--- July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
Pro:
Route 1 Monorail Proposal
North Virginia, Fairfax County
Huntington Metro to Ft. Belvoir
Dual Track Elevated & Surface
by Steven B. Barnes, CDR, USN (ret) BSCE, Structures and Transportation
July 1, 2016
July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
Abstract
Fairfax County Route #1 Corridor from the Beltway (Huntington Metro) to Ft. Belvoir (approx. 7 miles) needs a decent mode of transportation – a Monorail. The roads to the South are jammed during rush-hour. The Washington Area Metro stops at Huntington and would require massive tunneling to continue South at a cost of over $4 Billion dollars just to Hybla Valley (3-4 miles).
Just tunneling from Huntington South would greatly impact the local environment under heavily habited areas besides and add massive cost to building the Metro. Recent Route 1 studies (“Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis” study 2014) have pushed out the timeline for adding Metro or Light Rail to unreasonable years and concluded the need for more bus traffic and expand the roads. Meanwhile the traffic to Ft. Belvoir is increasing rapidly. The bus routes unfortunately would increase the traffic on Route 1 and add to environmental impact with fumes and exhaust besides using petroleum. This proposal adds another dimension to the traffic by running above the cars, trucks and buses where needed at much less impact on environment. Additionally, it would follow existing right-away, be a small imprint with concrete pillars or on the surface at one fourth the cost of building a Metro to Ft. Belvoir. Estimates of $700 - $900 million to build are identified.
The following proposal provides further details on the merit of monorails, the proposed routing, specification and estimated cost.
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
Table of Content
Abstract ...... 1
Table of Content ...... 2
1. Introduction ...... 3
2. Monorail Projects ...... 5
2.1 Definition of Monorail ...... 5
2.2 Examples of Monorail Systems ...... 7
2.3 Merits of Monorail ...... 9
3. Monorail Solution ...... 11
3.1 Route ...... 12
3.2 Specifications……………………………………………………………………14
3.3 Stations and Access ...... 15
3.4 Estimated Cost……………….………...……………………………………….16
4. Conclusion ...... 19
References ...... 20
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
1. Introduction
Although the recent “Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives” Analysis identified extending the Washington Metro in future years, it came at excessive cost. A monorail system from the Huntington Metro Station to Ft. Belvoir can be constructed at a much lower cost vice extending the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Metro System. Besides a lower cost, a monorail would be environmentally sound with elevated above the traffic with small foot-print of concrete pillars and be automated much like the Las Vegas INNOVIA Monorail in Nevada and Walt Disney World Monorail The concept that has been pervasive around the world as many countries have found monorail solves transportation problems. Countries like Japan, Germany, China, and South Korea have several monorail systems each. The quantifiable benefits from implementation have been well documented on many construction industry projects.
Two United States monorails at Las Vegas, Nevada and Disneyland, Florida have monorails that provide good examples.
a. Las Vegas, Nevada has a very active as documented in Riding High in Las Vegas, March 2003 (Figure 1). The Las Vegas Monorail is a 3.9-mile (6.3 km) monorail mass transit system located adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It connects several large casinos in the unincorporated communities of Paradise and Winchester, and does not enter the City of Las Vegas. It is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Monorail Company. In 2013, total annual ridership was roughly 4.2 million.
b. The Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit monorail system in operation at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. The Walt Disney World Resort currently operates twelve Mark VI monorail trains on three lines of service.
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
This paper concentrates on identifying the benefits of a monorail system similar to the Las Vegas and Walt Disney World Monorails. So far we can find many a good amount of literature about the construction of both monorail systems.
Figure 1 Las Vegas Monorail by Bombardier
Due to the advantages of monorail in many transit realms, dozens of monorail systems have been built and operating. Other monorail projects around the world are in planning and under construction. Virginia can build Monorail on Route 1 and step toward the future.
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
2. Monorail Projects
2.1 Definition of Monorail
Monorail is a single rail serving as a track for passenger or freight vehicles. In most cases rail is elevated, but monorails can also run at grade, below grade or in subway tunnels. There are two basic monorail types: straddle and suspension monorail. The straddle monorail runs on track beams which are mainly made of steel. Suspension monorail is suspended under track beams which are made of steel. Monorail vehicle are wider than the guideway that supports them. A monorail system comprises guideway, car, station, power supply equipment, computer control systems and maintenance and storage facilities. A detail monorail system structure diagram is shown in Figure 2.
