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112-412: Upcoming: Former: Former: Innovia Metro is an automated rapid transit system manufactured by Alstom . Innovia Metro systems run on conventional metal rails and pull power from a third rail but are powered by a linear induction motor that provides traction by using magnetic force to pull on a "fourth rail" (a flat aluminum slab) placed between the running rails. However, newer versions of

224-690: A track brake . The new Innovia Metro still offers linear motor propulsion as the advantageous option but an electric rotary propulsion version is also an option. The first rotary-powered Innovia Metro 300 system is being implemented in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Innovia Metro vehicle was built using a lightweight aluminum frame riding on two sets of articulated trucks using small steel wheels. The original Innovia ART 100 cars are 12.7 metres (41 ft 8 in) long. The second generation Innovia ART 200 cars are 16.7 metres (54 ft 9 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) long each and come in articulated pairs . By 2011,

336-544: A 1.9-kilometre (1.2 mi) oval test track that included at-grade, elevated and ramped sections, switches, and the automatic control centre. Phase III of the ICTS program ended on January 31, 1980, when testing on the prototype was completed at the Millhaven site, by this point the government had invested about $ 57.2 million, of a total $ 63 million spent on the product by the government and its industrial partners. By

448-546: A PRT system, known as ULTra , to connect Terminal 5 with the long-term carpark; its full operation began in September 2011. Krauss-Maffei Transurban Krauss-Maffei 's Transurban was a 12-passenger automated guideway transit (AGT) mass transit system based on a maglev guideway. Development started in 1970 as one of the many AGT and PRT projects that followed in the wake of the HUD reports of 1968. Its selection as

560-429: A consortium to continue the development of the ICTS, changing their name to "Urban Transportation Development Corporation" ( UTDC ) to avoid any "provinciality" during their efforts to market the design to other cities. The result was essentially a larger, rubber-wheeled version of the original maglev vehicle. The consortium included of SPAR Aerospace for the linear induction motor , Standard Elektrik Lorenz (SEL) for

672-408: A harsh ride, quite the opposite of early predictions. The noise was due to the interaction of the linear motor and the plates of metal it reacted against (the "reaction rail"). The magnetic fields were so strong that they caused the plates to vibrate at 50 Hz (he standard European power frequency) which caused a loud humming sound that riders found distracting. The harsh ride was primarily blamed on

784-405: A high cost to include operator cabins and conventional controls. No other Innovia Metro system uses manual control. The Innovia Metro 300 systems are marketed to use Bombardier's own CITYFLO 650 automation system, but can also use other automation systems, such as SelTrac . The original versions of Innovia Metro were based on a linear induction motor (LIM) using vehicle-mounted windings and

896-616: A non-maglev version, today known as the Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit . The publication of the HUD reports in the US in 1968 led to a wave of developments in the mass transit world. Dozens of companies around the world started development of AGT systems from large to small, hoping to cash in on what was predicted to be an enormous buildout of AGT systems. The majority of these systems were essentially smaller versions of rubber-wheeled metros, sometimes operating as

1008-744: A portion of both Vancouver's Expo and Millennium Lines (using a converted freight tunnel for the Expo line, and a bored tunnel under Clarke Road for the Evergreen Extension), Kuala Lumpur's Kelana Jaya Line, and Beijing's Airport Express. The Scarborough RT in Toronto also includes a short tunnelled section, though there are no stations within it. The Kuala Lumpur and Beijing systems, along with New York's Airtrain JFK, also incorporate platform screen doors commonly found in automated people movers around

1120-682: A proposal. The first cut reduced the field to a still-large fourteen proposals. After a year-long selection process, GO selected the Krauss-Maffei Transurban maglev as the preferred solution. As a maglev, the system would be silent, addressing concerns about noise on elevated portions of the track. Additionally, the system's linear induction motor did not require physical contact for traction, which meant it would run with equal capacity in snow or icy conditions. Krauss-Maffei agreed to do all vehicle construction in Ontario, and allow

1232-700: A single car, but often in small trains. On the simpler end were systems like the Vought Airtrans and Bendix Dashaveyor , while more complex systems include the Alden staRRcar and Cabinentaxi which were true personal rapid transit systems (PRTs). By the early 1970s many of these systems were developed to the point of being ready for deployment. In an effort to drum up business, the Urban Mass Transit Administration provided $ 1.5 million to four companies to bring their systems to

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1344-578: A subway line, from Kennedy station along a new route to Scarborough Centre. Line 3 Scarborough was scheduled to be decommissioned in November 2023, with bus service covering the route until the subway extension opens in 2030. However, an accident involving a car detachment and derailment on July 24, 2023, resulted in the TTC closing the line prematurely. The SkyTrain metro network has the largest Innovia Metro system in operation, and currently has two such lines:

1456-460: A track-mounted stator consisting of a thin aluminum plate mounted flat between the rails . The small size and flat shape of the motor , and its lack of a transmission connected to the bogies , allows the ART to be much closer to the ground than a traditional subway car. The motor is used for all control with the exception of final stopping and positioning using disc brakes and emergency braking using

