47-745: The Jacksonville Skyway is an automated people mover in Jacksonville, Florida . It opened in 1989 and is operated by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). The skyway has three stations in Downtown Jacksonville and was extended in 1996 following a conversion from its original technology to Bombardier Transportation equipment. It was expanded again in 1998 and 2000. The currently fare-free system comprises two routes across 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of track, serving eight stations , and crosses
94-479: A generation". However, others argued that expansion of the system and downtown revitalization could make it a success. In February 2012, the Skyway was temporarily made free to ride until a new payment system was installed. Ridership jumped 61%—to 481,000 annually. Ridership in 2013 averaged nearly 4,000 on weekdays (the system is closed on weekends except for special events) and JTA renewed the fare-free policy through
141-600: A metro (e.g. Rennes , Lausanne , Brescia , etc.) are now doing so. On September 30, 2006, the Peachliner in Komaki , Aichi Prefecture , Japan, became that nation's first people mover to cease operations. Many large international airports around the world feature people mover systems to transport passengers between terminals or within a terminal itself. Some people mover systems at airports connect with other public transportation systems to allow passengers to travel into
188-415: A system known as Cabinentaxi during the 1970s. Cabinentaxi featured small cars with from four to eight seats that were called to pick up passengers on-demand and drove directly to their destination. The stations were "offline", allowing the cabs to stop by moving off the main lines while other cars continued to their destinations. The system was designed so the cars could be adapted to run on top or bottom of
235-470: A third of that by 2009. The primary reasons are the decline of the downtown workforce and lack of connections to other neighborhoods and modes of transit. The system became a major point of contention in Jacksonville, with critics considering it a "ride to nowhere" and a waste of resources. In 2010, after underperforming for over twenty years, The Florida Times-Union called it "a Jacksonville joke for
282-513: A working title for a new attraction, the PeopleMover . According to Imagineer Bob Gurr , "the name got stuck," and it was no longer a working title. Starting in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, people movers were the topic of intense development around the world. Worried about the growing congestion and pollution in downtown areas due to the spread of cars, many countries started studying mass transit systems that would lower capital costs to
329-455: Is "automated guideway transit", which encompasses any automated system regardless of size. Some complex APMs deploy fleets of small vehicles over a track network with off-line stations, and supply near non-stop service to passengers. These taxi-like systems are more usually referred to as personal rapid transit (PRT). Larger systems, with vehicles with 20 to 40 passengers, are sometimes referred to as "group rapid transit" (GRT), although this term
376-543: Is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks. The term was originally applied to three different systems, developed roughly at the same time. One was Skybus , an automated mass transit system prototyped by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation beginning in 1964. The second, alternately called
423-419: Is not particularly common. Other complex APMs have similar characteristics to rapid transit systems, and there is no clear cut distinction between a complex APM of this type and an automated mass transit system. Another term " light metro " is also applied to describe the system worldwide. One of the first automated systems for human transportation was the screw-driven 'Never-Stop-Railway', constructed for
470-514: The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley , London in 1924. This railway consisted of 88 unmanned carriages, on a continuous double track along the northern and eastern sides of the exhibition, with reversing loops at either end. The carriages ran on two parallel concrete beams and were guided by pulleys running on the inner side of these concrete beams, and were propelled by gripping a revolving screw thread running between
517-693: The Downtown Core and LaVilla areas, and three across the St. Johns River on the Southbank . There are two routes running south from Rosa Parks Transit Station and branching at Central station : one going west and terminating at LaVilla station , and the other going south over the river and terminating at Kings Avenue station on the Southbank. From 1989 to 1996 the system used VAL 256-type rubber-wheeled vehicles designed by Matra . This ran only on
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#1732780907429564-526: The Erie Railroad to the Hudson and Manhattan Tubes . This unit was 227 feet (69 m) long with a rise of 22 feet (6.7 m) on a 15 degree grade , and only cost $ 75,000. A Carveyor consisted of many small cubicles or cars carrying ten people riding on a flat conveyor belt from point A to point B. The belt rode on a series of motorized rollers. The purpose of the motorized rollers was to facilitate
611-479: The New York City Board of Transportation , had several meetings with a group of architects who were trying to revamp the whole New York City Subway system in the heart of town to connect Pennsylvania Station, Madison Square Garden , Times Square, Grand Central and several new office complexes together. Several of these architects were involved in other programs, and in later years many variations of
