Transportation Stuff

* See also Transportation_Systems
* See also Atlantic Express 
* See also Bathyspheres
* See also Streets
* See also Trolley_System
* See also Tunnels and Viaducts
* See also Derp_Transportation_in_Columbia
* See also Trams
* See also Real_Trolleys_and_Subs_and_Trains
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Getting Around :
The buildings/plazas making up Rapture would be linked by many streetways (at 'ground' level) with some buildings that stand off using connecting Tunnels and Viaducts. The major streetways have Trolley lines to allow residents to cover intermediate distances efficiently (or did). Longer trips were via Bathyspheres (taxis) and Atlantic Express (BS2 map showed only part of that system since Ryan Amusements is shown covered about 1/3 of Rapture's area. That is too small a system for such a main transport artery of the city ). Tall buildings have elevators to cover the vertical distances 20 - 40 floors ( though Bathysphere stations could be on roofs and in middles of buildings ). Every building has at least one Airlock in the basement at the seabed level. There are connecting ways between many adjacent building high above 'street level'.
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Bathyscaphe ( What the Rapture Bathyspheres were ):
A "bathyscaphe" is a free-diving self-propelled deep-sea submersible, consisting of a crew cabin similar to a bathysphere, but suspended below a float rather than from a surface cable, as in the classic bathysphere design. ( Note - "Bathyspheres" are NOT self-propelled, and are hung on a cable from a ship on the Ocean's surface ).
Perhaps the BS1 gamemakers did not think 'bathyscaphe' could be pronounced or even recognized by the Players.
MY Corrected 'Bathyspheres', though labeled that, ARE capable of limited maneuvering, EVEN if the majority of their movement is by being dragged along on Cables.
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MMORPG Submarine :
* Use docking adapters ( the full docking bays/airlocks were only in certain places due to their complexity and expense )
* Private Subs were available (even 'luxury' models) long before the MMORPG's time, so there are probably more than a few still to be found. Many small Subs were the size of the Metro Bathyspheres to make common use of Metro facilities.
* New Rapture's City Council offers a Bounty for these critical vehicles ( and for any spare parts ).
* Snakes on a Sub !?
* Long distance sea travel to the extended parts of Rapture ( the many outlying industrial stations ).
* Short-range Subs use batteries ( or perhaps compressed air 'fuel' ) fed from the City utilities. Long-range Submarine vehicles must 'surface' to recharge batteries with a conventional air & fuel powered engine, and even travel much of the time on the surface for longer trips ).
* Subs would still be used in Rapture's fishing fleet and for some Construction.
* The big Subs were over 300 feet long, but most used for shorter ranges are much smaller 
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Submarine Transports For Divers 
Workers in [Diving_Suits|Diver Suits]], maybe Big Daddies if directed by Central Maintenance :
* Operator/Pilot may/should be in Pressurized cockpit unit ( the 9 foot mini-subs ).
* Submarine units don't have to be pressurized (no airlock) for the passengers - thus lighter/simpler
* Helipad like landing zones near Construction project sites ( some temporary work bases ) and main airlocks.
* Subs are also used to move equipment, construction supplies/materials and sometimes as portable cranes.
* Emergency air/power/fuel supplies are usually carried ( useful for a dangerous environment where things can go wrong ).
* MMORPG - Subs are a useful tool for City rebuilding and transport to 'less accessible' parts of Rapture. Numerous missions to acquire abandoned subs, spare parts, do repairs, counter Splicers who have subs, travel to remote communities, explore/prospect resources, deal with smugglers/surface agents, have sub races, and many other things.
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Rapture Metro - Bathyspheres :
* Get those Metro stations working - the automatics slowly working again.
* Piloting skills and sharing 'rides' ( not all the automatics work yet )
* Where all the Bathyspheres went when Ryan locked down the city ( more are being 'found' every day )
* Leasing one from the City - convenience to your 'project area' ( time is money, and walking takes time )
* Frequent maintenance for these vehicles/stations means more than a few city (and private) jobs are available to those with proper skills. The Metro double airlock systems need alot of work to keep them running smoothly.