1568-558: A variety of conceptual designs, from subway-like advanced rapid transit (ART) systems to smaller (typically two to six passengers) vehicles known as personal rapid transit (PRT) which offer direct point-to-point travel along a switched network. AGT was originally developed as a means of providing mass transit services aimed at serving rider loads higher than those that could be served by buses or trams, but smaller than those served by conventional subways . Subways were too expensive to build in areas of lower density, such as smaller cities or

1680-533: A wave of similar developments around the world. However, the market for these systems proved to be overestimated, and only one of these US-designed small AGT's was constructed as a mass transit system, the Morgantown PRT . Small scaled AGT systems are also known as people movers. Although the mass transit world showed a lack of interest, AGT systems quickly found a number of niche roles that they have continued to fill to this day. Tampa International Airport

1792-516: A way to serve outlying areas or as feeders to a metro system. Kobe 's Port Liner is the world's first mass transit AGT, which began operating in 1981. It connects Kobe's main rail station, Sannomiya Station , with the dockyard areas and Kobe Airport to the south. Many similar systems have been built elsewhere in Japan. The Véhicule Automatique Léger (VAL) system in Lille , France , opened in 1983,

1904-416: Is currently owned by Thales . SelTrac is a completely automated system, with centralized control. The system originally used a current loop in the track bed to signal to and from the vehicles, but this has been replaced in more modern versions with a variety of radio systems. In the original system, the current loop also provided positioning by crossing the lines every metre, with an onboard sensor counting

2016-546: Is marketed as the Innovia Metro, while previous models are retroactively branded as Innovia ART. The largest system is part of the Vancouver SkyTrain metro network, which has seen several major expansions over its lifetime. It operates just under 50 kilometres (31 mi) of track compatible with Innovia Metro trains. Vancouver was the first to order Innovia Metro 300 vehicles. Since then, vehicle orders for

2128-736: Is often cited as the first AGT installed to serve an existing urban area. Larger scale INNOVIA advanced rapid transit (ART) systems in Toronto , and Vancouver followed in the next few years, and then the Docklands Light Railway in London . VAL and ART systems have seen continued installations around the world such as in Airport Express in Beijing and have been joined by a variety of new systems with similar features, like

2240-783: The AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro . Automated monorail systems, such as the Innovia Monorail 200 system in Las Vegas , are becoming more common AGT systems. Monorails are less obtrusive because they only require a single, narrow guidebeam. Once limited to larger airports and a small number of metro systems, AGT have undergone something of a renaissance since the late 1990s. Lower capital costs compared to conventional metros have allowed AGT systems to expand quickly, and many of these "small" systems now rival their larger counterparts in any measure. For instance,

2352-684: The Cabinentaxi system from Germany, but that company decided to pull out of the contest in order to focus on a larger development in Hamburg . The UTDC responded to a "buy American" clause in UMTA by opening a branch office in Detroit, and that immediately swung the decision in their favour. However, with the Ronald Reagan administration taking office in 1981, DPM was rapidly de-funded. Four of

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2464-676: The Evergreen Extension , a 10.9-kilometre (6.8 mi) extension from Burnaby to Coquitlam in the northeast, which the Millennium Line now re-routes to. Although at one point the extension was proposed to be a street-level LRT system that would not have used Innovia ART technology, in 2008 plans were changed back to the SkyTrain option by the provincial government to facilitate higher ridership from increased capacity, shortened travel times and to integrate seamlessly with

2576-432: The Evergreen Extension . The SkyTrain system uses a mixed fleet of Innovia ART 100, 200 and 300 cars. The latest version of the technology uses the name "Innovia Metro" and is marketed as a mid-size metro system. Innovia Metro is compatible with Bombardier's own CITYFLO 650 integrated transit automation system and is offered in variants compatible with both linear motor and electric rotary propulsion. Bombardier now markets

2688-639: The Expo Line and the Millennium Line . Vancouver's SkyTrain network continues to maintain on-time reliability over 95%. The Expo Line opened in late 1985, in time for Expo '86. With the opening of the Millennium Line in 2002, Vancouver added to its original Innovia ART 100 fleet the longer, articulated Innovia ART 200 trains first used in Kuala Lumpur, which allow for significantly greater rider capacities. In 2012, Vancouver began construction of

2800-630: The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) was planning to build a streetcar line serving the city's eastern district of Scarborough , but the Ontario provincial government convinced it, by threatening to withhold funding, to switch to the Innovia ART 100 technology. This would act as a demonstration system for other transit operators considering buying the trains. In exchange, the government agreed to pay for any cost overruns over

2912-569: The Transpo '72 show in Washington, DC where they were arranged as the central exhibit. Expecting numerous orders to follow, both the companies and Congress were dismayed to find a lack of interest on the part of city planners, for whom the systems had been designed and funded. This was generally blamed on the hesitations on the part of the mayors to deploy a system that was not already in use elsewhere. Krauss-Maffei (K-M) started development of

