Monorail mooted in Milton Keynes

Date: 8/11/2012

Plans which show how a monorail-based transport network could be introduced to Milton Keynes have been put forward by a lobby group.

Xplain has drawn up the proposals of how the futuristic system could be integrated into the everyday travelling life of the city.

The council had put the idea of (PRT) Personalised Rapid Transport into the public domain a year earlier, but has not as yet taken it any further, reports the Milton Keynes Citizen.

A PRT system has already been successfully rolled out for use at Heathrow Airport, transferring passengers between terminals.

If Milton Keynes was to adopt a monorail system it would work in a slightly different way to the one deployed at the airport.

It would serve a larger number of destinations and work as a bus-come-taxi service with passengers able to jump into the first available car and go.

Monorail would work well in Milton Keynes as the city was built to a grid system with this type of transport in mind.

Linda Inoki, Leader of Xplain, said: "By elevating another section of the grid road, it’s possible to redevelop the ailing Food Centre with an attractive new complex at the very gateway to central Milton Keynes.

"We want to show there is no need to choose between disrupting the grid and building new shops when, with a bit of imagination, we can have it all."

The group says that a new plaza with shopping units is all that is needed to revamp the city centre and integrate the transport system.

An architect working on the plans, Adrian Morrow, has suggested integrating a second shopping building, but has focused on preserving the pedestrian and cycle routes around the city, as well as the road infrastructure, taking pressure off parking space.

Mr Morrow said: "It’s like a moving sculpture. It would certainly complement the city’s modern architecture, and be an attraction in its own right."

Posted by Nick Anderson

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