"There's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car monorail."
[Updated March 30, 2022] "Before entrepreneurs in Seattle won fame selling computer software or takeout coffee across the globe, the city’s vision of Century 21 soared on monorails," writes Mike Linblom for the Seattle Times.
"Elvis rode the elevated train here during the 1962 World’s Fair, as did 8 million other visitors. The German-built rail cars, whooshing on pneumatic tires from Seattle Center to downtown, demonstrated how people might transcend surface traffic jams in the future."
A public celebration is underway today, March 29, at Seattle Center Station to mark the 60th anniversary of opening day, March 24, 1962.
The article includes more history of the monorail as well as insight into the current state of the monorail in a rapidly growing city in a rapidly growing region. There is a new bundle of money headed to the monorail for station upgrades, for example, as the system is popular among fans of the Seattle Kraken NHL team.
"State lawmakers provided an initial $5 million toward station upgrades in the new $17 billion Move Ahead Washington package, and the monorail receives periodic train-maintenance grants by the Federal Transit Administration," reports Lindblom. "That follows $7 million private funds spent last year on renovations, mainly by the arena’s owners."
FULL STORY: Seattle Center Monorail celebrates 60 years
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Seattle’s new professional hockey team is drawing legions of enthusiastic fans. Around a quarter of them are taking public transit, such as the city’s often-maligned monorail, to games.
Monorail Doesn't Measure Up for Los Angeles, Says Editorial Board
The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times is unimpressed by a plan to build a monorail between the Westside and the San Fernando Valley in the city of Los Angeles.
All Sound Transit Routes Get New, Alphanumeric Names
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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
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Montreal’s Gorilla Park Repurposes Defunct Railway Track
The park is part of a global movement to build public spaces that connect neighbors and work with local elements to serve as key parts of a city’s green infrastructure.
Multiple Lawsuits Aim to Save NYC Congestion Pricing
Environmental and transit advocacy groups, along with the MTA, are suing USDOT over its recent crusade to end the cordon pricing program.
Massachusetts Gov. Makes Case for Road Funding Reforms
A package of proposed bills would change the state’s road funding formula to ensure more money flows to rural areas with limited resources.
Art in Action: USC Event Calls for an Urgent Green Energy Transition
The El Respiro / Respire event at USC uses a large-scale human geochoreography to demand an urgent and equitable transition to green energy, blending art, activism, and community engagement to amplify the message of climate justice.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA)
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research