 US dollars. In addition, the Teslas drive out of the tunnel onto the streets to the airport. Surface Route is the name of the new concept from the tunnel construction company Boring Company. This is made possible by a new regulation that allows a larger surface proportion for LV Loop rides, which, according to an older report, is four miles.

However, this is supposed to change as soon as the tunnel to the vicinity of the airport opens. It should have opened long ago, but broken deadlines and little communication are normal for The Boring Company.

Technical Toy or Special System? It Depends

Overall, the examples should show that special railways typically have a very specific purpose, for which some countries are willing to spend a lot of money to offer the population a good means of transport. Such systems only become gadget railways when they are introduced thoughtlessly to convey an image of innovation.

(nie)