This is the number one question we receive at The Monorail Society. Unfortunately there is no simple answer. There are many variables which influence the price of building a monorail system (and most forms of rail transit). Factors include...
No matter what the cost of building one is, monorail has the one of the best chances of all transit modes of turning a profit. This said, we are publishing the following approximate cost figures of various monorail/monobeam systems (manufacturers listed alphabetically). The list is by no means complete. If you are looking for more accurate cost figures for a specific alignment, the most accurate information should be obtained directly from the manufacturer or a monorail-knowledgeable consultant (one that won't just try to sell you light or heavy rail). See our Manufacturer Page for contact information.
System type | Cost/Year | Info Source | System Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hitachi |
$15 million/km |
Tokyo-Haneda Monorail |
Operating |
|
Hitachi |
$62 million/km |
Kitakyushu Monorail |
Operating |
|
VSL- |
$25 million/mile |
MGM-Bally's Monorail |
Replaced with Bombardier system |
|
Hitachi |
$27 million/km |
Okinawa Monorail |
Operating |
|
Kuala Lumpur |
$36 million/km |
Kuala Lumpur Monorail |
Operating |
|
Bombardier MVI |
$88 million/mile |
Las Vegas Monorail |
Operating |
|
Hitachi | $73.4 million/km 2006 |
Palm Jumeirah Monorail | Operating | |
Metrail |
$20 million/km |
Metrail |
Contracted |
|
Scomi |
$27.25 million/km |
Mumbai Monorail |
Operating (2014) |
Disclaimer: The above figures were calculated by extrapolating information in the public domain. We encourage manufacturers and consultants to provide us with corrected cost estimates if any of our numbers appear to be incorrect. Thank you!