America's Most Interesting/Unique Transit Systems (Top 10)
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- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2024
- These are the top 10 most interesting transit systems in the United States.
Please note that this is all my footage and therefore you can find the full length videos on my channel :D
What are some of the most interesting transit systems to you? Do you agree with the list? Is there something I left out? What is a place that is a must visit? Where in the United States have you been that has an interesting transit system and why?
Information comes from Wikipedia
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Comment below so we can all have a productive 'conversation about transportation!'
Thank you for all the support!!! 
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Up until a year ago, I lived in Morgantown, WV. Used to ride the PRT to get around town. It's actually fun...if it's running. The students used to call it "Possibly Running Today" or "Probably a Round Trip." If you're a WVU student you get on for free, but it does have a stop downtown and at the Hospital...
I love the prt, makes morgantown unique as there's like nothing to do here
In European nomenclature, the river line would definitely be a tram-train. Unusual for it to be diesel operated.
Thats why I would just classify it as a DMU, simliar to the Trillium line in Ottawa, and the Capmetro Red Line in Austin.
Maybe so it can go onto the heavy rail line.
@@silverparis21Yes, almost certainly, but the usual practice would be electrify the heavy rail line.
It's light rail.
Diesel interurban wouldn't be a bad term, since lots of old streetcar routes were interurban.
It shares heavy rail, but different times of day. Freights get some use of the route, but mostly at night. There's no passenger commuter rail (heavy rail) along that route.
I don't know if it was start-up costs against electrification (33 miles, two-track, all at once would be awfully expensive), or if there were practical clearance issues along the route that would be logistics & even higher $ issues, or something else.
I would definitely add Cleveland's mix of heavy rail and light rail to this list, espeically since both types of vehicles share the same track and have low-level and high-level platforms connected to each other along this stretch.
Do they operate different times of day? Or is there some other way of getting around the regulatory restrictions on light rail and heavy rail running on the same track?
Great panoramic images from the Pittsburgh funicular!
The streetcars in New Orleans. Only because I live here and ride them all the time. Thanx for posting this.
Saint Denis trolleys in rdr2!
I rode on three of the ones presented: The Incline in Pittsburgh, Norristown high speed line (the cars tilt into the curves (1990's) and the cable cars in San Fransisco. I may do the Riverline this year. I live in the NYC metro but never rode the tramway to Roosevelt Island which I believe was built due to the lack of subway service to the island which was resolved 30 years after it was built.
One thing to note in San Fransisco is that Market Street is the only street in the U.S. to have five modes of transit on and underneath it: diesel and electric buses on the surface, surface street cars, high speed street cars one level down underground and BART metro under that.
Wow nice fun fact there with Market Street. Did not know that it had surface streetcars.
I've been on the Morgantown PRT. It's absolutely amazing.
Thanks for giving my hometown of Detroit, MI an honorable mention! The _People Mover_ isn't the biggest, flashiest, or really goes anywhere, but I've love it all the same.
No, I hadn't heard of these transport systems. And yes certainly, they are very interesting.
with the Boston trolley, I actually lived near it for a number of years, yet when leaving, I realized that despite using other modes of the T a lot, I have actually never used it...
also, adding to the list, I would maybe add the "Turquoise-line" of the T, largely because no one (even in Boston) has ever heard of it...
the line runs as a short train along the Blue line from Wonderland to Maverick, before exiting the main track onto a ferry, which takes it Charleston Navy yard and then Sullivan square, where it rejoins rail with the orange line towards Oak Grove... I don't think it operated daily, maybe, was experimental, never figured out... used it a few times on chance though...
Glad to see Morgantown PRT on the list, even if it wasn't working. What a weird and ahead of its time transit system.
