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Metrail Test Track Photo Essay
page three of three
One of the concerns I had about a hybrid monorail was what would
the noise factor be? What about those diesel engines? I paid close
attention to the sound of the train throughout our visit and I
can say without hesitation, excess noise is NOT a factor. The
train creates about the same amount of sound under diesel power
and it does under pure electrical power, which is minimal. Like
other monorails, the low-decibel hum of air conditioners is usually
what you hear when the train passes. I must add that those air
conditioners were quite welcome in the sweltering, humid heat
of Malaysia.
A beautiful train, back at its parking spot. This Metrail configuration
consists of cars and track very similar in size to that of a Bombardier
M-VI, however more space is available inside because of the flat
floor configuration above the bogies, with the walk-through capability.
Above is a diagram of the Metrail Standard, which is what
the test track has. The Metrail Standard has a capacity of five
to ten thousand passengers per hour, suitable for resorts or smaller
city duty.
The Metrail Plus is a longer train designed for regular
city service of ten to twenty thousand passengers per hour.
At the top of the spectrum, Metrail has a larger car monorail
on the drawing boards, the Metrail Ultra. This train for
high-volume operations of thirty to forty thousand passengers
per hour. The Minimum curve radius for Metrail Ultra is 45 meters.
(drawings courtesy of Metrail)
Don't try this at home, kids! Gordon got this nice photo of us
on the guideway, taken for scale reference (photo courtesy of
David M. Ice). The white stripe indicates the approximate location
of the floor level. Our sincere thanks to Gordon and all the fine
folks at Frazer-Nash and Metrail for showing off their promising
new technology. Watch the Monorail Society
News Briefs page for news on their progress. Also, be sure
to visit the Metrail Website
and watch an excellent online video of the train in operation.
And of course, be sure to order a copy of the Monorails
of Malaysia DVD, now available in the Monorail
Store. It features spectacular video of the Metrail test track
and other Malaysian monorails.
