Events

Mononorailex 2022

BannerThe International Monorail Association is excited to invite you to join its 14th annual conference, Monorailex 2022, scheduled to be held in Europa-Park Rust, Germany on September 16 through 18, 2022. In addition, there will be a Technical Visits Tour with stops in Nuremberg and Berlin from September 19 to 21, 2022.

This hybrid event takes place in advance of the world‘s largest trade fair for transport technology – InnoTrans. Monorailex 2022 is composed of presentation of scholarly papers and expert lecturers sharing their experience with the professional audience. Other highlights of the conference include the presentation of the first edition of the
Technical Performance Specifications and a comprehensive monorail market study commissioned by IMA. And, as always, Monorailex will provide the invaluable opportunity to network with other professionals in the field.

We are very pleased and honored to announce Paulo Sèrgio Amalfi Meca, Director of Engineering and Planning at Metrô São Paulo, for the keynote speech, who will give some insights of the process of choosing the monorail mode to be implemented for Lines 15 and 17, challenges faced during construction and their experience as an operator.

Please visit www.monorailex2022.org to get all program information.

HIGHLIGHTS OF MONORAILEX 2021

We look back on an exciting and successful Monorailex Conference 2021. During the planning period it wasn’t clear if we would be able to host the Conference in-person, but we were lucky that Italy lifted some of its restrictions early, and with great support from Marino Torre (Hitachi) and Agostino Marioni (Hirun) we could host the Conference in-person in Milan.

Due to still ongoing COVID19 restrictions, some members and interested parties from Egypt, Brazil, India, China, and other countries around the globe couldn’t attend in-person, but the conference was set up as a hybrid event which made it possible to attend over Zoom; and with this to contribute to a successful event with valuable presentations and lively discussions.

The conference started on Friday, Sept 24 at the 21WOL Hotel in Milan with the Annual General Meeting of the IMA (International Monorail Association). On Saturday and Sunday, 30 participants attended in-person and 25 participated over Zoom remotely.
There were 17 technology and market-oriented presentations and 2 specifications workshops in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday followed with two days of technical visits on Monday and Tuesday:

  • The visit at Marconi Express in Bologna was combined with a ride of Intamin's P30 System, insights into the OCC, and a detailed explanation of the system followed by a discussion on the various challenges and framework conditions with Rita Finzi, President of Marconi Express, and Franz Zürcher, Vice President Intamin Transportation. The Marconi Express system reduced a 35minute bus ride between the airport and Bologna main train station to 7 minutes.
  • At the Politecnico di Milano – one of the leading European Universities for Engineering, Architecture, and Design – Prof. Daniele Rocchi, Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, welcomed the group of delegates with presentations and visits of different research laboratories e.g., railway engineering including a visit at wind tunnel test facility, where, for example, the construction of bridge structures can also be tested in models of up to almost 14 meters length.
  • Metro Line 4 & 5 as fully automated transport solutions: Hitachi as a supplier of the CBTC (Communication Based Train Control) gave a presentation on their system and the related project in Milan. In addition, the delegates were able to gain a personal impression of fully automated metro operations with the metro ride to visit the Operations Control Centre and in-depth explanation in an exchange with the operator ATM.

The conference ended with a tour and visit to the Expo Ferroviaria, the most important national railway fair in Italy. Next to all technical and specific interchange between the attendees, there were also some fun activities like a small sightseeing tour through Milan, a visit to the vineyards in Montalto Pavese with lots of time shared along the exquisite and delicious Italian cuisine. A small photographic summary of the Monorailex 2021 can be found here.

Membership Cost

 

Type of Membership Annual Fee
Small Organization € 990.00
Medium Organization € 2,090.00
Large Organization € 4,290.00
   
Government/Public Authorities € 365.00
Owner/Operation Companies/Sole Practitioner € 365.00
Affiliate Organization Membership for Transportation Nonprofit Organizations No Annual Fee

 

 

 

DIGITAL MONORAIL WORKSHOP AND PRESENTATIONS 2020

We strive to keep our members safe and healthy while continuing to support the monorail industry during these tough times. This year Monorailex was held via Virtual Meeting to ensure the safety of our members and colleagues. The Virtual Meeting was organized in a series of activities that began on 19 September to 22 September, in 3 to 4-hour sessions each day.

The purpose and goal of the Virtual Workshop 2020 was to work on the further development of the association as well as the strategic direction for its future.

During last year’s assembly meeting (MONORAILEX 2019) that was held in Chiba, Japan, the IMA implemented two working groups whose focus was to further the development of the association.

Turnkey Systems Working Group

  • Purpose: Establish applicable turnkey system performance requirement, based on international standards, to assist consultants, authorization bodies, etc.,
  • Main content: Proven best practices for optimized total system approach for safe and efficient operation (e.g. passenger capacity, fleet-sizing),
  • Communication Platforms: Contact other association, norming organization.

Subsystems Working Group

  • Purpose: Define the recognizable international standards to support customer and industry procurement processes,
  • Main content: Establish the detailed integrated subsystem performance-based requirements or specifications,
  • Communication Platforms: Customer events, conferences, paper, web page.

Monorailex 2019

The 11th International Monorail Associations Annual Conference (Monorailex 2019) was held at the Hotel the Manhattan in Chiba, Japan from November 24 to 27, 2019.  This event took place ahead of the Mass-Trans Innovation Japan 2019, held at the Makuhari Messe International Convention Center in Chiba. This year's conference format included presentations of scholarly papers, technical tours and networking opportunities with other professionals in the field of monorail.

The technical tours included in this year's event consisted of visits to the Mass-Trans Innovation Japan 2019, Tokyo Monorail, Tama Monorail, the Yamanashi Prefectural Maglev Exhibition Center, monorail ride to NIFREL, monorail ride to Senri-Chuo Station, and a visit to the Peace Memorial Park and Museum.