3024-548: The Vancouver SkyTrain started operations in 1986, but has expanded so rapidly that its track length roughly matches the Toronto subway which pre-dates it by 30 years. Although the original introduction of PRT systems did not result in the widespread adoption as expected, Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit in West Virginia's success, along with a renewed interest in new forms of transit, has led to several new PRT projects since 2000. London Heathrow Airport has installed

3136-410: The " GO-Urban " plan. GO-Urban called for a system of three advanced mass transit lines that would be run by the newly formed GO Transit . The idea was to select a system with low capital costs, one that would be cost effective in low-density areas where a traditional subway would be too expensive to build and operate. Designed to have a design capacity half-way between buses and subways, the new system

3248-581: The CNE closed for the 1974 season. Concrete pilings were poured and some of the support pillars mounted and everything was looking good for the promised opening in time for the 1975 CNE season. However, the test system in Germany failed when the vehicles rounded bends in the track, and fixes were not immediately obvious. Ontario provincial officials cancelled their visits while the West German government pondered

3360-756: The Center at the top of a hill in Brentwood ; this system places the motor outside the vehicle at the top of the guideway to reduce the weight lifted up the hill and thus improve efficiency. Small AGT systems are also used as circulator or feeder systems within urban centers. The city of Miami installed its Metromover system in 1986 and later extended it by 4.4 miles and added 12 new stations it in 1994. Similar INNOVIA APM 100 systems operate in Singapore's Bukit Panjang district and in Guangzhou , China. Over time,

3472-473: The GO-Urban system, and development ended. During the period of negotiations, several technical issues had cropped up too. The system used a complex system of mechanical switches to move the trains from one track to another, and these proved to easily ice up in cold weather. Fixing this would require significant re-development. Additionally, testing by US authorities found that the train was both noisy and had

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3584-616: The German government was ending. Ontario was not willing to continue funding development of the system on their own, and cancelled the maglev plans. Instead of returning to their earlier submissions, the OTDC decided to press ahead with many portions of the existing ICTS design. On April 14, 1975, the Ministry of Transportation arranged financing for Phase I and II studies to develop the new version. In June 1975, OTDC announced that it had arranged

3696-823: The ICTS is the basis for several mass transit systems around the world. Like most AGT systems, the Transurban was based on a vehicle sized about the same as a large passenger van or small bus. The vehicle was essentially a large box, with windows on the side. The lack of a conventional suspension and wheels below the vehicle was its most notable feature, making it quite short compared to similar wheeled vehicles. The Transurban vehicles held 12 passengers seated, and another 6 to 8 standing. There were two automatic doors on either side. The Transurban used separate suspension and propulsion systems. The suspension used attractive magnetic levitation , lifted on two upside-down T-shaped beams. Each held magnets for both lifting and switching, on

3808-463: The Innovia ART 100 car meant that the traditional Toronto solution of taking up the front-right corner of the cab left too little room for the operator to work in, and the entire front of the car had to be used up, reducing seating. Additionally, the Innovia ART 100 control system was based on "dumb" cars and "smart" control centres, so there was no system on the train itself for control or presenting information. These systems had to be retrofitted and were

3920-426: The Innovia ART 100 fleet overdue for replacement and expensive upgrades to the line needed to handle the longer Innovia ART 200 trains, replacement of the line was decided upon. One proposal would have converted the line to use conventional light rail vehicles and seen it extended west by 19 kilometres (11.8 mi), but the city council voted to ask for provincial and federal funding to extend Line 2 Bloor–Danforth ,

4032-433: The Innovia ART 200 design has been updated and Bombardier is currently marketing the third generation as Innovia Metro 300 (retiring the ART branding). While three vehicle orders have been placed, new vehicles are still in the production stage. Vehicle dimensions are similar to the Innovia ART 200 vehicle, but passenger capacity has been increased through redesigned car layout. The vehicles appear sleeker, with larger windows on

4144-603: The Innovia Metro alongside the larger Movia Metro and has touted its system versatility. The first rotary-powered Innovia Metro 300 vehicles were ordered by Riyadh Metro in Saudi Arabia for Line 3 of its new rapid transit network. Those 47 vehicles will be equipped with Bombardier's MITRAC propulsion drives. The ICTS was the original platform for the SelTrac automated control system by Standard Elektrik Lorenz . This system has changed hands several times since then and

4256-669: The Innovia Metro system has a number of competitors in the field of automated light metros , including the VAL technology developed by Matra for the Lille Metro in France (and now owned by Siemens ) and the Météor technology used by Paris Métro Line 14 (which is built to high-capacity, full metro standards). Furthermore, the CITYFLO and SelTrac signaling technologies are not specific to

4368-440: The Innovia Metro, but can also equip most conventional railway lines regardless of propulsion technology or carrying capacity. Innovia Metro lines are designed to run on elevated structures , and indeed the systems that use these trains include such sections, with most being predominantly elevated. Using a grade-separated guideway , though, allows them to perform equally well on ground level and in tunnels , as they in fact do for

