Monorail flaw tied to mall plan (Seattle P-I)
On Saturday, November 26th, 2005 the original Seattle monorail was involved in a MAJOR accident. At the end station at Westlake Center, the tracks pinch together, only allowing one train into the station at one time. This is a deviation from the original 1962 design, put into place when Westlake Center was constructed in the 1980's. Careful sequencing of trains and a signal light has avoided an accident like the one that happened for almost 30 years...but no longer.
It appears from published reports that one of the drivers was impatient and sideswiped the other train at the curve into Westlake, where the tracks begin to narrow. This was a holiday weekend (Thanksgiving), and I can only assume that the driver thought he could make it past the outgoing train. I guess not.
So, it appears the monorail will be shut down for quite awhile...at least until after the holiday season. And there will be an analysis of the design of this station, and the whole line itself.
One thing coming out of this: when a new Seattle Monorail is again proposed in the city (and it will be), it will NOT be utilizing any single track sections, as was proposed for some sections of the original Seattle Monorail. And the months of down time will show again how useful the monorail is, as merchants at Westlake Center are already suffering.
Puget Sound Transportation Projects
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