One that could have been added is Jacksonville’s weird tiny monorail, and the Miami Metro mover
Their is nothing unique about maimis metro mover
@@ethansinclair7987 no other city has a people mover network like that
@@jg-7780 it not a people mover it's a train
When I first arrived in the US (CA) in 1980, there was a constant discussion about getting rid of the cable car. Tourists would stand for an hour thinking that' was the only way to ride the cable car but you could just walk a few blocks and there would be no wait. The fare was just $1 and SF was a lovely place to visit. You should see the giant wheel in the museum that moves the cable underneath.
The Chicago South Shore Line is interesting, one of the last USA interurban lines(Norristown High Speed Line is the other one left), with some street running and sharing of tracks with freight trains. The Miami people mover is pretty interesting, I also like the #7 line in in New York City between Flushing and Manhattan. The route 15 Trolley in Philadelphia which should reopen later this year is great also.
Flushing? It doesn’t even go to Long Island City. It goes between Roosevelt Island and Manhattan Island
I lived in Flushing I used it, and my father rode the #7 to work every day, there is an over head aerial cable line between Roosevelt Island and Manhattan. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_(New_York_City_Subway_service)
@@mrjsanchez1 Well yes. I know the 7 service exists. They just extended it. But what I am saying is that the two points it goes to are both in the Borough of Manhattan, and Flushing is where the Mets play, far out into Queens
It has a stop for Citi Field and in the past Shea stadium. It is officially Named Mets-Willets Point.(This stop was expanded and heavily used for the 1939 and 1964 World's Fair) The number 7 Flushing line ends at main street in downtown Flushing Queens since 1928, the west extension to Hudson Yards opened in 2015.
One of the most unique features of the Detroit People Mover is something you unfortunately didnt show at all.
Each station has a unique piece (or two) of artwork. Something that happened because one woman had an idea and formed a volunteer group to raise the money.
The Detroit People Mover is just a baby version of Vancouver's Skytrain. It's kind of sad that they never built out the system, and that there aren't other versions of automated light metro systems in the US with the exception of in Puerto Rico and soon HART in Hawaii.
@@agntdrake I think the Miami Metromover is another automated system.
But yeah I've read every article I could find about the history and still can't fathom how the city and suburbs couldn't come to any sort of agreement when there was plenty of fed money to build more than the downtown loop. One thinking lacking then was a regional transit authority which finally got passed in 2012.
@@Knightmessenger I actually meant that the system is the same between the two cities. It was developed by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation which was a crown corporation in the province of Ontario in Canada. The only other system like it is the Scarborough RT line which is part of the Toronto Subway, but it's going to be phased out. It's unfortunate because the technology is pretty amazing, using a linear induction motor (i.e. the track propels the cars) which works really great in icy/snowy conditions.
@@agntdrake what's going to replace the Toronto line?
@@Knightmessenger Bus service in 2023 I think, and then eventually Line 2 of the Subway in 2030.
Fascinating ✌and thanks for including the New Orleans line... nice memories
Where is the Seattle monorail?
The RiverLine travels on a portion of the ROW that was used by the 1st passenger rail line to run in NJ. The ROW goes from Camden to South Amboy but the RiverLine only uses the portion from Camden to Bordentown, where it veers off onto a spur that ends in Trenton, at the Amtrak/NJT station. the cars were pulled by horses
Excellent unique transit system, 👌👌👌
The Norristown interurban line is so interesting. Would love to ride it some time.
That was once the Philadelphia and Western and had some unique Brill built cars called Brill Liners or Bullet Trains. These unique vehicles ran from the 1930s until the 1990s before they were retired. There are some preserved because of their unique design. The P&W also connected to other lines including the Liberty Lines in and out of the region.
The people mover!!!!!
I can't wait to see this video. Let's see if the Detroit People Mover still has those special invisible people or do more people ride on that.
More people ride on it now. I went on it in February of last year and it was packed full of people.
Footage is from 2015 so definitely not packed!
@@jpshk3 Oh ok interesting!
@@timosha21 Oh great I love to see older videos, when things were much more normal.
@@jpshk3 yeah everyday consistent ridership was up I heard in early 2020, just in time for the whole world to shut down.
