Switches, for monorail, are huge, cumbersome devices that take many times longer than standard rail switches to actually switch over. The maximum frequency of trains over the bridge would have been choked off by switch actions between every set of trains.

Despite its futuristic appeal, the monorail has largely failed to become a dominant form of global mass transit due to three primary factors: high infrastructure costs, lack of interoperability, and complex switching mechanics. Unlike standard light rail or buses, monorails require a dedicated, elevated concrete guideway that is incredibly expensive to build and maintain, often costing upwards of $100 million per mile in 2026 urban environments. Furthermore, monorails are "proprietary" systems; once you buy a system from a company like Bombardier or Hitachi, you are locked into their specific parts and vehicles for decades. Standardized tracks allow different manufacturers to compete, but monorail parts are unique to each line. Most critically, "switching" a monorail train from one track to another is a slow, mechanical process involving moving an entire massive beam, which limits the frequency and flexibility of the network compared to a simple track switch on a subway. While successful in niche environments like airports or theme parks (where space is tight and the "show" matters), the monorail remains an "island" technology that struggles to integrate into larger, multi-modal city transit grids.