Monorailex 2018

The 10th International Monorail Association Annual Conference (Monorailex 2018) was held at the Novotel Hotel am Tiergarten in Berlin, Germany from September 13 to 15, 2018. Monorailex conferences aim to provide a platform for experts and scholars in the field of monorail transportation and business development to share knowledge, discuss existing problems, opportunities, and challenges, while strengthening international cooperation for this cutting-edge technology. The format for Monorail 2018 included presentations of scholarly papers, roundtable workshop sessions, technical tours and opportunities to network with other professionals in the field. We thank everyone for their participation.

Monorailex 2017

The International Monorail Association, Beijing Jiaotong University, and China Monorail Transportation Development Research Center announced Monorailex 2017. The conference and exhibition took place at Beijing Jiaotong University, in Beijing, China, September 7-9, with an impressive list of Chinese companies co-organizing the event. The event showcased the progress in the Monorail and Maglev fields, and included International and Chinese exhibitors. There were three tracks in the presentations: Vehicle, Systems, and Infrastructure. 

After the conference, from September 9-13, there was an optional technical visit package offered to see the factories of CRRC in Tangshan and take a ride on one of their Maglev vehicles. Then to Chongqing, with visits to the longest operating monorail project in the world and its operating base. Next, we traveled to Nanjing-Wuhu, to tour CRRC’s vehicle manufacturing plant, a suspended monorail. Finally, we visited Bombardier's vehicle manufacturing plant in China and saw monorail vehicles for Wuhu Line 2 Phase 1 project.

ASCE APM Meeting 2016 - Toronto, Canada

Members of the Executive Committee traveled to Toronto, Canada to attend the ASCE 15th International Conference on Automated People Movers and Automated Transit Systems on April 17-20, 2016. The Executive Members identified areas of interest where IMA contributed to ASCE 21 elements of the Performance Specifications to capture Mass Transit Monorail characteristics.

Webinar: Monorail Power Rails - Critical Considerations for Powering Monorails/APM Systems

When: April 14, 2016 7:00 AM, Pacific Standard Time (UTC -08:00)

Who: Keith Forman, Conductix

The International Monorail Association held an international webinar with Keith Forman of Conductix, a company that designs, manufactures, and installs/services a wide range of conductor bar systems, transit conductor rails, slip ring assemblies, and inductive power transfer (IPT®) systems, as well as cable festoons, spring driven cable reels, and motor driven cable reels. The presentation was taped for those that sought access to the information at a later date. Subject Matter: Power rails have been an integral part of Monorail and APM systems since the earliest days of the technology. Though the power rail typically represent less than 5% of the total system cost, its implications on system performance, reliability and life cycle costs are considerable. Using historical examples spanning over 30 years, this presentation examines numerous design considerations and lessons learned for integrating power rail into a monorail system. The relationships between the power rail and guideway, vehicle, and traction power supply system will be covered as well as environmental, operational, maintenance and economic considerations. Most importantly, proper integration of the power rail system is best initiated in the early stages of the transit system design process. About the Speaker: Keith Forman is the Global Director of Transit Systems for Conductix-Wampfler, Inc. The company is a global supplier of electrification systems to transit, material handling, ports, automation, amusement, and numerous other industries. Keith is a mechanical engineer and technical manager with 20+ years' experience in the specification, design, development and production of power rail systems. Prior to joining Conductix in 1992, he served for 8 years in the US Air Force in aerial reconnaissance operations. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. 

Monorailex 2015

At the International Monorail Association, we believe that at the heart of every big city there is an opportunity for people to get to work, school, shop, visit friends, etc. conveniently, reliably, and efficiently. That goal requires assessment of what the conditions are on the ground, what the patterns of user preferences are, what the services presently available are in the form of buses, taxis, underground, what the gaps in service are, as well as the volume of passengers involved. Once the existing physical infrastructure is assessed, the planning on how to satisfy the gaps comes next. All the undertakings mentioned above constitute the steps to assess physical infrastructure. What is missing in many communities is the social infrastructure that allows the projects to be explored. In other words, what is missing is the knowledge base in a given field that could be used, transferred to other environments. That is one of the goals of the International Monorail Association meetings: to create an opportunity for the social infrastructure to be set in place, to learn about what portions of a project were successful, which decisions should be avoided, what technologies are being studied and explored in research institutions. Monorailex 2015 occurred this past November 2015. During the sessions there was a lot of learning in the various fields. Our field trips were also instructional. We experienced the hospitality of the members of the Las Vegas Monorail Company, showcasing their Innovia 200 trains, and Doppelmayr Cable Car Company, showcasing the systems at Aria and Excalibur. Both companies opened their maintenance facilities and vehicles to our delegates. Those who attended Monorailex 2015 can attest about the technical value, camaraderie, and friendships that develop during these meetings. The general membership present at the event decided a number of things:

  • To create a new category of membership, the Association Member. This category will allow IMA to extend membership status to associations dealing with transportation related issues and to solicit membership on their associations
  • To remove the joining fee as a way to streamline the membership experience.
  • To hold our next 2016 meeting in Cologne, Germany, or its vicinity.
  • To issue comments to the ASCE 21 document to have it reflect mass transit monorail needs.
  • To distribute some of the papers presented in the sessions to people interested in the field of monorails and Automated People Movers.

There are relevant tasks ahead of us in 2016; working on our comments to the ASCE 21 documents, multiple new projects are coming on line, and ensure the learnings of previous projects get incorporated into the new ones. This is also the time to innovate and be open to the opportunity monorail transportation systems provides the owners and users in terms of efficient design and operation. Let’s recommit to the tasks ahead of us. See more photos here!