new technology feeder systems advanced transit association seminar may 4-5, 2007 west virginia...

New Technology Feeder Systems

Advanced Transit Association Seminar

May 4-5, 2007

West Virginia University

Morgantown, W V

Robert Johnson

R. E. Johnson ConsultingRockville, Maryland

www.autoroadvehicles.com

www.autoroadvehicles.com 2

New Technology for Small People Movers

• Electronics replace mechanical parts

• Lateral control: steers like a car

• On-board power supply, usually batteries

• Guideway is just exclusive, light duty road

• Often called Automated Road Vehicles

• New technology may not always be best (wide guideway, snow removal issues)


Examples of New Technology Vehicles

• ParkShuttle Minibus

• ULTra Personal Rapid Transit

• CyberCab PRT/Microbus


ParkShuttle Minibus

• Has carried the public on one-mile route near Rotterdam

• 20-25 passengers

• 20 mph (32 kph)

• lead-acid batteries, recharges in off-peak


ULTra Personal Rapid Transit Vehicle

• Scheduled to begin service at Heathrow airport, London in 2008

• Four passengers

• 25 mph (40 kph)

• Battery powered


CyberCab PRT/Microbus

• Designed by same company that developed the ParkShuttle

• 6 passengers

• 25 mph (32 kph)


Proposed Interior Showing Two Fold-Down Seats


At-Grade Exclusive Roadway


ULTra One-Way Elevated Guideway


Tunnel Under Cross Street


Principles of Operation

• Shared service, not private

• Minimum headway: 5-10 seconds

• Maximum grade: 10 %

• Low interior headroom means all seated, but acceleration and jerk limits set for standees

– Wheelchairs not secured

– Can’t be sure all passengers are seated


Two-Way Guideways

• Other lane is emergency walkway

• Two-way is not twice as expensive

• Direct routes reduce vehicle miles

• Easier to put two-way guideway at grade; must have grade separation to allow access to area within a one-way loop


End-of-Line Station

Vehicles back out of berths into turn-around area


Guideway Routing

• Place guideways at grade whenever possible

• Stations at grade eliminate elevator costs

• Run guideways behind buildings, not in front

• If possible, guideways should cross streets, not run along them


Layout of Feeder Systems for the Morgantown PRT

• All are a single two-way line, no branches

• Most have stations at end points only

• One system also has a center platform station along the line


Four possible feeder systems for the Morgantown PRT

Feeder System Name To/From

PRT Station

Other End Point Length

miles (km)

Research Park Extension Medical Near Mon

General Hospital

1.24 (2.00)

Towers Feeder Towers Near PierpontApartments

0.42 (0.68)

Coliseum Connector Engineering Coliseum

Parking Lot

0.43 (0.69)

Sunnyside Line New, between4th and 5th

streets

Near AugustaApartments

0.84 (1.35)


Research Park Extension


Sunnyside Line - Detail


Operating Parameters

Feeder SystemName

To/From

PRT Station

One-way trip time inminutes from PRTStation *

Fleet size if peak is1000 pass/hr/dir *

(based on 5 pass /veh; no spares)

Research ParkExtension

Medical 3.2 29

Towers Feeder Towers 1.2 15

ColiseumConnector

Engineering 1.5 17

Sunnyside Line New, between 4th

and 5th streets2.0 to center

platform station

3.3 to end

26

* Based on maximum speed of 25 mph (40 kph)


Approximate Unit Capital Costs

• Two-way elevated guideway: $10M / mile, not strongly dependent on vehicle weight

• Two-way at-grade: $1.5M - 3M / mile + land

• 6-passenger vehicles: $150K - 200K

• 20-passenger vehicles: $500K

• Central control: $200K ? per system, but some savings if multiple systems


Additional Data Needed for System Costs

• Unit capital costs for stations

• Site specific construction costs

• Unit operating costs for vehicles

• Other O & M costs

• Operating policy, for example maximum wait time in the off peak

• Patronage


Benefits

• Student / Faculty / Staff mobility

• Removing cars from streets improves traffic flow for all drivers

• Reduced need for expensive parking structures

• Increased value of land near stations

For more information on Automated Road Vehicles

please see:

www.autoroadvehicles.com

new technology feeder systems advanced transit association seminar may 4-5, 2007 west virginia...

Documents

kph slide

line slide

area slide

seated slide

offpeak slide

morgantown prt slide

oneway loop slide

cross street slide