Clarian Health People Mover

Clarian People Mover is 1.4-mile (2.3 km) long people mover in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. The system opened on June 28, 2003 to connect the Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis, Indiana University Hospital and theJames Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, jointly operated as a single hospital by Clarian Health.

The dual-track system is open to the public and operates around the clock, taking 5 minutes in each direction.During the daytime, a train departs automatically every six minutes. It is notable for being the only private transportation system in the United States constructed to run above public streets.

History

In 1997, the three hospital operations were combined under Indiana law creating a shared-staff of over 10,000 employees who could be required to travel between the campuses. Commuting between the three sites was complicated and required the crossing of the Interstate 65 highway by shuttle buses.

In May 2000, a Health Care Transportation System Franchise Agreement was signed, followed by the People Mover – State of Indiana Airspace Agreement and Lease in November 2000 to allow crossing under the Interstate 65 highway for a period of 25 years.

System

The large gap between the rails avoids collecting snow. In the center are pneumatic tubes for document & sample transfer.

The system was constructed by Schwager Davis Inc. (SDI) from San Jose, California to their Unitrakstandard.

There are two separate parallel elevated guidewaysside-by-side, both of which operate in both directions. The concrete rails have a gap between them, designed to combat winter snow and the people mover is therefore not technically a monorail.

Each of the two tracks carries a train with three carriages for a total capacity of 81 passengers. Each train weighs 45,000 pounds (20 t) and has twenty-four passenger seats across the three cars. The rest of the passenger capacity is made up of standing places.

Operation

During the night-time, one track is closed between 22:00–05:30 for maintenance, with the second train/track operated in on-demand mode by elevator-style call buttons.

Incidents

• On December 13, 2002 one of the cars overran coming into Riley station, bumping the buffer and a glass walkway beyond. The minor incident occurred whilst running in an automated testing mode, before the staref name="bump">"Empty Monorail Car Bumps Into Walkway, Causes Minor Damage". Indiana News. 2002-12-13. Retrieved 2008-11-14. "An empty monorail car apparently overshot its stop outside Riley Hospital for Children and bumped into a walkway [...] No injuries were reported in the crash [...] The monorail system [..] is in a testing phase,"
• On August 5, 2009 at around midday, one of the elevated cars stopped near to Canal Station. The Indianapolis Fire Department were called to assist passengers inside the car, but a rescue was not required.