* The old MetroWay lines are being cleared to extend the system (more Diver Suit jobs).
* What to do when they go wrong ( and they do sometimes ) - How to call for rescue ...
* "Can I bring a wheel barrow full of stuff on a Metro Bubble-Taxi ??" - limited space in the Bathyspheres.
* Main Metro stations have multiple loading bays and airlock queues
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Trolleys - 'Street level' transport ( The Bulk of the METRO system ) :
* Main streets have a grid of trolley lines criss-crossing the city and between important sources of traffic.
* Trolley barns at central location ( for repairs and storage )
* Regular daily service and rush-hour extra units run ( not yet quite what Rapture had in its 'Hey Day' ).
* Usable in controlled 'safe' areas. Extending existing lines requires clearing the tracks and restoring the power grid.
* Numerous trolley units were destroyed in civil war era, many were used as residences by Splicers. Salvage and rebuilding under way.
* Nighttime freight service done while streets are largely empty.
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Atlantic Express - Main cross city routes :
* Some water passages ( requiring large airlocks ), and thru closed air tunnels in many other places ( not really shown in BS2 ).
* Operates generally below street/foundation level in the city.
* Main shops, yards and some maintenance facilities are largely intact. Many external routes heavily damaged.
* Freight units for moving large volumes of goods.
* Major repairs are needed to extend the few segments still operational ( ie- the segments you saw in BS2 )
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Trams - Small slow tracked transport, run hidden below Street level :
* Most run along utility ways to facilitate maintenance.
* Electric (overhead and battery) and compressed gas powered in flame hazard areas.
* Tramway tunnels under the main 'streets' alongside all the utilities and sewers.
* Most equipment/machines are sized to fit the tramways.
* Also used to haul garbage to disposal sites.
* Some lines ran to industrial/manufacturing sites and hauled both workers and freight (including raw materials)
* Chicago had such a system built around 1900 which was used to hall freight/coal/garbage/ashes under the city buildings and acting as a conduit for telephone cables.
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Walking :
There will be more 'climbable' obstacles that the player has to learn how to handle ( you wont get far if you cannot find your way thru wreckage ). Ladders/ropes/chains and other mechanism will offer more 'upward' mobility than was seen in BS1/BS2. Of course that also means you have to be more careful of falling.
There will be more doors to be forced open and debris that has to be removes to allow passage - difficulty and effort may vary. Watch out for doors showing evidence of flooding on the other side. If there is a door it will lead someplace, unlike games with 'the fake doors that wont open' and 'Locked' or 'You cannot activate this item' ( and especially no "you do not have this quest" stupidity ).
More closed in/tight places - crawling and narrow openings. Going thru the vents in places inaccessible otherwise.
More Trapdoors and access hatches to go thru. In some spots you should be able to traverse the space between the Inner walls and the Outer structural wall ( with a logical restriction on movement and activities and maybe getting stuck ).
There will probably be a number of camouflaged/hidden/secret doors that will need to be spotted - with Splicers fighting each other, many learned that not being seen and having hideaways was a prudent measure. Players/NPCs with 'finder' skills will be more likely to spot hidden things like this.
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Delivery - Sending Things to People/Places :
* Pneumo looks like it can handle items about 12 in cubic ( or maybe enlongated 12 x 12 x 24 in capsules ?? )
* Send stuff via a delivery guy - Rapture Express - gets there overnight almost guaranteed.
* Encumbrance rules apply ( things that don't fit thru holes don't go thru holes, and heavy things are 'heavy' )
* Wheel Barrows are handy items - people can only carry so much themselves.
* Trams used for maintenance work. A simpler system, often the first transport repaired in reclaimed areas.
* Trolley and Atlantic Express usable in most repaired parts of city ( Players will help extend - eventually ).
