[sustran] personal rapid transit (PRT) news

[Steve Raney]

States Sir Peter Hall (author of "Cities of Tomorrow"), "PRT may transform
our cities in ways that we can't yet see." 

1. Worldwide PRT industry grows to four customers

The three established PRT manufacturers (with customers) are ULTra PRT,
2getthere, and Vectus. ULTra PRT's system at London Heathrow Airport has 2.4
miles of guideway, three stations, and 21 vehicles. 2getthere has a system
at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi featuring 1.1 miles of guideway, five stations,
and 13 vehicles. 2getthere and ULTra PRT began passenger operation in late
2010. Vectus is implementing a system at Suncheon Bay, South Korea. This
system is expected to open in 2013 with six miles of guideway and 40
vehicles. The Amritsar system will be the world's fourth PRT customer. PRT
combines low-cost infrastructure with compelling fare box and real-estate
economics, to the point where Heathrow and Amritsar systems are financed
solely by private sector sources. For PRT systems, a rule of thumb is "PRT
infrastructure costs less than two percent of the value of land and
buildings that are served." The Advanced Transit Association Industry Group
recently published a concise, manufacturer-neutral industry description:
[PDF: http://tinyurl.com/3hz5r9e ]

2. London Heathrow Airport ULTra system: awesome, cool, sci-fi, fast,
fantastic

On April 18, 2011, Terminal 5 (T5) Business Car Park passengers started
using the Heathrow ULTra PRT system. In the weeks that followed, operating
hours were increased, with the system operating a (22 hour) full service
from May 7. As of August 21, approximately 63,000 passenger trips had been
completed. The system currently carries about 800 passengers per day, and
Airport owner/operator BAA has withdrawn the bus service from this car park,
ensuring all passengers travel to and from T5 by the ULTra system. The five
minute ride has been described as "futuristic", "rapid" and "a transport
revelation."

Twitter and Youtube: 
* "I love these things. Best airport transfer devices ever"
* "Awesome sci-fi system" 
* "Landed and used the very cool #heathrowpod . and they're even better to
use - quicker, easier and greener than the buses to/from the car park"
* "I am in a pod. A bit like the cab on Total Recall without the mad driver!
... FAST though! ... Almost like a real life scalextric ;-)"
* "Geek transportation par excellence!"
* "Soooo cool!!  Addicting!!"
* "Fantastic. Epochal. Could not be more excited.  First rate. Staff could
not have been friendlier."
* 30-second essence: http://youtu.be/iAkqNULN9eY
* Full five-minute ride: http://youtu.be/yU972ULVTeU 

[ Globe and Mail: http://tinyurl.com/3egrzfw ]   
[ NY Times: http://tinyurl.com/3enctby ]

3. Amritsar out to bid. North India tourist center

ULTra PRT and partner ULTra Fairwood undertook detailed planning of
Amritsar's bustling, crowded Golden Temple tourist center in North India.
The partnership submitted an unsolicited proposal for a two-mile,
seven-station system. In response, the Punjab Infrastructure Development
Board (PIDB) has specified a Public Private Partnership (PPP) via a Design,
Build, Finance, Operate, and Maintain (DBFOM) concession. 

Amitsar Heritage City system alignment: [ LINK:
http://www.fairwoodindia.com/personal-rapid-transport-system ]

The Hindu Business Line explains innovative PPP "Swiss Challenge"
procurement: [ Article: http://tinyurl.com/44mw5fb ] 

4. Raleigh North Hills PRT

Kane Realty Corporation and ULTra PRT announced the start of a feasibility
study to bring PRT to North Hills at Raleigh, North Carolina. Developer John
Kane was a recent Heathrow ULTra passenger: "I think it's a game changer.
It's really fun. More people will want to live here, play here, and stay
here, with a safe and easy way to move around. We can enhance current
transit." North Hills is one of the finest examples of pushing the envelope
on successful smart-growth, high density, and mixed-use. Included coverage:
News 14 TV, News Observer. Triangle Biz Journal, Midtown Magazine, brochure,
and fact sheet. [ LINK:
http://www.ultraprt.com/applications/proposed-systems/raleigh-midtown/ ]

5. PRT speakers featured at three upcoming conferences 

* Podcar City, Stockholm, Sept 6-8: 
[ http://podcarcity.org/stockholm/ ] 
* Los Angeles Transportation NEXT, Sept 6: 
[ http://mobility21.com/overview/ ] 
* Master class:  People Movers in urban development, London, Sept 9: 
[http://www.transportxtra.com/events_and_services/events/?id=2138 ]

6. Scholarly ULTra PRT papers 

"ULTra PRT makes ongoing contributions to the peer-reviewed literature on
topics encompassing control system design (empty vehicle management, station
vehicle throughput optimization, etc), passenger response, planning, airport
design, station interface, ridesharing, new mobility, and multimodal travel
demand forecasting." [ PAPERS: http://www.ultraprt.com/media/papers/ ]