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
Monorail System
Station Guideway General Control System Vehicle Operations, Maintenance and Storage Facility (OMSF)
Emergency Evacuation
Automatic platform door Community System Vehicle Shell
Mechanical Escalators Traction Power System Vehicle interiors Aesthetics Fare Collection System Vehicle Maintenance Elevators Automatic Train Control Automatic Train Protection (ATP) Control Rooms Store Stairs SCADA System Automatic Train Rooms Closed circuit television monitoring equipment Operation (ATP) Electrical and Location Mechanical Automatic Train Repair Shops Supervision (ATS)
Power distribution System Beam Administrative offices Security intrusion alarm Crossbeam Escalator status
Column Elevator status
Foundation Guideway switch status
Figure 2 Structure of Monorail System
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
2.2 Examples of Monorail Systems
Dozens of monorail systems have been in operation or under construction around the world. Here several famous monorail systems will be introduced. Figure 4 shows the pictures of these monorail systems respectively.
Figure 3 Wuppertal Monorail (top & left); Osaka Monorail (top & middle); Walt Disney World Monorail (top & right); Seattle Monorail (bottom & left); Las Vegas Monorail (bottom & right)1.
1) Wuppertal, Germany
Urban monorail systems have been in regular passenger service for more than one hundred years, beginning with the Wuppertal suspended monorail system in Wupperal, West Germany. This 8-mile monorail system began service in 1901 and remains in service today linking 20 stations.
1 The Monorail Society, http://www.monorails.org/
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
2) Osaka, Japan
The Osaka monorail emanates from the center of the city to connect surrounding area with a half circle system which will eventually surround the city with over 50 km of track. The first 6.6 km segment opened in 1990 north of Osaka. In 1995, the disastrous earthquake of nearby Kobe proved to be a test for the Osaka Monorail. It withstood the violent quake and proved to be a vital transit link in the area as traffic on the parallel freeway became completely jammed with evacuees.
3) Walt Disney World, Florida
The Walt Disney world monorail began transit service in 1971. This 23.6 km long monorail system with 6 stations carries 150,000 passengers every day. The Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit monorail system in operation at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. The Walt Disney World Resort currently operates twelve Mark VI monorail trains on three lines of service.[3][4] The monorail system opened in 1971 with two routes (Magic Kingdom: Resort and Express) and with Mark IV monorail trains. It was expanded to three lines (Magic Kingdom: Resort and Express, plus Epcot) in 1982, and the rolling stock was updated to Mark VI trains in 1989.[3]
As of 2013, the system is one of the most heavily used monorail systems in the world with over 150,000 daily riders.[1] It is surpassed only by the monorail system run by Chongqing Rail Transit in Chongqing, China, which has an average of 500,000 daily riders on Line 3 alone.
4) Seattle, Washington
Seattle monorail was opened in 1962. This 1.9 km long monorail with two stations carries 2.5 million passengers every year. In November of 1997, Seattle voters passed the Monorail Initiative to extend the system citywide.
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
5) Las Vegas, Nevada
The Las Vegas Monorail is a 3.9-mile (6.3 km) monorail mass transit system located adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It connects several large casinos in the unincorporated communities of Paradise and Winchester, and does not enter the City of Las Vegas. It is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Monorail Company. In 2013, total annual ridership was roughly 4.2 million, down from a pre-Great Recession peak of 7.9 million in 2007. The monorail is a registered not-for-profit corporation, allowed under Nevada law since the monorail provides a public service. The State of Nevada assisted in bond financing, but no public money was used in construction.
2.3 Merits of Monorail
Compared with the subway (heavy rail) and trolley (light rail), the monorail shows the following advantages (Aoki & Ishikawa, 1989):
1) Efficiency
Since the monorail vehicle uses a concrete or steel guide-beam for both the vehicle’s running surface and structural support, less guideway maintenance is required. The monorail guide-beam does not require periodic adjustment, replacement, grinding, tightening, or other maintenance. The rubber tires get little wear running on smooth guideways.
2) Cost
While capital costs can be as much as or more than light rail, monorail can turn a profit once built. The Tokyo Monorail is operated by a private business and turns a profit each year. This is unheard of with conventional rail or bus systems. The Seattle Monorail also turns a profit each year.
3) Construction
Process of monorail construction is simple - dig a hole, drop in a pre-built support pylon, truck in the track which was manufactured offsite, lift into place! Monorail beam-way can be installed far faster than the alternatives. Figure 5 shows a Las
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
Vegas Monorail beam being put into place. From truck bed to pylons was a matter of a few minutes. The entire system took only seven months to construct. No other fixed rail can be installed as quickly and as disruption-free.