* Metro Bathyspheres and Subs to reach cut-off sections of city ( until paths can be cut thru the wreckage ).
* New Puzzle : Which of all this loot do you want to (can you) carry away ? NPCs pushing wheel barrows will be a funny/common sight.
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Anton Kinkaide :
The founder of the Rapture Metro consolidated the Trolley transportation system linking much of the City of Rapture, and the more exclusive Bathysphere System ( for those who could afford it like cabs in modern cities ) as well as catering to those with private submarines ( mostly the rich and elites ). Prentice Mill's AE passenger system component of the Atlantic Express collapsed because it could not compete, and was bought out and shut down by Kinkaide ( leaving the AE freight operations still running ).
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Metro System Map (Trains/Trams/Bathysheres/etc...)
This Diagram also shows Streets (BLACK LINES) connecting various Clusters in Rapture ( which would often carry Trolley Tracks throughout the City ).
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'This is Where the Gamemakers got the Idea for "Apollo_Air_Flight_DF-0301" which Jack Hijacked.
A Boeing 707 which here is shown to be operational 1959 in this real advertisement.
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External Transport - Rapture's Location is 1500 miles from Nova Scotia : 
A small Fleet of Freighters would have been needed for Rapture's Construction.
There was ( as per the Novel ) a fleet of Fishing Boats making deliveries to Rapture in its early period. Later Fishing Subs were made use of ( likely built on the Mainland ).
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Seaplanes flying to Rapture for 'regular' small deliveries ( the North Atlantic Ocean is NOT a calm environment most of the time ). Parachute drops are problematic ( Used only in high-priority situations like Antibiotic delivery for Crotch-Rot when a ADAM-based therapy is still months away ... ))
A Transshipping base of operations would be needed for any smaller planes used. 
A large portion of Ryan's remaining 'Surface' organization was likely located in the United States.
The usual cover story to maintain secrecy would be applied.
Special deliveries likely continued even AFTER Rapture was "cut-off" from The Surface in 1952 ( critical materials and information ).
This later transport was used to make shipments of more powerful Weapons and AMMO to bolster Ryan's security forces against the crazies and terrorists threatening life within the City happening after the Kashmir Massacre.
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Combustion Engine Issues ( IE- FOR WATER CRAFT OR BIG DADDY SUIT ) :
Requires venting exhaust ( gas combustion product ) 'outside' vehicle, which has to be pushed out against typical 280 psi @ 600 ft. ( wasting alot of the energy generated to do so ).
Operating at that base pressure. Fuel Vapor vs 'Air' Oxygen mix.
Post-compress the exhaust gas to push outside ( doesn't seem plausible )
Have the engine operate at ambient 280 psi ( and more/less variable ), which requires whole different cylinder geometries/ratios and mechanics ( ie- small cylinders with a smaller expansion - which shifts power transmission and valve mechanics. And complexity of operating at different depths ).
1000 psi combustion for normal auto engines and 1500 psi for race car engines.
280 psi vs 14 psi base pressure 
An air oxidizer has to be provided at 280 psi ( where does it come from ? ) Oxidizer is usually more weight/volume than the Fuel. ( compressed bottled air/oxygen )
Oxygen-Hydrogen engine ( using electric hydrolysis to produce in Rapture ) - combusts into high pressure steam which can condense to liquid water. Heavy/Bulky high-pressure gas tanks. ( complexity/difficulty replacing/filling them ). Hydrogen and Oxygen needs to be compressed for 'fuel' storage ( less dense than a liquid fuel - with cryogenic 'H2' 'O2' you don't want to go there to some far too advanced/difficult technology ).
Less capacity is required for power IF it is a Cable Drive system ( with terminal maneuvering ) instead of a 'free swimming' Submarine ( Batteries and Electric motor would then be viable and FAR FAR simpler for that system ).
Subs might use Combustion Engines, but practically when can get to Ocean surface to use the Open Air ( Like Subs did during WW2 - including with 'Snorkle ...)
