A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track. The term originates from joining the words mono (one) and rail (rail), from as early as 1897, possibly from German engineer Eugen Langen who called an elevated railway system with wagons suspended the Eugen Langen One-railed Suspension Tramway (Einschienige Hängebahn System Eugen Langen). The transportation system is often referred to as a railway. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used erroneously to describe any form of elevated rail or peoplemover. In fact, the term solely refers to the style of track, not its elevation.
Monorail systems have found shared applications in the transportation market in airport transfer and some medium capacity metro systems. To differentiate monorail systems from other transport modes, the Monorail Society further clarifies the definition of a monorail such that the beam in a monorail system is narrower than the vehicle.
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O. Disney, he was co-founder of Walt Disney Productions, which later became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation is now known as The Walt Disney Company and had an annual revenue of approximately US$36 billion in the 2010 financial year.
Disney is particularly noted as a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, for whom Disney himself provided the original voice. During his lifetime he received four honorary Academy Awards and won 22 Academy Awards from a total of 59 nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual in history. Disney also won seven Emmy Awards and gave his name to the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the U.S., as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
The Las Vegas Monorail (formerly MGM Grand-Bally's Monorail) is a 3.9-mile (6.3 km) monorail mass transit system located on the Las Vegas Strip, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It connects the unincorporated communities of Paradise and Winchester, and does not actually enter the City of Las Vegas. It is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Monorail Company. For tax purposes, the Monorail is registered as a not-for-profit corporation, which is allowed under Nevada law since the Monorail provides a public service. The state of Nevada assisted in bond financing, but otherwise no public money was used in construction; citizens may eventually have to pay taxes that fund the monorail.
The Las Vegas Monorail project was built by Bombardier Transportation upon an existing free monorail that ran between the MGM Grand and Bally's, closing a long gap in the Strip that tourists usually had to travel on foot.
After many delays, the finished Las Vegas Monorail opened to the public on July 15, 2004 with the completion and testing of "Phase 1."
The Chiba Urban Monorail (千葉都市モノレール, Chiba Toshi Monorēru?) is a two-line suspended monorail system located in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by Chiba Urban Monorail Co., Ltd (千葉都市モノレール株式会社, Chiba toshi monorēru kabushikigaisha?), a so-called "third-sector" company established on March 20, 1979. Investors include Chiba Prefecture and the city of Chiba.
The first segment (Line 2 from Sports Center Station to Chishirodai Station) began service on March 28, 1988, with the remainder of the system following 11 years later on March 24, 1999. Customers can use the PASMO contactless smart card to purchase fares.
The Chiba Urban Monorail holds the world record for the longest suspended monorail system at 15.2 km in total track length. The Chongqing Monorail holds the record for all monorail systems.
Line 1 connects Chiba Minato Station and Kencho-mae Station with a 3.2 km multiple-track route. Operating at 1500 VDC, trains make four intermediate stops between the terminals.