Figure 4 Simple Construction Process of Monorail Figure 5 Environment-friendly Monorail
4) Aesthetics
The monorail guideway can be constructed to be an enhancement rather than a detriment to the environment. Monorail systems generally have a smaller footprint on the environment and the narrow guide-beams are less obtrusive than conventional trough-type guideways that are really more like aerial road structures. Figure 6 is the graceful arched guideway of the Walt Disney World Monorail System. The beam is only 26" wide with the small shadow.
5) Environment Since most monorails are electrically powered, there is basically no pollution in the air. In 2007, the Las Vegas Monorail aided in the annual removal of an estimated 3.2 million vehicle miles from Southern Nevada’s major roadways and reduced emissions by more than 58 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) over the course of the year. Most monorails run on rubber tires and are very quiet.
6) Safety
Monorails run on an exclusive grade-separated guideway. So there is no possibility to collide with other vehicles. The ways by which monorails are designed also make derailments virtually impossible. This is why monorails have an excellent safety record.
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
3. Monorail Solution
Monorail projects are often located in high density population area (such as downtown) and famous scenic spots. Its strategic objectives could be diversity, such as relieving traffic congestion, improving accessibility, working commuting, shopping, and providing a good example of the city for the visitors. Considering these characteristics of monorail, implementation of constructability program in monorail project has to enhance safety, improve efficiency, realize esthetics, reduce cost, ensure schedule and minimize impact on environment.
Figure 6 Monorail Depiction in Populated Area
Fairfax County Route 1 from the Beltway to Fort Belvoir fits this role and for need or a Monorail perfectly. Recent Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis study identified Route 1 as “a vital commuter route, the corridor is also a destination unto itself. Regionally recognized activity centers line the corridor, as well as major employment centers including Fort Belvoir. In Virginia, the facility was recently designated “Historic Route 1” by the Virginia General Assembly to promote tourism, transportation improvements, and economic development (House Bill No. 530, 2010 Session).”
“The typical average weekday travel patterns to/from and within the Route 1 corridor are summarized in Table 2‐1 below. The data show the largest share of trips are intra‐corridor trips, or trips that begin and end in the corridor, comprising of about 34 percent of all trips. The next largest share of travel is to and from other areas within Fairfax County, and account for 24 percent of both average weekday and peak period trips.”
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
Figure 6 Weekday Vehicle Traffic –Route 1 (“Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis”)
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
3.1 Route
The proposed route of monorail system from the Huntington Metro Station to Ft. Belvoir would be closely aligned with Route 1 right-of-way (ROW) and King Hwy ROW (Figure 7). The route would be either adjacent or down the centerline of the roads as much as possible in order to take advantage of existing Virginia and Fairfax County ROW. This would greatly reduce cost of purchasing additional homeowner or business property.
The monorail would be either elevated or along the surface. Elevated track would cost more than surface track but elevation is required in areas where road crossing is needed. Due to the land elevations where hills and valleys are located elevation of the monorail track is also needed. Due to the road crossings and land elevation variation from Huntington Station to Lockheed Boulevard elevated track will be needed. Monorail track South of Sherwood Hall Lane to Fort Belvoir would support surface track in a majority of the area.
Of note where surface track is located along the centerline of Route 1 there will be prohibited pedestrian crossings. Fortunately, this greatly reduces accidents that prevail in that area. Crossing of Route 1 by Pedestrians has resulted in many accidents and deaths. A surface Monorail with fencing would reduce the accident rate as seen on Highway 66 in Fairfax.
The proposed Monorail route (Figure 7) would include 10 Monorail Stations. The stations would be elevated with parking closely located. Pedestrian access would be afforded from both sides of the Route 1 or King Highway. Escalators, stairs, elevators and handicap access will be required per building codes.
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
Figure 7 - Monorail Proposed Route
3.2 Specifications
The proposed of monorail system as noted above would be Dual Track elevated or on the surface. The system will be automated for departure every 15 minutes. The exception will be two express trains that have stops at Huntington Metro, Sherwood Hall and Ft Belvoir in the morning and evening during rush hour will take place. Operation is recommended from 0600 to 2400 daily.