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What Powers Those Atlantic Express Train's Movement ? :
They have to be self-contained, and Reliability is what is required for a proper 'Transit' system (or really ANY system in a City). The AE Trains do go a fairly short distance, as a 'Transit System' the routes are only a few miles long at most ( with potential refuel/recharge at end of each run ).
There's no easy "air" to burn some fuel stuff ( unless you, along with the fuel, do some kind of bothersome compressed air which needs to be constantly recharged (old submarine problem) - and an even bigger load to carry ). Liquid oxidizers like acids and hydrogen peroxide are VERY hazardous. And then you have to dispose of the exhausted gas ( combustion by-products - out into the Ocean, pumped out against that high 280 lb/sq in pressure differential ).
Pre-Compressed air ( and needing to be far higher than the outside water pressure for their exhaust to be practical ) to drive 'airmotors' ? High pressure transfer of this 'fuel' is also problematical.
Electric Storage Batteries ? Big and Heavy, but there is no significant 'buoyancy' issue to contend with on the AE Trains ( they hang from their track ). Electric cable in a wet environment offers some difficulties, but those could be handled.
The system requires some kind of process of energy restoration to the vehicle ( wires for electricity or conduits for fuel/air ) with sufficiently safe connectors, and with personnel taking time to transfer them (to 'refuel') routinely.
Distances in Rapture aren't that far (a few miles per run) so if the storage capacity is sufficient, many 'runs' might be done before a "Refueling Cycle" is required ( and you want a safety margin to not possibly 'run out' somewhere inconvenient, like stranding in-between two stations out in the Ocean ).
The Same issue exists for the 'Bathyspheres'. EVEN IF THEY run on my Moving (towing) Cable system, they have some energy requirements for control mechanisms and lights/air/heat/etc ... systems.
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AE Switching Hub Diagram (left side)
Simplest mechanism ( lowest maintenance and highest reliability ) is a time-tested conventional railroad style 'bridge' turntable ( except with a overhead monorail support structure ). The Turntable rotates allowing reversing the heading of the traincars and matching up to a large number of tracks ( which radiate from its center ) the traincar can be transferred to.
Diagram shows ~50 ft 'turntable' a 12 track version 'roundhouse' (if the turntable radius was increase to ~70 ft then it could fit 16 storage/access tracks)
Tracks radiate out to : Those either access : Paths to the Station(inbound/outbound), Workshop/repair/service facilities, or Car Storage bays. It is nonsensical that such a turntable was used as a 'switch'/'hub' to align traincars for a whole bunch of different routes. Any routes would be accessed via the Atlantic Express Depot station to load/unload passengers, or thru to the 'Freightyard' for all freight operations ( disconnected after the Mk2 conversion ). Because the layout is flat, the whole facility would be laid out in a horizontal fashion ( though if needed, the track can go up/down fairly steep 'ramps' to match a required height - preferably before any passengers are aboard ).
The AE Depot facility was designed to service a much larger system than what is left by BS2 times ( you hardly need more than a handful of cars to service the mile and a quarter of track route that is left. ) The 'hub' is left over from the early days before the changeover to the newer Mk2 track for equipment that then traversed the rest of Rapture. If you look out the windows at 'Paupers Drop' ( previously named 'Sinclair Deluxe' and long before that 'Maintenance Junction 17' ) you can see alot of abandoned Mk1 equipment lying on the seabed. Some of the old passenger units were converted for industrial use for at least one raw material processing site ( where recycled Mk1 track were also used ).
The Mk2 facilities (that we never saw) were much larger and serviced 100+ traincars/freight locomotives as well as several hundred freight cars for the operations in Rapture and out to the outlying industrial sites and communities. It was simpler to build additional facilities than to try to enlarge the existing buildings to match the larger Mk2 traincars, as well as allowing the old facilities to continue to be used to keep the remaining Mk1 system in operation.
