Monorails as international transborder links. The El Paso-Ciudad Juárez monorail proposal, 1964–1976

The paper uses primary and secondary sources to analyse the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez binational monorail project from 1964 to 1976 within the overall context of the growth of the cities as urban centres and the development of cross-border public transit links. The most significant of the earlier ties was the international streetcar line, which functioned for over 90 years and was a predecessor to the monorail project. The paper examines the complexities of negotiating and building an international transport project of this nature as well as the principal business and political directors of the El Paso International Monorail Corporation (IMC) and its Juárez counterpart, Monorriel Internacional (MI). It concludes with an assessment of the current outlook for cross-border mass transit projects in the light of the notable increment in USA border security and inspection controls of recent decades.