4480-495: The Leitner Group, better known for their ski lift systems, provide AGT systems for the airport market. Although the smaller vehicle systems were not successful in the marketplace, larger AGT were simpler to integrate into existing mass transit systems. Many higher capacity AGT systems that looked and operated in a fashion similar to a small subway have since become a common fixture of many existing metro systems, often as

4592-520: The Transurban system in 1970. Full funding for a five-year development process was granted on 1 October 1971, part of a wider funding project by the German Ministry of Research and Technology. Many companies in Germany received funding to develop AGT systems, and maglev systems in particular. K-M won funding for both their AGT system, as well as their inter-city high-speed Transrapid maglev. K-M partnered with Standard Elektrik Lorenz to provide

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4704-403: The Transurban, trains could be connected and disconnected on the fly. Krauss-Maffei's system immediately caught the interest of the selection board. It had a number of advantages over the competition due to its use of a maglev and linear induction motor . The drive system had no physical contact between the train and "rails", so snow and ice would not affect its operations in the winter. Since it

4816-522: The United States Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) Downtown People Mover (DPM) program. After ten years, little actual development had taken place and UMTA was mandated to install systems with all possible speed. None of the high-tech developments funded by UMTA had been installed, nor developed to the point where they were ready for service. Instead, the Detroit system was favouring

4928-524: The aerospace firms that had initially designed most of these systems left the industry and sold off the AGT divisions to other companies. Most of these were picked up by existing transportation conglomerates, and through additional mergers and buyouts, many of these are today owned by either Siemens or Bombardier . During the same period, a number of new companies entered the field with systems designed solely for these smaller installations. Poma , Doppelmayr and

5040-411: The automated control system. Their system was based on attractive maglev (as opposed to repulsive) because they calculated it would require half as much power. This would require much more direct control over the suspension systems, however, as Eric Laithwaite famously noted. K-M also noted that maglev in general would have a wide array of advantages over traditional designs, including no contact with

5152-555: The automatic control system, Dofasco for the bogies , Alcan and Canadair for the design of the car bodies and a set of prototypes, and Canadair as the overall prime contractor. The arrangements, funding and final system definitions were in place by 1976. Between 1976 and 1980, three prototype cars were built. The first immediately demonstrated a problem with the rubber-wheeled bogies. The linear induction motor required very accurate positioning about 15 millimetres (0.59 in) above its "reaction rail" in order to work efficiently and

5264-479: The basic train design, linear motor, SEL control system and other features of the Transurban, and redesigned it to run on conventional steel wheels. The result was the "ICTS" system. Announced in June 1975, the government used the existing shell of the OTDC to form the new Urban Transportation Development Corporation , in partnership with five industrial firms. Today known as the Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit (ART),

5376-549: The basis of the GO-Urban system in Toronto in 1973 made it well known in the industry; it would have been the basis of the first large-area AGT mass transit network in the world. Technical problems cropped up during the construction of the test track, and the sudden removal of funding by the West German government led to the project's cancellation in late 1974. The Ontario government completed development and installation of

5488-737: The cars, as well as adding more internal space for passenger seating. These versions of the Mark II design won several more contracts, and are currently operating on the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur, the Airport Express, Beijing Subway in China (in four-car trains), and the YongIn EverLine near Seoul in South Korea. When Bombardier started marketing ART as part of its Bombardier Innovia family of automated transit systems,

5600-469: The case and in operations at just the wrong conditions close to freezing, the opposite occurred: when the train passed and heated the rail, microscopically thin layers of snow would be melted, and if the rail was below zero as a whole, the water would freeze to the rail and cause ice buildup. Another retrofit was required to solve this problem, by adding wooden covers over the rail, a system used throughout Toronto's subway system. Even with these covers in place,

5712-400: The cause of considerable expense and confusion. Entering operation, the problems continued. The braking system had been designed to be fully automated but was now being operated by manual control, and the brakes were being over-applied. This led to problems with the wheels being rubbed flat in spots when the brakes were applied too strongly, producing buzzing noises when running at speed. Since

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5824-652: The company for only CAD$ 50 million, less than the $ 70 million spent on the UTDC by the government up to 1981. The sale was highly controversial at the time, due to several non-performance payments due to the early problems on the ICTS that had to be paid out by the government, to the tune of $ 39 million. Soon after, Hawker Siddeley announced that they were selling their remaining interest in Can-Car to Lavalin as well. A series of financial difficulties caused by Lavalin's rapid expansion led to its bankruptcy. A clause in

5936-457: The contest, although there were also technical requirements the slower ACT could not meet. With only Hawker-Siddeley and Krauss-Maffei left, the 1 May 1973 announcement that the Transurban design had won the contest was unsurprising. K-M had not yet built a full-scale Transurban test system, and agreed to help fund development of a test track in Ontario. Unlike most systems, which built test tracks at their industrial sites, Transurban's test system

6048-402: The cost of a subway system is due to the large vehicle sizes, which demand large tunnels, large stations and considerable infrastructure throughout the system. The large vehicles are a side-effect of the need to have considerable space between the vehicles, known as " headway ", for safety reasons due to the limited sightlines in tunnels. Given large headways and limited average speed due to stops,