Odd that the turntable ( as seen in BS2 ) is wrecked/clogged with broken Mk1 traincars when the Short Line to Fontaine Futuristics is still operating ( these cars do not seem to be designed for bi-directional movement ). Funny/pathetic, if they (the 'Rapture Family') are down to running the units in reverse to take them back the opposite direction ( explained by deteriorating state of everything else within Sofia Lamb's grasp ). One more thing for the New Rapturians to clean/fix up.
This style of Turntable ( minus most of the radiating tracks ) could be used at end-of-route tracks to 'turn' the traincars for their return trip ( much like whats used on the few remaining Real Life Cable Car systems ). They would be far less work to build ( and take up less space ) than providing a turning wye or loop of track. They could also serve as a compact 'switch' for a few local freight tracks at the location. The end-of-track at Abyss Overlook would likely be set up with a turntable.
The AE Depot 'Shops' would also have some 'freight' tracks used to handle various equipment shipped in for repairs. RR installation like this often had the largest fabrication equipment/machinery ( not really shown in the game ) to maintain their equipment ( and to make new parts if required ) and usually built/repaired large machinery as a secondary source of business. That might explain part of the reason the Mk1 system wasn't completely abandoned during the Mk2 conversion.
Note - The later Mk2 Freight locomotives were designed to operate equally well in either direction ( like modern diesel locomotives ) to largely eliminate the need for 'turning'.
Metro Cable line 'Turns' ( On Cable from Lighthouse to Welcome Center ) :
The Bathysphere routes are mostly straight lines between stations because of the structural complications of changing the double cable's direction and the way the Bathyspheres are attached to the cable.
There is a mechanism used by the Bathysphere from the Lighthouse to the Welcome Center route which makes a turn in its path.
The rock cliff face the Bathysphere emerges from after descending straight down was not oriented for the planned destination at Welcome Center, and so had to make a 'turn'. The player probably won't notice the structure as it was painted black and the player was busy looking at the impressive view.
The 'turn' mechanism is basically a big horizontal wheel ( large enough in radius so that a 'sphere moving at near cruising speed (~15 mph) isn't subjected to a roller-coaster-like ride turn ). The structure also necessarily supports the weight of the cable ( many tons of hanging weight ) without fouling the Bathysphere's "grip" on the cable.
If that line had been constructed later, it would have been easier to bore a hole all the way thru the mass of rock, but they needed to finish it quickly. The mechanism's extra complexity and maintenance costs made sure that it was the only 'turn' built in the Bathysphere lines. Only a few Metro Cableway routes might have needed this feature, but those routes were instead built with intermediary stations ( which also gave access to local transit traffic at more convenient points and more options for destination routings ) ...
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This looks like something only a rich person could own ( It is not the sub but where you park it and MAINTAIN it ).
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Trams - Possible Transport Improvements Can Be Overridden by Other Factors :
Trams (Trolleys) in Rapture coulda taken an idea from various 'light rail' type mechanisms, and just had rubber wheels and a concrete (guideway) track ( many systems in Europe do this today ). Far less expensive (now) than more heavyweight Tram systems with their steel tracks ( the Tram/Trolleys started out much lighter than what they were by the 1940s, and Rapture could make due with smaller car units ).
Potential for some development would be rubber tired 'buses' ( electric powered for pollution control ) which could traverse the 'tracks' as well as more free movement on plain 'roads' in Rapture later 'suburbs' ( the tunnel expansions added later ). The existing 'Trams' are not larger than small buses anyway.
* Rubber Tires though would be an issue, as in : WHERE DO YOU GET NEW RUBBER IN RAPTURE ??? It wears out and deteriorates faster than steel, and even synthetic (Plastic) rubber is largely made from hydrocarbons (oil) which has its own supply issue.
* Having the power pickup be in a slot would simplify from not having a Overhead Wire.
* Possibly a moving cable ( Cable Car with power unit in one fixed location ) similar to the Bathyspheres for a simple point to point line. Simplest if route short and straight.
