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A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and "rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style of track. The term monorail originated from German engineer Eugen Langen in 1897. Monorails are single-rail systems serving as a track for passenger or freight vehicles, often found in airport transfers and medium-capacity metros. Monorail vehicles can be similar to light rail vehicles and can be used alongside conventional metro systems. Monorails differ from trams and light rail systems by always being separated from other traffic and pedestrians, and they do not use pantographs. All transport systems with dedicated rights-of-way offer the benefit of avoiding traffic jams, and elevated transport systems offer better views. Compared to elevated train, bus, and automobile systems, elevated monorails are considered to have benefits in an urban environment owing to the narrower rail reducing shading and visual impacts. The first monorail prototype was created in Russia in 1820, and since then, various monorail designs have been proposed and implemented. Early monorails used a single metal rail or a gyroscopically balanced system. By the 1950s, monorails adopted larger beam- or girder-based tracks, with ALWEG straddle and SAFEGE systems emerging as popular designs. Despite their futuristic appeal, monorails struggled to compete with automobiles and other conventional transport systems. From the 1980s onwards, Japan became a leader in monorail mass transit, with Tokyo Monorail being one of the world's busiest systems. China also began developing monorails in the late 2000s, including the world's largest and busiest system in Chongqing. Monorails have since found continued use in niche shuttle markets, amusement parks, and a growing number of cities exploring them as mass transit solutions.

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