6160-435: The doors at the stations. The trains could automatically couple or uncouple in the stations, allowing the capacity to be adjusted "on the fly", or to allow individual cars to be pulled out of operation on demand, as opposed to removing the entire train from operation. Each car held 12 seated and 6 standing. The system could also operate at different speeds, normally 30 mph but could go as high as 75 mph. This allowed

6272-619: The downtown area directly to the fair, or to the recently completed Ontario Place grounds, which are difficult to access due to the 6-lane Lake Shore Boulevard separating Ontario Place from the Ex. K-M and the Ontario government formed the Ontario Transportation Development Corporation (OTDC) to handle local sales into the North American market. Construction on the test track started when

6384-502: The ending of Project Apollo and the winding down of the Vietnam War , there was concern that these companies would be left with few projects in the 1970s and 80s. Expecting widespread deployment of PRT systems through the late 1970s and 80s, many of the major US aerospace companies entered the AGT market, including Boeing , LTV and Rohr . Car companies followed suit, including General Motors and Ford . This, in turn, sparked off

6496-478: The existing SkyTrain network. The extension opened on December 2, 2016. Automated guideway transit AGT covers a wide variety of systems, from limited people mover systems commonly found at airports, to more complex automated train systems like the Vancouver SkyTrain . In the people mover role the term "automated people mover" (APM) is sometimes used, although this distinction is relatively rare because most people movers are automated. Larger systems span

6608-595: The five cities ended their development plans, but Detroit and Miami (using a different design) decided to press ahead with their deployments. Construction of the Toronto and Vancouver systems proceeded apace, with the Scarborough RT opening for service on March 22, 1985, followed by the SkyTrain on December 11, 1985, with passenger service starting in January. Sales of additional ICTS systems went nowhere, and

6720-505: The flange and track that caused the screeching noise. UTDC bought two modern articulated bogie patents from a private developer in the United States, which were further developed by Dofasco . A dedicated test facility was desired; modelled after the similar Transit Testing Center set up in the US as part of their own mass transit developments, the site would be open to use for any company that wanted to test new technologies without

6832-426: The government began to worry about UTDC's continued successes. The government pushed any potential deployment to buy from UTDC, but with only one product, and that product having many problems in Toronto, there was little interest from other cities. At the same time, the buy-UTDC clause locked Hawker Siddeley Canada out of many local projects, and they had formerly been a major supplier in the local market. The solution

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6944-658: The growth of the suburbs led to a flight of capital from the city cores, resulting in the urban decay being seen throughout the US leading to freeway revolts across North America. Activists inspired by urbanist Jane Jacobs rallied to oppose development of the Spadina Expressway project. The government reconsidered and cancelled the construction of the Spadina Expressway and other planned expressways. Instead of expressways, Bill Davis and his new Minister of Transport, Charles MacNaughton , outlined

7056-412: The inside and outside of the T, respectively. Normally the cars ran with the T misaligned slightly inside of a similar structure attached to the track above it, which made the system self-centering. Switching was accomplished by pulling the vehicle sideways with the second set of magnets, before moving onto the new track. Skid pads on the track stopped the vehicle in the case of a power failure. The motor

7168-460: The lack of a secondary passive suspension system, requiring the active system to continually adjust the distance over the track. K-M offered to continue development of the system in Heidelberg, using a rubber-wheeled design in place of the maglev. These plans went nowhere. Given the technical problems remaining, the Ontario government decided to abandon the maglev concept. Instead, they took

7280-499: The late 1970s, it appeared there were no more technology issues to overcome and efforts turned to debugging the system and developing methods for mass production. As this process started, UTDC started its own efforts to market the design. Toronto, the inspiration for the system, was an obvious target, but the company also found interest in the system in Ottawa , Hamilton , Vancouver , Detroit and Los Angeles . A test system in Toronto

7392-484: The latest Innovia Metro technology have been made by transit authorities in Kuala Lumpur and Riyadh. During the 1950s, Toronto experienced the same sort of urban sprawl that was sweeping through the United States. This caused enormous traffic problems within the city, and a network of new highways to address the problem became part of the Official Plan in 1959. By the mid-1960s, there was a growing awareness that

7504-472: The line can be shut down by any heavy snowfall that covers the fourth rail to a depth that fills the distance between the rail and the linear motor. Only two of Line 3's stations have ridership comparable to those of the TTC's conventional subway lines , and most passengers see it merely as an extra transfer they must make in order to get onto a subway line running downtown. Although there had been proposals to extend Line 3, none of these gained traction. With

7616-593: The local office to handle all sales efforts in North America – a stipulation most US companies were not willing to agree to. Local testing, construction and sales were centralized in the newly created "Ontario Transportation Development Corporation" (OTDC). Construction of a test track on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition started in late 1975, but shortly after this Krauss-Maffei announced that development funding provided by