* For small systems Battery powered vehicles likewise could be used ( They don't have the many complications which blocked the Atlantic Express trains from being battery powered ).
There may have been a variety of such transports before the 'Consolidation' done to form the 'Metro' Transit ( smaller companies bought up and rebuilt into a standardized/cohesive system ).
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Bicycles (and similar) :
Bicycle Use in Rapture ( Short to Medium Distance Travel) :
Trolley tracks are flat enough and surfaced to serve as 'road' or bike paths ( with space to move to side to let the frequent trolleys through -- "Ding Ding-Ding Went the Trolley.." ).
We certainly saw enough ads for bicycles, and even many bicycles themselves sitting around forlorn in Rapture ( so they must have had uses ).
How different would it be to be running after a Splicer and he gets on a bike and races away from you. Or a gang of Splicers suddenly descend on you, riding ( half-arsed, cobbled together ) motorized bikes ...
Bicycles - I saw advert on wall in Fort Frolic ( and saw some in Olympus Heights trolley areas ) :
* I suppose there is enough space on 'Streets' to use them and some tunnels would be long enough for a proper ride
* Rural 'outside Rapture' areas with long tunnels connecting various parts ...
* The 'Stadium' would be large enough for a good ride ( a track around the field's edge ) - one more Sport to interest people.
* Splicers on Bicycles !!!! Someone probably would have turned some into 'Motor Cycles' ... "The Wild One" all over again.
* Riding a Bicycle into someone intentionally - another anti-griefing endcase to handle. ( Actions have repercussions - Constables do enforce 'public safety' edicts --- "There is only one Law in Rapture" again proven ridiculously 'writer-fabricated' ).
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Bicycles - I Saw Ad on Wall in Fort Frolic ( and Saw Some in Olympus Heights Trolley Areas ) :
* I suppose there is enough space on 'Streets' to use them and some Tunnels would be long enough for a proper ride
* The 'Stadium' would be large enough for a good ride ( a track around the field's edge )
* Splicers on Bicycles !!!! Someone probably would have turned some into 'Motor Cycles' ... "The Wild One" all over again.
* Motorized bikes (electric can work)
* Riding Bicycle into someone intentionally - another anti-griefing endcase to handle ( There probably will be a Tutorial on that bike riding activity ).
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Motorized (and Normal) Bicycles in Rapture:
We saw Bicycle ads and the bicycles themselves laying discarded in our travels ( even though much of the game terrain wasn't exactly tailored to bicycle use ).   They would be a convenient method of intermediate length travels ( particularly with the 'Streets' connecting various City clusters. )  They would be affordable by just about any Citizen.  
There were the simple human powered ones, but soon they could have fuel powered motors and the latest versions were electric ( much helped by better battery/motor technology or compressed air ( refuelable at Air Stations ).   Variations might be equivalent to Golf carts and pedicabs or even motorized skateboards.
Splicers on bicycle hurtling at you suddenly - the MMORPG Developers system should handle it.   Interesting for these to be 'vehicles' ( something largely missing from the original games - the Bathyspheres and AE trains were cutscenes ).
I could see use for them in 'The Farms' which were miles and miles of tunnels where even though there was no 'stoop' labor there still had to be routine work done on the hydroponic systems. Bicycles would be more versatile than larger powered vehicles and they also can carry a surprising amount of cargo weight.
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Rollerskates in Rapture :
A Splicers 'quick get away'.
Maybe One 'Boss' with gianourmous motorized 'skates'
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Parking for the 'Private Submarine Craze'  : 
Might need something like this at the Metro Bathysphere stations to handle all those single user 'private' Bathyspheres ( which are 'submarines' actually ). The only(?) problem is that even the small Bathyspheres (12 foot diameter) weigh near 30 tons. Maybe it could work as an underwater mechanism ( where the buoyancy neutralizes most of the weight and the selected vehicle only is brought to the waters surface for loading ). You better remember to roll up your windows after you get out at the top of that stack ( above the water surface ).
