Walt Disney World operates one of the most heavily utilized monorail systems on the planet, carrying over fifty million passengers a year across its Florida resort.

A closer look

Walt Disney World operates one of the most heavily utilized monorail systems on the planet, carrying over fifty million passengers a year across its Florida resort. The system sees more daily ridership than most legitimate public transit networks in mid-sized American cities, making Mickey Mouse a surprisingly dominant force in the urban transport sector. The futuristic trains have been gliding along their concrete beams since 1971, occasionally breaking down and trapping sweaty tourists in a glass box above a fake Polynesian lagoon. It is a stark reminder that the United States is entirely capable of building efficient, high-capacity passenger rail, but only if it leads directly to a gift shop selling overpriced plush toys