7728-619: The low-end, or a subway at the high-end. During development, the system was known as the ICTS ( Intermediate Capacity Transit System ). The ICTS was chosen for lines in Vancouver , Toronto , and Detroit . Further sales were not forthcoming and the Ontario government lost interest in the company, selling it to Lavalin of Quebec in 1986. Lavalin ran into serious financial difficulties and the UTDC returned to Ontario control, only to be immediately sold to Bombardier Transportation . Bombardier used

7840-496: The major US developments, several European designs, and the locally designed system from Hawker-Siddeley Canada . Most of these were rubber-wheeled systems, but there were several hovercraft , along with the maglevs from Krauss-Maffei and the US ROMAG . The initial selection left fourteen systems under consideration, then nine for the year-long detailed inspection. All but three were left after that process. Ford 's ACT system

7952-414: The many historic buildings, so K-M suggested moving the system to a tunnel. Since the system was much smaller than a traditional subway, it would cost less to install and require less earth moving under the buildings. The system was fairly small, with 3.6 km of track with 10 stations. It covered the downtown core only. When Toronto announced its GO-Urban system in 1972, there was enormous interest on

8064-473: The name Advanced Rapid Transit ( ART ) after its acquisition of the technology. The company was much more active in developing and promoting this system, introducing a major new revision and winning several additional sales in New York City , Beijing , Kuala Lumpur and Yongin , near Seoul . Bombardier would later be purchased by Alstom, which continues to market the technology. The latest version

8176-600: The need to build out their own testing sites. A 480-acre (190 ha) site in Millhaven, outside of Kingston, Ontario , was selected for the new test centre. Kingston had been home to the Canadian Locomotive Company that closed its doors in 1969, and the city lobbied hard for the new company to locate to their city. The site was officially opened on September 29, 1978, by James Snow , the Minister of Transportation and Communications. The site included

8288-520: The number of times the polarity changed. Additional fine-tuning was available via a wheel rotation counter, which was used for positioning in stations. The Toronto Transit Commission union, ATU Local 113, rejected automated control as they felt this was the start of a switch to automating the entire fleet, thereby cutting some of the highest paid jobs in the TTC. This led to the Scarborough Rapid Transit vehicles being modified at

8400-411: The only way to increase passenger capacity is to increase the size of the vehicle. Capital costs can be reduced by elevating the tracks instead of burying them, but the large tracks needed present a major visual barrier, and the steel-wheels-on-steel-rails are very noisy rounding bends. Headway can be reduced via automation, a technique that was becoming feasible in the 1960s. As the headway is decreased,

8512-461: The original LRT costs. The 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) six-station Scarborough RT (now called Line 3 Scarborough ) line opened in March 1985. Although its Innovia ART 100 trains are capable of driving themselves, the TTC chose to run them semi-automatically with operators on board in order to keep peace with their main union. This conversion proved much more difficult than imagined; the small confines of

8624-399: The original sales contract returned UTDC to Ontario crown control, and they quickly sold it to Bombardier in 1991. Bombardier started a redesign effort for the ICTS, resulting in the larger, advanced rapid transit (ART) Mark II vehicle. Compared to the original ICTS (retroactively named Mark I), the newer ART cars are longer with more seating, and have a more open layout inside. ART technology

8736-429: The original streetcar budget. Construction of the internal streetcar platform and a turn-around loop had already been completed at the station. The platform had to be raised to the higher floor height of the ICTS, but UTDC claimed the vehicle would be able to make its way around the existing 18-metre (59 ft) radius loop at 10 km/h (6.2 mph) without additional modification. Vancouver proved very interested in

8848-471: The part of industry, who were all clamouring to win a contract and thereby be the first to be able to offer an operational system to future customers. Unlike the Heidelberg system, GO-Urban featured three major lines covering the entire Toronto area as well as neighboring cities and providing service to the distant Malton Airport . Eighteen proposals were sent in for the Phase I selection process, including all of

8960-407: The problem. In November 1974, the German government announced a major shake-up of their maglev development funding. Krauss-Maffei's funding was dramatically reduced in favour of competing systems from MBB . The loss of funding was a severe blow to the project. Although K-M offered to move the entire project to Ontario if development funding was picked up there, no further money was forthcoming from

9072-527: The rail and replace it with a "virtual" one that is read by sensors on the vehicle without the need for any mechanical connection. AGT systems, and the personal rapid transit concept (or "dial-a-cab"), became a major area of research after the publication of the HUD reports in 1968, and subsequent funding by the US Department of Transportation . Political support was particularity strong in states with large concentrations of aerospace companies; with

9184-403: The running surface (eliminating wear), no noise or vibration and thus very little sound, low drag, and a low-profile vehicle because there was no "undercarriage". SEL's control system allowed the Transurban cars to be operated singly or in five-car trains. This gave the Transurban system added flexibility; the very same system could be used on high or low-density routes, the only difference being

9296-547: The sides of the train, and redesigned windows and headlights on the ends of the cars. The linear motors and steerable axles used in Innovia Metro trains are relatively rare, although similar Japanese designed linear motor propulsion technologies are also used on a number of subway lines in East Asia, such as the Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line , Toei Ōedo Line and Guangzhou Metro Line 5 . However,

