Monorails of North America

Jacksonville, Florida
 Opened 1997 4 km (2.5 miles)   8 stations

In 1994 Bombardier was selected by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) to replace its existing Matra-built peoplemover with a totally automated monorail system. The first two-station segment of the "Skyway" monorail opened in 1997. The UMIII trains are similar to their predecessors in Tampa, but run on concrete beams instead of steel. The beam is placed on top of the massive Matra guideway, and unfortunately JTA has elected to continue using the obtrusive support structure for Skyway track extensions. A tragic fatal accident has already occurred to a worker on the structure next to the beam. If more extensions are built, hopefully only narrow monorail track and a centerline catwalk will be included, like at Newark International. Maximum speed of the two-car trains is 48 kph. The system layout consists of two pinched loops that merge at a level Y-junction. Additional vehicles can be added to trains as the system grows.

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