Montgomery County developer seeks to ease traffic with monorail

ROCKVILLE, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A Disney World-style monorail could be coming to Maryland if a Montgomery County developer gets his way. The single rail train would start in Frederick -- and that's just the first phase.

"I'm all for it. I think it would be a great idea," said Woodstock resident Melanie Deboer. She says she commutes to and from Derwood regularly.

Potomac resident and developer Robert Eisinger is creating plenty of buzz around his idea to build a monorail to help ease traffic along Interstate 270.

"You can wrap it in a Maryland flag if you want to but, it's interesting because it's elevated, it has naming rights and you could actually get revenue from advertising the outside of it... an extensive amount of revenue," said Eisinger.

Eisinger says the monorail would cost consumers traveling between Frederick and Shady Grove about five dollars one way.

"Environmentally, it is the friendliest transportation mode that man has come up with," said Eisinger. "The cost from Frederick down to Shady Grove will be $127 million a mile."

Critics complain monorails are impractical, expensive and high maintainence.

Eisinger says he plans to meet with Governor Larry Hogan's office in two weeks. Hogan is pushing for more lanes on I-270.

The monorail could be complete in three years. Right now, Eisinger plans to fund it with his own money. If it comes to fruition it would be a public/private partnership.