It's always packed during the anime convention since both venues are connected on the loop.
You forgot,in Boston,is the first Subway built in the US,and it's now the Green Line,and also add the Blue Line,as it operates on both third rail,and overhead,very uncommon! Add for New York,two different subways,i.e.,the number 7,(IRT),and the PATH,formerly the Hudson &Manhattan,both are unique,as to their right of ways! Plus New Jersey boasts of two interstate subways,the PATH,and out of Philadelphia,the Delaware River Bridge Line the goes to Camden and points North! Overlooked,and pretty scenic! Thank you for your attention!
I have ridden on the Duquesne Incline when I visited Pittsburgh, it was really interesting! The incline cars are really old and they were rattling a lot when going down the slope.
You need to check out the SouthShore line that runs from Downtown Chicago to South Bend Indiana 90 miles (150km) east along the Indiana Shore on the southern edge of Lake Michigan it is a electrically powered interurban commuter rail line running continuously since 1908. Also Chicago commuter rail system Metra also has some interesting electrified lines Metra Electric running south from downtown close to Lake Michigan. Trains have been running since 1856 along these railroad routes and these rail lines were electrified in 1926.
So what actually makes it different from any other commuter line
@@ethansinclair7987 True technically its a electric line like others in the NE corridor but the significance is historical. Most people are oblivious to the wonderful system of interurban electric rail we once had in most cities coast to coast, with the biggest system in the country in PreWW2 Los Angeles - Southern California.
@@rpf276 their are thousands of lines in the world with historic value to it name so what differentiate this line from others
You need to add the Boring Company's quirky Las Vegas tunnel system.
While the Silver Line is unique to Boston (as far as I know), the operator, the MBTA, has a long history of running electric buses (AKA trackless trollies) powered by overhead catenaries. I believe some routes of electric buses still exist in Cambridge, MA around Harvard Square.
One goes all the way out to Watertown Square! The Mass. Ave line never should have been cut back from it's original destination in Arlington Heights. And they should have kept the Green Line "A" Train!
Portland Aerial Tram is Oregon is interesting too!
Nice video. I do believe Chicago's CTA should have been included.
I take the Riverline from Camden to Trenton a few times a month. Nice ride.
There are a number of lines in the US that use European diesel multiple units. The ones in Texas operate as commuter rail. The RiverLINE and the Sprinter north of San Diego are classified as light rail. But Camden’s vehicles are heavily customized and includes a substantial amount of street running and it stands out in these regards.
Fun Facts:
1) The Detroit PeopleMover was originally intended to be the circulator line at the hub of a hub-and-spoke light rail network. The LRT spokes were canceled but they built the hub anyway. Feckin' Detroit, man!
2) In July 2004, I attended the grand opening ceremony for the Las Vegas Monorail. Free food at every station, live music at the Hilton, fireworks and a mass helicopter "assault." Nobody -- but NOBODY -- puts on a show like Vegas!
3) The Morgantown PRT doesn't run between semesters. It was shuttered the first time I went to see it. I went back a couple of months later and they were kind enough to give me a grand tour of the ops center. The system catches a lot of grief for reliability issues but the personnel are great.
There are several city bus routes you can take when the Monongahela and/or Duquesne Inclines are out of service (frequently) but those buses take longer to get down the hill.
I’ve ridden on:
RiverLine (NJ)
Tramway (NYC)
Streetcar (New Orleans)
People Mover (West Virginia)
ALL WERE WORTH THE RIDE 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Thanks Tim for sharing these 10 most interesting/unique transit systems i've ridden many of them😀😀
Hey Scott! Which ones have you been on and which ones were your favorite ?
@@timosha21 Favorites are Norristown High Speed line, San Francisco Cable Cars and the Riverline between Camden and Trenton. I've ridden all 3. The Norristown High Speed line is my favorite. I remember when the famous red bullet cars were used. Quite often I just take a ride on it.