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Moving Walkways in Rapture ? :
NOTE - This mechanism was actually used at the '1893 Columbian Exposition' ( and done better at a later Paris Exposition ).
Even with clusters of buildings and systems like the Trolley's offering 'Street' connections, a convenient short distance transport was seen as needed in a few locations. Solution - the Moving Walkway ( The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 had them, so the technology was nothing new or difficult. )
Of course, you have to pay(turnstile), but convenient saving on alot of walking was useful to many people. They generally work best in long linear or circular paths.
Example would have been in place of that ridiculous Trolley stuff around Olympus Heights, which IF they were really that SHORT, would have been ludicrously pointless. Reorganizing the maps for the MMORPG, those Streets would be changed to be a much greater distance and the Trolley tracks would have connected THROUGH that central plaza probably with a center main stop/hub ( probably on a separate lower 'transit' level ).
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Facilities Make The 'Trains Run Ontime' :
Carbarn for Trolleys - The Metro was a large system - originally there would be at least 100 Trolley cars needed for Rapture's 'Rush Hour', and more to serve as replacements and those being repaired/maintenanced. Trolley Carbarns were de-centralized to be close to the lines/routes they served ( There were originally several Trolley companies before the buyouts and Metro merger ). New Rapture would be rebuilding this system ( for the sectors in Rapture it controls ) as fast as possible to bring back efficient public transportation for the Citizens. Fortunately, Trolley systems are fairly simple technologically ( dates back to the 1880s ) and it is more an issue of clearing debris and repairing the damaged Trolley cars. Automatic operation can wait til later.
The Atlantic Express Depot has the major repair facilities for the AE train system ( one of the reasons it was 'reclaimed' early for New Rapture - to make use of its machinery and repair equipment, and to deny its use to the remains of Sofia Lamb's 'The Rapture Family' ). It was also a major transportation hub for the city.
The Rapture Family faction's influence largely had disintegrated at the AE Depot, being so far from the rest of Sofia Lamb's old Collectivist Realm. 'Johnny' (Delta's clone) was fully capable of leading a 'mop up' operation of the few that were left, and then securing it. Full restoration of the AE system is a substantial task, but important to New Rapture's future.
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Transportation : ELEVATORS :
Elevators the thing that made skyscrapers 'scrape' ... You need Elevators which actually work (and are Safe) BEFORE you build such building. 
In 'modern' Rapture, they obviously needed for anything with more than 3 floors - even if those ridiculously tall buildings are made more reasonably sized - Still 20 stories or just 6 is still alot of Stairs to climb for routine use.
Generally Used as a game device for game 'level' transitions ( ... won't be in the MMORPG that way)
Otis Safety Elevators (~1853) made the first skyscrapers (~1885) practical ( with iron, and then steel girders )
BS1/BS2 generally had the Elevators be so small (too small)
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 "They promised us Hovercars!!" - Red Forman :
Well, in Rapture small hover cars for use along the tramway 'Streets' could well be done. 
EXCEPT : A Significant problem is the huge amount of noise this kind of vehicle usually makes ( and the rubbish they blow around ). Another is burning polluting fuels to run their motors, though clean(er) fuels might be possible ( any suggestion of ELECTRIC ones being a VERY Unlikely idea ). Of course, the same issue would be true for automobiles and motorbikes ( unclean air beyond just C02 used inside the closed building/spaces ... ) Electric battery golf carts ? Their limited/short-distance/slow-speed capabilities make them generally insufficient for greater distances.
'Just Say No To Hovercraft' 
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Metro Tokens :
I think I found a coin slot (token slot ?) for paying for entrance to use the Metro (located in 'Transit Hub' edge of upper level just before you do the transfer to Medical Pavilion) which reminds me a little of the Token Gates on the New York City Subways. It is a bit weird since the path to 'Medical' ( after your little chat with Ryan) is via an airlock/bulkhead, and not a Bathysphere.