9408-450: The size of the vehicle, so the guideway was often separate from the running surface. Typical solutions used a single light rail embedded in the ground or attached to the guideway wall, with a wheel or slider that was pressed against the guideway rail and steered the running wheels through a linkage. A suspension-like system is needed to smooth out the imperfections in the guideway and provide a comfortable ride. More modern systems can eliminate

9520-462: The size of vehicle needed to transport a given number of passengers per hour also decreases, which, in turn, decreases the infrastructure needed to support these smaller vehicles. Everything from track supports to station size can be reduced, with similar reductions in capital costs. Additionally, the lighter vehicles allow for a wider variety of suspension methods, from conventional steel wheels, to rubber tires, air cushion vehicles and maglevs . Since

9632-401: The slight give in the wheels was enough to make this a problem. The obvious solution to this would be to use steel wheels instead, but that would re-introduce the noise problem as the trains rounded curves in the tracks. A new solution was selected, using steel wheels with an articulated bogie that would steer each wheel set into the direction of the track and thereby avoid the rubbing between

9744-440: The suburbs of larger ones, which often suffer the same gridlock problems as larger cities. Buses could be easily introduced in these areas, but did not offer the capacities or speeds that made them an attractive alternative to car ownership. Cars drive directly from origin to destination, while buses generally work on a hub-and-spoke model that can increase trip times. AGT offered a solution that fit between these extremes. Much of

9856-405: The suburbs. Construction had already started on the streetcar system at the eastern end of the line at Kennedy station . The provincial government asked the TTC to switch the streetcar line to the ICTS. The TTC was uninterested until the government threatened to pull their financing, which accounted for 75% of its capital budget. In exchange, the government agreed to pay for any cost overruns above

9968-462: The system has to be automated in order to reduce the headways enough to be worthwhile, by automating the steering as well the operational costs can also be reduced compared to crewed vehicles. One key problem in an automated system is the steering system's negotiation of turns in the right-of-way. The simplest solution is to use a rigid guideway, like conventional rails or steel rollercoasters . For lighter AGTs, these solutions were over-specified given

10080-522: The system on its own merits. As early as 1978, the city had been planning a transportation-themed event for its centennial in 1986, and in 1980 they won the rights to host the Expo '86 World's Fair, giving it the theme "Transportation and Communications". The city is newer than Toronto and more spread out, making a traditional subway unattractive – precisely the problem that the ICTS had been designed to solve. The ICTS vehicle design, with shorter vehicle heights,

10192-503: The technology are available with standard electric rotary propulsion. The design was originally developed in the 1970s by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC), a Government of Ontario –owned crown corporation . It was designed as a system that would provide economic rapid transit service in the suburbs , which would have ridership levels between what a bus could serve at

10304-462: The technology was rebranded as the Innovia ART 100 for the Mark I and Innovia ART 200 for the Mark II. Vancouver continues to be the largest operator of an Innovia ART system, with 49.5 km (30.8 mi) of operational lines in its SkyTrain network (Expo Line and Millennium Line). This network increased in 2016 with the opening of a 10.9-kilometre (6.8 mi) extension of the Millennium Line, named

10416-486: The track. This required much higher bandwidth than the inductive loop could provide, and was handled separately. Although the Transurban system was never built in a production setting, SEL's control system became widespread. Now better known as SelTrac , the system was licensed by Alcatel for deployment in Canada on the ICTS. ICTS's initial installs had problems, but they were solved and the system quickly proved itself. It

10528-482: The vehicles to be used on longer distance runs where the higher speeds were needed to reduce transit times. Passenger capacity was about the same at all speeds, headway was 10 seconds at 30 mph but was increased at higher speeds. Stations could be on-line or off-line, the later allowing "through trains" to pass by intermediate stations. Unlike true personal rapid transit systems, individual cars could not be switched out of trains, so individual point-to-point service

10640-448: The vehicles were brand-new, the TTC did not have a machine capable of grinding the small-diameter wheels, and one had to be purchased for $ 1.5 million. Another $ 250,000 was needed for a rail grinder to remove "totally unexpected rail corrugations". Additionally, the cars were found to be incapable of turning the short radius , 18-metre (59 ft 1 in) turning loop at one end of the line, in spite of UTDC's claims it could, which

10752-642: The world, and today they are relatively universal at larger airports, often connecting terminals with distant long-term parking lots. Similar systems were also a fixture of a number of amusement parks, notably the Walt Disney World Monorail System and the Toronto Zoo Domain Ride . The Getty Center in Los Angeles uses a unique vertically oriented AGT to bring visitors from a parking lot off Interstate 405 to

10864-523: The world. Prior to a change in approach to marketing and the introduction of the "Metro" branding, Innovia ART 100 and 200 technologies were sometimes referred to as " light rail ", especially in Asia. Because of their use of automated operation and third-rail power, however, they are unsuitable for the unprotected , street-level trams that the term usually indicates in Europe and North America. In 1981,