I remember wanting to ride the riverline when I was little, but i didn't know it actually had street running.
It’s a great ride for casual sightseeing of the little towns along the way and a one way for the whole 34mi is less than $3
@@korbermeister1 1.60 for one way ;)
Me looking at the thumbnail: hey that kinda looks like the People Mover in Detroit, wonder where it's from.
Oh wait 😆
In San Francisco's cable car, you should show the inside of the power house and the 4 lines traction motors-very interesting. Also in San Francisco is antique trams running along the water front not mentioned.
And its trolleybuses
As a native Detroiter, I enjoy riding the People Mover. What most people don't know is that is meant to be a central hub for a regional system that never got built.
You need to mention the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) in Dallas, Texas. It has both light rail (4 lines now and a 5th one in progress) and full bus service all over Dallas, Texas. Plus, there the Trinity Rail Express that connects Dallas to Ft. Worth and another rail system that connects Dallas to Denton, Texas. And Dallas is building a subway system through downtown. This rail system is a must-see!
It seems like most other transportation systems in the US. Also what’s the other light rail line being built?
Well done video I enjoyed all the footage, thank you for sharing!
Nice !.
Thanks you for the video.
The Morgantown PRT is a good time was only 50 cents when I lived near WVU. They would keep it running late nite on weekends sometimes to help keep people from drinking and driving.
I used it to go to work and to go hang out in Sunnyside.
Don't forget Seattle's Link Light Rail! I know that it is only one line but it is subway, tram, and train all together!!! They also run at pretty high speed near 60mph and also extending to Northgate this year!
Cleveland Ohio has a long rapid transit system. It runs from the Cleveland airport with a few stops before it gets to the Terminal Tower station which is underground. and then continues to more stops and goes way out on the east side.
I would consider the Norristown Speed Line either an Interurban or trolley line since it originates from 1907 and used equipment that are similar to interurbans in other parts of the country
I wondered how the St. Charles was originally powered in 1835, so I Googled this:
"Originally incorporated as the New Orleans Carrollton Roilroad in 1833, service began in 1835. A variety of motive power had been used including hores, mules, overhead cable, steam engines, and ammonia engines before electrication (another typo, or maybe not?) in 1893." Of course "hores" was obviously a typo for horses, but it was still worth a good chuckle.
The Roosevelt Island Tramway in NY, I've seen first time in the Dark Water movie..
Excellent video ! 👍
Silver line in Boston is very interesting
Very cool ... all of them . Don't really think the diesel on the streets of Camden ad charm .
Only because I'm an electric fan .
Morgantown PRT! Never thought it would make it to one of these videos! I went to WVU. Those stations can get packed during class switch time. Interesting to not that the Downtown stop isn’t on any campus area and serves sort of like a destination or commuter stop.
I've ridden most of these. The Pittsburgh Funiculars and the Norristown HSL I rode for commuting to work. The New Orleans and SF Streetcars I rode while on vacation. The WVU Personal system I rode also. I need to catch up with Vegas, Camden, NYC, Detroit, Boston.
Ah yes, our Detroit People Mover. Have memories of riding it and seeing it many times as a kid. It ain't much, but it's cool to see. Now Detroit also has a tram that I have yet to ride. Still, I wish Detroit had more in the way of commuter/light rail.
It also should have a subway but they never got around to it when they had the opportunity
Oh, yeah! I've ridden five of them and feel I love them all!
Next time in Philly try the route 15 trolley using heritage pcc trolley cars
Excellent selection of very different and interesting systems
Thank you for a very interesting video.
I think if you include the Roosevelt Island Tramway, then you should definitely include Disney World's Skyliner system. It's a true transportation system with multiple lines and a line with multiple stations.
Usually the rule for these is he bases them on what he’s actually ridden.
Portland, OR also has an aerial tramway. Plus streetcars and light rail.
