Performance Specification for a Turnkey Mass Transit Monorail System – Edition 1.1
The IMA Performance Specification aims to guide stakeholders in defining clear, measurable system requirements without restricting technological innovation.
Faced with an escalating demand for public transportation in metropolitan areas, transportation authorities are challenged to select a technology that will satisfy the often conflicting demands of high capacity and reliable service, urban fit, minimized environmental impact and budget restrictions. The IMA Performace Specification supports efficient procurement, system integration and implementation of turnkey mass transit monorail projects, ensuring consistency, compatibility, and economic efficiency across projects worldwide. Created and reviewed by IMA Monorail experts – already used in many projects.
Purpose
Edition 1 (September 2022)
The purpose of the ‘Performance Specification for a Turnkey Mass Transit Monorail System’ is to establish a standardized, performance-based specification for the planning, procurement, and implementation of turnkey monorail transit systems.
By prioritizing outcomes over prescriptive details, the specification enables suppliers to propose optimized, integrated solutions tailored to specific project needs. Additionally, it facilitates objective comparison between monorail and alternative transit technologies, supports informed decision-making during the tendering process, and encourages open competition among industry participants. Ultimately, this performance specification is designed to promote cost-effectiveness, interoperability, and consistent quality across global monorail projects.
Edition 1.1 (June 2026) – Advancing Passenger Safety and Evacuation Standards
The purpose of Edition 1.1 is to strengthen the safety and security framework for automated transit systems by addressing operational risks in greater depth and by providing more detailed guidance for emergency preparedness and passenger protection. The revised document introduces a broader understanding of safety that not only considers technical system integrity, but also focuses on the management of abnormal situations, safe-state transitions, rescue coordination, and evacuation procedures.
The updated Chapter 7 expands the operational safety philosophy by integrating concepts such as hazard resilience, emergency communication, autonomous mitigation functions, and accessibility considerations for passengers with reduced mobility. Furthermore, the newly introduced Section 7.3.3 establishes a structured methodology for defining project-specific mitigation measures and residual risk acceptance criteria.
The addition of Appendix 3 further supports this objective by providing practical guidelines for passenger rescue and evacuation. This appendix transforms the document from a primarily high-level specification into a more comprehensive operational safety reference that addresses real-world emergency scenarios and system recovery strategies.
The Technical Performance Specification – Edition 1.1 replaces the 2022 released original.
Key Features
System Overview
Encompasses rolling stock, guideway, stations, and control systems.
Design Standards
Includes performance specs, GoA4 automation, and references to international codes (e.g., IEC, CENELEC, NFPA).
Operations and Maintenance Planning
Incorporates operating criteria, including system capacity planning, normal operations, failure management, and maintenance requirements.
Environmental and Urban Design Criteria
Considers sustainability, noise/vibration mitigation, and
integration with the urban landscape.
Safety, Security, and RAM
Addresses reliability, availability, maintainability, safety, and passenger evacuation requirements.
Vehicle, Subsystems and Infrastructure
Addresses power supply, communications, train control, SCADA, fare collection and other systems.
Verification, Testing, and Quality Assurance
Target Audience
This guide is designed for all parties involved in the planning, procurement, design, and implementation of monorail systems, including:
- Transit authorities and urban planners assessing
the viability of monorail solutions, - Public and private sector clients preparing tenders
for turnkey monorail projects, - Contractors and system integrators overseeing
project execution and system delivery, - Consultants and engineering firms engaged in system design, planning, and technical specifications,
- Manufacturers and suppliers of monorail vehicles, infrastructure components, and subsystems,
- Safety engineers and independent safety assessors,
- Emergency response planners, operators responsible for passenger safety and evacuation management,
- Regulatory and approval bodies.