10976-500: Was a one-sided LIM design, with an aluminum reaction rail positioned on the track between the two suspension rails. Power pickup was provided by two slipping brushes, like those on a conventional subway system. A subway can use the running rails as the ground, but the Transrapid had no contact with its rail, so it needed a second conductor. Brushes were positioned on both sides of the vehicle, to allow it to pick up from either side. It

11088-508: Was also ideal, as the old heavy-rail Dunsmuir Tunnel in downtown Vancouver could be easily modified and split into two stacked tunnels. With UTDC interested in showcasing the system at the Expo, and the Expo backers interested in a transit solution that could be open in time for the show, a deal was quickly arranged that was attractive to both parties. At the time, it was a somewhat controversial project and had its detractors. Detroit had been one of six cities selected for rapid development under

11200-464: Was expected to be almost silent in operation, the routes could be slotted into subdivisions close to houses (a major issue with most elevated railways ). A major part of the contract negotiations required the winning system to be built in Ontario. This was no problem for Hawker-Siddeley and Krauss-Maffei, who agreed to allow construction for any system sold to North America to be handled from Ontario. Ford could not meet this requirement, and withdrew from

11312-426: Was going to have to be re-built at a cost of about $ 6 million. Instead, this portion of the track was simply abandoned. Over $ 1 million was originally budgeted to heat the third rail to prevent ice buildup but this feature was later removed as a cost-cutting move. It was believed that the rapid operation (short headways ) would keep the rail free of snow as the passing cars heated the rail. This proved not to be

11424-612: Was intended to be built downtown Toronto , on the Exhibition Place (the Ex) fairgrounds. When testing was complete, the system would be used in production for moving passengers around the site, especially during the two weeks in the summer that the Canadian National Exhibition was in operation. In the future, the test tracks could be connected to the Lakeshore Line of the GO-Urban network, allowing riders to transit from

11536-423: Was not available. A 1,200 m test track was built to test the control system, using prototype vehicles on rubber wheels. The track was completed in 1973. This was followed by a 200 m test track for the maglev system. Early in development, K-M started negotiations with the city of Heidelberg to install a system in the downtown core. The city was worried about the visible impact of suspended systems among

11648-458: Was powered by 600 VDC power, typical for mass transit systems, and drew 50 kW at 50 mph. Almost as complex as the vehicle was the automated system to control the network in operation. For signalling, the system used dual redundant induction loops , one on each side of the LIM reaction plate. Magnets on the bottom of the vehicles relayed information about the vehicle location and speed, which

11760-428: Was received at the central control station. The control station received this information to provide communication-based train control based on moving blocks . The control center used the same loops to send control signals to the cars, as well as announcements in emergency situations. The control center also featured a widespread closed-circuit-television system, to provide security at stations and locations along

11872-567: Was referred to as the Intermediate Capacity Transit System or ICTS. The space age automated guideway transit (AGT) systems being designed in the late 1960s seemed like the right solution. Toronto was not the only city looking for such a solution, and there appeared to be a large market for automated transit systems in the 1970s and 80s. As GO-Urban was larger than most networks being considered, practically every company working on an AGT, or hoping to, submitted

11984-610: Was selected for the AirTrain JFK project, which is widely considered a great success in spite of predictions to the contrary. After winning the SkyTrain Millennium Line contract in Vancouver, Bombardier further improved the design by introducing an articulating section between adjacent cars, replacing the coupling and doors of the older Mark I design. The articulation allows passengers to move freely between

12096-497: Was that without a manufacturing business, UTDC would find it difficult to make enough income to justify its Kingston operations. If the company did start a manufacturing side, it would be inappropriate for the company to remain government owned. The Can-Car deal put this on hold for a time. In 1986 the new Ontario government announced their intention to sell UTDC to Lavalin , a large engineering company in Montreal. Lavalin purchased

12208-420: Was the least-advanced of the selectees, based on a 20-person rubber-wheeled vehicle. Its primary point of interest was that it used a single track for most rights of way, with smaller double-tracked areas allowing vehicles to pass each other. Hawker-Siddeley's entry also survived. It was based on smaller vehicles that switched onto separate lines at the stations, allowing other traffic to pass by at full speed. Like

12320-452: Was the primary concern. With the GO-Urban concept having since been cancelled, and GO Transit having turned to conventional heavy rail systems, the only suitable local market was the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The TTC had recently extended the east–west Bloor-Danforth subway line with the addition of another station on each end of the line, and had planned to further extend the line with streetcars running from those stations into

12432-592: Was the world's first to incorporate an AGT system as an inter-terminal connector in 1971. Its landside/airside set up allows the airport to increase capacity without spreading out. The LTV Airtrans was another early AGT systems which was installed at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and went into operation in January 1975 (later replaced by the DFW Skylink system in 2005). Similar systems followed at airports around

12544-432: Was to form a 50–50 combined company, Can-Car Rail, who marketed the combined product line. Hawker had a number of successful products, notably their Bombardier BiLevel Coach , and as these other products were selling well through this period, interest in actively selling ICTS waned. In spite of Can-Car's success in other markets, as early as 1981 the government had considered selling UTDC to the private sector. Their concern

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