The Miami Metro Mover
Mattapan hi speed line is definitely more interesting than the silver line
Agreed. Silver Line gets talked about too much and MBTA already has an inflated opinion of it. SLX planning is a joke. I basically said if you can't manage dedicated ROW into Cambridge, just forget the whole thing. No point grade separating through less busy areas and then running mixed traffic through the most congested parts of the route. Also, let's spent a ton of money on dedicated ROW and then send the route over a drawbridge that opens for 15 minutes at a time with no warning.
Detroit , Las Vegas , Norristown , Camden , Morgantown , Boston trolleybus
I like the mattapan high speed line in boston :)
And it uses PCC heritage trolleys painted in the old MTA livery
@@edwardmiessner6502 It's actually not quite the original MTA livery. It's unique MBTA livery modeled after the MTA livery, even featuring a unique MBTA logo designed based on the old MTA logo.
the very most interesting to me is the Cable Car.for it is unique worldwide, while e.g. former Czechoslowakia has several trolleybussystems...
The San Francisco Muni metro has stations built for light rail (raised platform aboveground stations with no security, stations that are literally just stops (like a bus stop), and underground subway stations (with secure entrance/exits), all served by the same train type
Had a feeling you would have the Morgantown PRT in this. And of course Pittsburgh's inclines. Our two surviving inclines, amid several more built later up to the 20s, and the couple that survived up to the 50s/1960, our last two inclines, are from the period that the HBO series Deadwood was portrayed.
Πλην των μονορέιλ όλα τα άλλα είναι εξαιρετικά! Εύγε!
Awesome video, as always. I only wish my train videos were half as good as yours! Thanks much for sharing.
Seattle has a tram and trolley bus stations. Which and underground. A trolley bus line where I live will be perfect.
The Camden River line is a huge boondoggle. Few passengers, big expense.
there's a funicular in Los Angeles California called Angels Flight it is pretty short though and I'm not sure if it is still in operation. 🤔😎👍😀🇺🇸
Well done video. All are interesting as well as fascinating. Thanks Tim
The Morgantown system could be the most silence one with Rubber wells and electricity! (10:31h)
As a mbta rider the system is pretty unique in some sort like for instance the silverline was just shown in this video there is also the blue line which uses both 3rd rail and over head wires and the green line having multiple destinations for instance the B uses a protected median and the D uses a grade separate route besides that the red and orange lines are typical subways except the orange line cars are shaped a bit differently then your normal American subway car
Amazing This Video 👌❗
There is also the monorail in Jacksonville and the people mover in Irving, Texas.
Cool video 😎
I believe that Pittsburgh system may have been in the Flashdance movie!
@Timosha21 : At 9:20 you show New York City at the edge of Lake Ontario, a few hundred miles from its location at the Atlantic.
I know it's not in the usa; but, "Skytrain", in Vancouver, Canada; is like the loop in Detroit.
It runs between, Vancouver, and New Westminster, And is the best way to see the city!
There is a traction plate down the center of the track...and linier induction motors power the train.
One motor is powerfull enough to take a two car train up the side of a building!
It is not possible for the train, to climb out of the guideway!
The DC is converted to AC, and they vary the frequency, to control the speed!
No drivers...no driving stations...self driving; in 1986!!!!
Until a certain point in time it was the worlds longest driverless system . Hint, its in another top 10 video.
The skytrain shows what Detroit could have had. Still, the people mover does offer amazing views of downtown (and canada across the river) which are much prettier now than when it opened.
Wow nice video man
I've taken the people mover a few times and it's a great system, assuming where you want to go is in the direction the train is going in. Great city views too, wish it was more useful for residents
Check out Valley Metro Lite Rail. A 30 or so mile route linking Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa AZ. Opened in 2008 it is expanding rapidly and has facilitated the opening of the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport SkyTrain and the downtown Tempe streetcar/lite rail lines.
