Monorail pros and cons

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Pros

• Monorail cars are quieter than conventional rail and can be controlled by computer because the system is separated from traffic. Light-rail trains must have drivers.
• Monorails do not interfere with traffic because they are elevated.
• Monorails have a futuristic aura even though the basic technology is more than 100 years old. Advocates say that aura is more likely to draw people out of their automobiles than buses or surface trains.

• The elevated rail and stations can obstruct views. Skeptics say there would be plenty of opposition in Seattle for that reason alone.
• The technology is not cheaper than light rail. In fact, it is more expensive compared with a light-rail system without tunnels, says Gary Hallman, director of sales for Bombardier Transit, which is making the monorail cars for Las Vegas.

  "It's more expensive, without question, because you're building an elevated structure as opposed to something on the ground," he says.

• No successful high-capacity monorail system has been built so far in this country to carry commuters in an urban area. But advocates argue no one has tried to build an extensive monorail system comparable to mass transit in major cities.