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Transit Structures :
Long Viaducts seen outside Adonis Resort on the Skydome (exterior window) view connecting building are almost like raised highways. They look different than the AE tracks structures - the monorail trains hang down from the single rail ( maybe just poorly drawn ). Many would be way too long to walk - properly they should be an elevated part of the Trolley System. Others viaducts seen connect between buildings at many different levels ( some very high up side of buildings -- not overly convenient as a general transit path ( as a real-world sidewalk would be at a common level ).
Other Viaducts ( as seen from Fontaine Futuristics ) look from a distance to be AE tracks ( versus a water sealed Trolley 'viaduct' ).
The ones seen from Paupers Drop were obviously the Atlantic Express track (Mk1 type) structures.
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There Once Was a Thing called Auto-Train (Actually Still Exists) ... :
AE 'sub carrier' cars -- for long distance movement of private subs out to the Suburbs. Another 'idea' project in an attempt to get more business for Prentice Mill's Atlantic Express. Its utility made it last upto the time of the City's collapse. Traincars in which a standard passenger submarine can fit were transported via the AE to a distant location quickly and conveniently. A LIMITED Deluxe service with a Deluxe price, of course.
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Oh Noooooos ... Traffic Lights for private Subs in congested areas (usually at dock approaches) with incoming/outgoing lanes. Cops in subs with flashing lights and sonic sirens to give tickets for safety violations ??? Warning lights on buildings and utility structures ( even the Bathysphere cables ) to facilitate "Submarine Safety" ( I think I've seen 'Nader Lights' on some of the Bathyspheres you see in the game ).
Towing Service Subs, Ambulance Subs, Sub Chases, Sub 'drive-in' restaurants -- All depends how prevalent private (automobile-like) Submarines became -- or whether they remained mostly the toys of rich people ...
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BaSx Sea Horsie 'Tram' Between Buildings of Fontaine Department Store :
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Problem with all the BioShock undersea vehicles out of water - they HAVE to weigh as much as their volume ( interior occupant volume plus machinery within hull ) of water to be able to submerge and to have at least neutral buoyancy. If they weigh less than their water volume, then they would ALWAYS float ABOVE their cable/rail/whatever-it-is ( which WOULD have been nearer to a proper design ). So if that 'Tram' is even just 8 feet across inside, it is roughly 4 / 3 * Pi * R^3 cubic feet of water (268 cubic feet or almost 10 cubic yards) = 16730 pounds (8+ tons) water displacement weight ( IT WEIGHS THAT MUCH OUT OF THE WATER ). Not so easy to suspend THAT in the air from that skinny horizontal rail/cable.
(( LESSON - Don't ever have 'artists' design something you want to survive/be-safe within )).
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Funicular up a hillside in Los Angeles (operational starting 1901). With Rapture's having some vertical differences, a few of these would have been likely ( Note : the structure being well supported - a characteristic of real things ).
I could See the Prentice Mill Mansion having a long one of these with its dramatic view.
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A City has People. People Need Stuff. The Stuff has to get to them. It adds up to ALOT of Stuff.
Problem with 'Bathyspheres' and 'AE' Trains, and even a greatly expanded Trolley_System : You still have to cart all the heavy stuff somehow to the final destination. 
NOTE : I have added a 'Utility Tram' system which is integrated in a sewer/utility lower levels of many of my Revised Game Maps to assist in common haulage issues throughout the City. They would also be integral in the modular Streets structures making up alot of the City.
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Gyro Trolley - Prototype ( A Project which did NOT go any further )
Runs on 1 rail ( using gyro stabilization to keep the cars uprightwas attempted in Real World decades previously ). But the 'innovator' who proposed it did NOT take into account that all of Rapture is basically a 'Tunnel", and the cost of that far outweighed advantage of 'one less rail' ( if not other impracticalities of 'gyro' ). Similar considerations would be for other 'mono rail' type local transport ( besides the AE, which was more 'long distance', and had the difference of being out in the water - which Trolleys were not ).
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