Black Mesa Transit System

"Good morning and welcome to the Black Mesa Transit System. This automated train is provided for the security and convenience of the Black Mesa Research Facility personnel."

- Black Mesa Announcement System

The Black Mesa Transit System is the extensive monorail network linking the many different Sectors of the Black Mesa Research Facility. The Transit System is the primary form of transportation throughout the facility, which uses the monorail system, a transportation system based on a single beam. As said by the Black Mesa Announcement System at the very start of Half-Life, it is provided for the security and convenience of the Black Mesa personnel. It is managed by the Black Mesa Transit Authority.

Overview

 * Each train consists of a single monorail car driven automatically. It includes seats, a wheelchair space, windows, speakers and an electric door.


 * The Transit System is prominently featured in Half-Life and its expansions. Black Mesa employees use it to travel from their dormitories to their workplace, do their laundry, entertain themselves in recreation areas, or eat in food courts.


 * The protagonists of the game use the Transit System before and after the Black Mesa Incident to get around the facility. Gordon Freeman and Barney Calhoun for example ride a tram to work from their dormitories shortly before the incident. Adrian Shephard also briefly hitches a ride on an immobilized tram before being left behind by the army.


 * The Black Mesa Transit System should not be confused with the Sector E Materials Transport, the dilapidated freight monorail network.

Lines


The network is divided in four colored lines linking the seven main Sectors, as well as other areas. Each line serves around four areas.

Red Line

 * Level 3 Dormitories
 * Sector G Hydro Electric
 * Area 3 Medium Security Facilities
 * Freight Yard

Blue Line

 * Sector C Test Labs
 * Sector B Coolant Reserve
 * Area 9 Central Transit Hub

Green Line

 * Level 1 Main Facility Entrance
 * Sector E Biodome Complex
 * Area 7 Recreational Facilities
 * Sector A Training Facility

Yellow Line

 * Sector D Administration
 * High Altitude Launch Center
 * Sector F Lambda Complex

Behind the scenes
Half-Life and Blue Shift start on a tram that the player cannot leave before reaching the intended destination. This obligatory ride is mostly used to slowly immerse the player into the universe. The path from the City 17 Trainstation and Kleiner's Lab in Half-Life 2 has the same purpose, although in that case it was made so that the story would unfold at the player's own speed rather than on a fixed rail.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life
 * Half-Life: Opposing Force
 * Half-Life: Blue Shift
 * Half-Life: Decay
 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar