““Designing Transit for Maximum Designing Transit for Maximum
Ridership and Minimum Cost”: Ridership and Minimum Cost”:
Personal Rapid TransitPersonal Rapid Transit
J. Edward Anderson, Ph.D., P. E.J. Edward Anderson, Ph.D., P. E.Chief Technology OfficerChief Technology OfficerPRT International, LLCPRT International, LLC
Former Former Aeronautical Research Scientist, NACAAeronautical Research Scientist, NACAManager of Space Systems, HoneywellManager of Space Systems, HoneywellProfessor of Mechanical EngineeringProfessor of Mechanical Engineering
University of Minnesota & Boston UniversityUniversity of Minnesota & Boston Universitywww.prtnz.com, www.prtinternational.comwww.prtnz.com, www.prtinternational.com
Guideway weight reduction 20:1
Small fully automated vehicles!
Large manually driven vehicles.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220
Vehicle Design Capacity
Co
st p
er u
nit
Cap
acit
yCost per unit of Design Capacity of Various Transit Vehicles
Fleet Cost = Cost/Vehicle Capacity People-Carrying
Capacity
Suppose 15 vehicles each averaging 10 mph provide a given people-carrying capacity.
Then 6 vehicles averaging 25 mph provide same capacity.
The average speed is highest if there are no
intermediate stops, which are not necessary
if stops are off-line just like on a freeway.
Conclusions:
Guideway cost is minimized by minimizing vehicle weight.
Vehicle fleet cost is minimized by using off-line stations.
This combination makes a major breakthrough!
Nonstop trips High average speed Minimum fleet size & cost High throughput Small vehicles Small, low-cost guideway
Now interesting things happen: Vehicles run only on demand, not on a schedule. Service is always available, the wait is short to none. Close station spacing does not decrease average
speed. Stations can be sized to demand. You ride with chosen companions or alone.
All lead to high ridership and low cost.
Off-Line Stations are The Key Breakthrough! Off-Line Stations
are The Key Breakthrough!
Control
“Overcoming Headway Limitations in PRT Systems,” www.prtinternational.com
How do we keep vehicles from crashing?
”PRT Control,” “Longitudinal Control of a Vehicle,” “Failure Modes and Effects Analysis,” www.prtnz.com
Computers routinely land airplanes on aircraft carriers.
Our computers respond to and correct speed and position two hundred times per second.
Today’s position and speed instruments are more accurate than we need.
Wayside zone controllers monitor vehicle motion.
We know how to control any number of vehicles precisely in networks of any size or configuration.
System Reliability & Safety ”Safe Design of PRT System,”
“Failure Modes & Effects Analysis,” www.prtnz.com
Few moving parts in vehicle. No moving track parts in switch. No critical moving parts in motors. Dual motors, sensors, and power
supply. Pairs of dual computers. Fault-tolerant hardware and software. Exclusive guideway.Result:
– Chance of injury is close to zero!
Using the New System
Buy a Prepaid Card.Find destination number from Information Kiosk.
Accessible to wheelchair
Ride nonstop to destination!
Off-line stations and small vehicles attract many
riders! Available anytime of day or night. No need to understand the system. Short walk in a wider service area. Short or zero wait. A seat for everyone. Ride alone or with chosen companions. An enjoyable, nonstop ride. Text message all you want! No transfers. Short, predictable trip time. Competitive fare.
Thousands of smooth rides given at 2003 Minnesota State Fair. No Redundancy. No
Failures.
Cost Comparisons
“Light” rail tranit
“Light” RailA transit mode first introduced in 1886.
Cost per Daily Trip
$0
$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$25,000
$30,000
$35,000
$40,000
Hiawatha Rail Mpls PRT
Land Savings
Throughput per direction: 6000 cars/hr
Throughput per direction: 6000 cars/hr
Throughput per direction: 6000 cars/hr
300 ft
15 ft
Throughput per direction: 6000 cars/hr
300 ft
15 ft
Enormous Land Savings!
Land required only for posts and stations, only 1/5000th or 0.02% of city land.
Auto system requires
30% of land in residential areas
50% to 70% in downtown
Land savings + high ridership permits safe, zero-pollution, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, high-density living to an extent not possible with conventional transportation.
A former parking lot!
templetons.com/brad/transit-myth.html
PRT: 1880 BTUs per passenger-mile
Significant Recent PRT Activity Sweden to announce first PRT city @ Pod Car Conf.
Korean Railroad Research Institute to develop PRT.
Minnesota DOT held a workshop on PRT (Aug 2010).
Punjab, India announces PRT to be built.
Mexico funds PRT Program in Guadalajara.
Ithaca, NY initiates PRT Program with NYSDOT.
Posco to build PRT system in Suncheon, Korea.
San Jose, CA, has PRT program underway.
ULTra PRT soon to go in service at Heathrow Airport.
United Arab Emirates: MASDAR, Abu Dhabi.
Countries involved in development of PRT:
England, Sweden, UAE, Korea, Mexico, IndiaUnited States Federal Government ? 0!
Cities in USA:San Jose & Ithaca
Best independent news on PRT is found onhttp://kinetic.seattle.wa.us/prt/
www.cprt.org
Our Status
• System under development since 1981.• Next steps:
– $5M will produce all procurement specification– $15M more will construct and operate pilot system– $5M more will produce plans for early applications
• We have a complete team of engineers and engineering companies ready to go!
For more information
www.prtinternational.com.
Download the video for a
more detailed Systems
Engineering presentation.