Chicago L Train? Baltimore's light rail that transitions between streetcar and dedicated track? Also, Las Vegas Monorail was built by the same company and to the same specifications as Walt Disney World's monorail. Disney's came first, and is, most certainly, an actual, legitimate transit system.
Baltimore is nice , but a lot of light rail systems do that
@@apluto12-z3e Yes, but it's not as common as you think, and Baltimore's is unique.
How does the Las Vegas Monorail beat out the Walt Disney World Monorail? The Walt Disney World Monorail isn't an amusement park attraction/ride. It's a (free use) public transit system that connects two theme parks with several hotels and a parking facility in the municipality of Bay Lake, Florida. It has six stations and is over 14 miles long. The Las Vegas Monorail in Paradise, Nevada has one more station than Walt Disney World, but it's not even 4 miles long. It connects several casino hotels and a convention center along the Las Vegas Strip. Is casino gaming not an amusement? A casino and a theme park are both entertainment complexes. Considering its history and overall length, I don't see why the Walt Disney World Monorail should be snubbed in favor of Las Vagas which began its service with former Walt Disney World monorail trainsets.
I've been on:
New Orleans
Detroit
Las Vegas
Norristown
San Francisco
Morgantown
Boston
I've been on other modes in Pittsburgh, Camden, and NYC, but not those shown.
Windsor's Tunnel Bus is the only time I've crossed an international border on transit.
The Roosevelt Island Tramway looks like fun! It reminds me of the bridge gondola video on this channel.
Do ferries and water taxis count?
Seattle has been operating dual-mode trolley buses, also including a downtown tunnel, for probably as long as Boston has. They now share the downtown tunnel with tracked light-rail cars. And Norristown is nothing more or less than a true interurban, one of the few survivors of the many that used to serve U.S. urban and suburban areas.
Very disappointed you did not get the metro mover in Miami
Been on one of the Silver Line buses in Boston. They ran through the tunnel like a bat outta hell.. o.O
Very cool! Thanks!
The Trolley Bus or your#1 is exactly the one they use in Solingen Germany.
#1 is CHAMP!
I like the DPM for its design but I also hate how it is 1 direction and it is driverless. There is nobody in the train to ensure passenger safety or control the doors in rush hour. Nobody wants to commute using a circular train that goes 1 direction. They should’ve made another track for 2 directions and would’ve ordered Mark IIIs.
If Detroit were like Vancouver they would have expanded it metro area wide as a Skytrain
Not really given the small population of Detroit vs the densely populated Vancouver. There is a point of streetcars serving the Detroit Metropolitan Area and Detroit getting served by Innovias. Although I think DPM will not become expanded due to the fact that QLine is more successful than DPM.
The doors are controlled by people at the control center. There are cameras at every station.
For the Norristown, I would rather called it as “Electric Railcar"
Here's a video of the Morgantown PRT in action. It's a really cool system:
ruclips.net/video/iaSaWfw07Sw/видео.html
4:53 Since the monorail doesnt go to the airport (which you can see from it), its still only for amusement
Why is Roosevelt Island listed as being in Buffalo, NY?
Manhattan is quite a bit lower on the map than the dot shows.
The river line is also a rapid transit light rail but Runs on the street
See Boston's other Silver Line, along Washington St where they had an El til the 1980s, were promised light rail, then trolleycoaches, but got a bus.
I think they should have kept the El but built the Southwest Corridor line out to Needham Heights, and branched off the Green Line to that place too.
The idea is that eventually there will be a portal/tunnel connection for the Washington St (surface) Silver Line to the dedicated Silver Line tunnel that runs from South Station to the Seaport and to the highway tunnel to the airport. Currently, the Washington St Silver Line turns around on the Surface outside South Station.
San Diego Trolley should have been number 1!
Wow. Great view, I love to see new places 👍
Great movie 👍👋 Bravo 👋
And I have a new movie from a walk around the city 😊
Yours sincerely, DJ Janusz from Warsaw Poland 🇵🇱😘🎶🎵🙏✋