In 1992 a 1-mile-long monorail was built for the Seattle World’s Fair, and the popular transportation link has provided 44 years of dependable service. But in the last couple of years it has suffered a series of problems and there is a debate over what to do with it.

The city is debating whether or not to spend about $4.5 million to take care of major repairs that were previously postponed. There are some people who question whether it is worth it and it might be better to just tear it down.

My suggestion is to tear most of it down and replace it with a new, modern, Hitachi monorail as was planned for the cancelled Green Line project.

Why?

The existing Seattle Center Monorail is both a very popular tourist attraction and an excellent high-speed transit line for locals travelling between Downtown and the Seattle Center or the Lower Queen Anne district. The recent problems and irregular service have greatly disappointed many tourists and locals alike. A new, modern line would be even more popular and could carry more riders.

Businesses at both ends of the line — Westlake Center and the Seattle Center — have reported considerable loss of income while the monorail is not running. A replacement would bring even more customers and would be more dependable.

Even though it is 44 years old, the current monorail demonstrates new technology and a practical solution for urban rapid transit. A Hitachi system would demonstrate even better the advantages of monorail transportation.

The current monorail was built with columns down the middle of a one-way street (Fifth Avenue). This causes some problems with traffic. A new system can be built with the columns at the edge of the street, leaving the travel lanes unobstructed by columns.

My Proposal

I suggest building a new monorail according to the plans already prepared for the Green Line, with some modifications.

The Green Line design and alignment would be used along Fifth Avenue from Lenora Street to about Thomas Street. The proposed Green Line station at Bell Street would be retained or dropped, depending on public input. Whether or not there should be a station around Denny Way or Broad Street would also be something to be discussed.

The alignment south of Lenora Street would be on the west side of Fifth Avenue until it approaches Westlake Center. Then the alignment would depend on the location of the Westlake Center Station. A safe distance between the two guideway beams would be maintained along the entire guideway.

There would be a new station at or near Westlake Center. The new station would maintain a safe distance between guideway beams, and have a higher passenger-handling capacity than the current station. The best location of the station would need to be determined.

The north end of the line would follow the Green Line alignment through the Experience Music Project building (EMP). However, immediately west of the EMP the new line would curve to the southwest to a new Seattle Center Station located about 100 feet or so south of the current station. The monorail guideway orientation at this point would be at about a 30- to 45-degree angle south of west, and the new station would be oriented likewise. The southwest end of the station would be north of Thomas Street so that if the line is extended west along Thomas Street, there will be sufficient space for a curve in the guideway.

The existing Seattle Center Station would be retained but upgraded to serve as a new monorail museum that would house one or two of the Alweg trains along with various exhibits about the Seattle Center Monorail, the Green Line, and other monorails of the World. The museum would also display various monorail artifacts.

It may be possible to still use the old station as a maintenance base for the new trains, but it may be difficult or impossible to use it both as a maintenance base and a museum. However, if a way is found to use the station for both functions, it would add a great deal to the purpose of the museum, because viewing windows could be provided to permit museum patrons to view maintenance work on the new trains.

Depending on public input and financing, it may be possible to extend the new line along Thomas Street to a new station south of Key Arena. This station would provide excellent access to Key Arena and the west side of the Seattle Center, and rapid transit for area residents. It would also permit transfer to and from several bus lines that run on First Avenue North and Queen Anne Avenue.