Montreal is growing and developing fast, and so is the need
for urban public transportation systems that are light on the environment but
could manage the growing needs. Industrial designer Frederic Laurin-Lalonde from the University of Montreal has come up
with a concept electric monorail, which is perfectly suited for the city.
Christened the UbiCiT, the electric monorail is proposed for
the first phase of Quebec network of monorail that extends from Montreal to its
southern suburbs. The electric monorail, which is designed to be suspended
either meters above the ground, will be highly energy efficient and can easily
carry 300 people, while still allowing access to people with reduced mobility
and those who come to the station riding their bikes.
Since the concept has been designed to be suspended directly
above existing roads and highways, local people will still be able to use the
space below, while admiring the monorail passing right over their heads. The
design has been made as aerodynamic as possible, so that only a small
percentage of electricity is consumed to overcome drag and the monorail can zip
past as fast as possible.