Maximum speed will be 55 mph and the trains will be 6 car trains. The 6-car trains like Las Vegas and Walt Disney World Monorail System will hold 20 seated and 40 standing passengers. The front car will have a pilot / conductor for safety. Each cab will be about 40 feet in length and each intermediate car about 28 feet in length. (The trains that were built by “Bombardier” of Canada were a reported cost of over $3.5 million per train)
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
3.3 Stations and Access
The proposed monorail stations will be a place where pedestrians, bicyclists, commuters, and vehicles gather and lead to a wide array of residences, businesses, and public and recreational spaces. Shops, restaurants, and businesses will transition to apartments and condominiums in the area around a monorail station. Open space and multi-modal pathways will link charming and varied neighborhoods with the whole surrounded by an open space setting of conservation areas and ecological preserves. Timeless architectural styles, tree-lined streets, small neighborhood parks, and specially crafted people-gathering places reinforce the traditional neighborhood planning character and help set the monorail stations apart from other communities.
Each station will have parking, escalators, elevators, bike racks, etc. The stations will be elevated in most cases. Like the WMATA Metro stations, display maps, ticket cost information, and general information will be readily available. Turn-style access will support ticket entry. See Figure 8.
Figure 8 - Monorail Station Depiction
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
3.4 Estimated Cost
Building Cost - The initial building cost will be dependent on contract bids but the Figure X below provides some assistance. Projected building cost is shown in Figure X below. For this proposal the total cost is estimated at $700-900M. This is based on Stage 1 building cost is higher as it is mostly elevated while Stage 2 is mostly on the surface. Stage 1 building cost is estimated for approximately 3.2 miles at $400-500 M based on Figure X. Stage 2 building cost is lower but the distance is greater at 4.3 miles and the amount is $300-400M. These estimates are for 2016 building cost.
Figure 9 - Building Cost of Monorails / Surface-Routed Rail
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
Operating Cost – Operating cost varies significantly. The cost per mile for WMATA which has 117 miles of track is $13 M per mile (2013 dollars) to maintain based on Figure 10. Operating cost of two systems are identified below in Figure 11 which are much higher. WMATA will need to manage this Monorail System. For this proposal, we will estimate $40M per mile to maintain by WMATA.
Figure 10 - Washington Metro Operating Cost
Figure 11 – Example Operating Cost (The Monorail Society)
Income – The Route 1 Monorail must be must not cost the tax-payers any funds. The System must be self-sufficient. Ticket cost must support annual management and maintenance.
Ridership will vary between stations along the Route 1 Monorail corridor. The majority of riders will likely be at Huntington or Fort Belvoir. Stations like Hybla Valley Station, Sherwood Hall and Beacon Hill Station will also see a high amount of monorail boarding. Based on the Figure 12 and 13 below we can assume anticipated daily ridership will likely average at least 75,000 in CY 2020. With an average ticket price of $2.00 that would be an annual income close to $55 million. Thus a profit of $15 million per year. Obviously this has a lot of broad assumptions but the sooner the better for solving the problem. 17
July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
Figure 12 – Estimated WMATA Metro Ridership (Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis)
Figure 13 – WMATA Metro Blue Line Weekday Boardings
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
4. Conclusion
The strategic planning for travel on Route 1 in North Virginia has been neglected for many years. A recent study (Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis, 2013/2014) was conducted and identified the problem but did a terrible job in providing an adequate solution. The study conclusion was basically to add more bus traffic and widen roads with some minor esthetics added.
With increasing population growth, transiting from the South to North of Virginia is a reality. High Speed Rail is slowly in work along I-95 but with Fort Belvoir continuing to grow, more medical needs from the Mount Vernon and Fort Belvoir Hospitals, expanding business, and transits from the South traffic will pressure the system quickly. WMATA Metro from Huntington Metro would be nice but the expense of tunneling at $4 Billion dollars is not worth the cost when cheaper alternatives are available. A Monorail system from Huntington Metro on the South side would provide the answer at 25% the cost. Many countries around the world has found the same solution.
Virginia Senators and Congressman Need to Act Now!
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July 2016 Proposal for Monorail; Fairfax County Route 1
References
1. Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis” study 2014; Amy Inman, Project Director, DRPT; Tim Roseboom, Project Manager, DRPT
2. “Riding High in Las Vegas”, by Carlos A. Banchik, P.E., Eng. Mgr.; Carter & Burgess, Las Vegas, NV; 1996 - 2016, American Society of Civil Engineers
3. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Website, 2016; http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/
4. Construction Industry Institute, 1986, Constructability, a primer, University of Texas at Austin, Tex.; American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE Website.
5. The Monorail Society; http://www.monorails.org/index.html
6. Walt Disney World Monorail Website; https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/
7. Bombardier Transportation Services Website; http://www.bombardier.com/
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