Suspended Monorail System: A New Development of an Urban Rail Transit System with Low Passenger Capacity

China has entered the booming stage of urban rail transit. Suspended monorail system, which belongs to urban rail transit with low traffic volume, is under development. Adaptability and technical feasibility of suspended monorail are analyzed on the basis of train capacity, technical features and construction cost. Operational features of symmetrical suspended monorail systems in Germany and Japan are introduced. Capacity adaptability of the monorail is calculated under four-parameter combined cases, which are vehicle size, seat layout, train marshalling and capacity principles. The trains with width 2.4 m~2.6 m and marshalling cars 2~3, are suggested in domestic. Compared to modern tram, BRT, and metro, the monorail has unique advantages in technology, engineering construction and cost, and it becomes new development of urban rail transit. Learn from development of mid-low speed maglev traffic, and the monorail will be successfully brought to market.