Quote:
Originally Posted by White Pine
I think that outside of difficult terrain, these are rather impractical. Also, based off my skiing experience, they'd better have a plan in case the gondola shuts down. At least a generator lol. I would not want to be stuck up there.  |
I'm pretty sure that accommodating uninterrupted power in a major city is easier done than on some mountain 100 kilometers from anywhere.
What do you feel makes them impractical? If anything, if they're practical when building the towers is a logistical challenge, then certainly they must be even more practical when the terrain is reasonable and has ready access everywhere. Given that even in less-accessible areas, the cost per km seems to be between $16-20 million per km with about one station per 1 to 1.5 km in Latin America. Even if US pricing were quadruple that amount, we'd still be looking at $65-80 million per km or $100-125 million per mile, which is cheaper than most light rail costs but fully grade separated and while slower in movement speed, running cars every few minutes would keep actual travel time shorter than non-grade separated modes while having capacity similar to a frequent bus line. Important but not especially high traffic routes could be perfect, like linking key subway lines in outer areas, or just going over complex landscapes like a series of surface streets, expressways, rail lines, and rivers all next to each other.
For example, I think linking the Western/Armitage so on the O'Hare branch of Chicago's Blue Line to the Clybourn Metra commuter rail station and the Fullerton stop for the Red, Brown, and Purple 'L' Lines and then maybe on to the lakefront near the Nature Museum and Lincoln Park Zoo would be a fantastic use.
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