658-526: The St. Johns River on the Acosta Bridge . In 2023, the system had a ridership of 309,000, or about 1,200 per day as of the third quarter of 2024. As of 2023, the Skyway typically only operates on weekdays, although JTA does occasionally operate the system on weekends when there are special events downtown. The Skyway runs on an elevated two-way monorail track. The 2.5-mile (4.0 km) system serves eight stations in Downtown Jacksonville : five in
705-582: The 0.7-mile (1.1 km), three station Phase I-A segment. In 1997, this was replaced by the current system designed by Bombardier Transportation , a version of its UM III monorail technology. In the current system, vehicles run on beams 34 inches (86 cm) wide and 28 inches (71 cm) tall, fixed on an 11-foot (3.4 m) wide guideway with parapet walls. Each driverless train operates under automatic train control , travelling at up to 35 mph (56 km/h), and can have two, four or six cars (although all current trains have two). The Skyway connects to
752-755: The Brooklyn neighborhood to the planned Brooklyn station, with construction to begin in September 2021 and completion projected for some time in early 2022. In December 2016 preference was given for replacement of the monorail by shared autonomous vehicles that would see vehicles run on the elevated route currently used by the monorail but also continue on an extended network at street level. The system would have some similarity to personal rapid transit or group rapid transit except at ground level it will either run in mixed traffic or its lanes will have grade crossings with other traffic. In December 2017, JTA launched
799-650: The Carveyor people movers were developed. In November 1954 the New York City Transit Authority issued an order to Goodyear and Stephens-Adamson to build a complete Carveyor system between Times Square and Grand Central. A brief summary and confirmation can be found in Time magazine on November 15, 1954. under the heading "Subway of the Future". The cost was to be under $ 4 million, but the order
846-560: The Downtown People Mover Program. Four systems were developed, Rohr 's ROMAG , LTV 's AirTrans , Ford 's APT and Otis Elevator 's hovercraft design. A major presentation of the systems was organized as TRANSPO'72 at Dulles International Airport , where the various systems were presented to delegations from numerous cities in the US. Prototype systems and test tracks were built during the 1970s. One notable example
893-541: The Industrial Products Division of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. , if Goodyear had ever considered working on People Movers. He felt that with Goodyear's ability to move materials in large quantities on conveyor belts they should consider moving batches of people. Four years of engineering design, development and testing led to a joint patent being issued for three types of people movers, named Speedwalk, Speedramp, and Carveyor. Goodyear would sell
940-774: The JTA's bus rapid transit system, known as the First Coast Flyer , at the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla . An automated people mover for Downtown Jacksonville was first proposed in 1972 to deal with traffic and parking issues in the urban core. In 1976, the city incorporated the system into its mobility plan, hoping to attract interest from the Urban Mass Transit Administration 's Downtown Peoplemover Program. The initial study
987-475: The Northbank of Downtown Jacksonville. Subsequent extensions were planned to take the Skyway north to Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ), and then south across the St. Johns River over the Acosta Bridge . Development of these routes began in 1992 and 1995, respectively, but negotiations for a new contract with Matra failed when the previous one expired. In October 1994 Bombardier Transportation
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#17327809074291034-674: The People Mover and Minirail , opened in Montreal at Expo 67. Finally the last, called PeopleMover or WEDway PeopleMover, was an attraction that was originally presented by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and that opened at Disneyland in 1967. Now, however, the term "people mover" is generic, and may use technologies such as monorail , rail tracks or maglev . Propulsion may involve conventional on-board electric motors, linear motors or cable traction . Generally speaking, larger APMs are referred to by other names. The most generic
1081-497: The Skyway operating for another five years as it determines the future of the system" As part of the construction of the agency's Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC), the Convention Center station closed for a period of time to allow for the dismantling of original station elements (such as the overhead station canopy) and construct the new facility partially over the existing tracks. The existing platform
1128-618: The Skyway reopened on December 15, 1997, with service from the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center to FSCJ. The southern segment opened on October 30, 1998, adding service to San Marco Station on Jacksonville's Southbank . On November 1, 2000, the Riverplace and Kings Avenue Stations opened, completing the Southbank segment and Phase I of the Skyway. Ridership on the Skyway has been far below initial projections; while JTA originally anticipated 100,000 riders monthly, it averaged less than
1175-527: The U2C AV Test and Learn track which serves as an outdoor classroom to test and evaluate multiple vehicles and their associated technologies from the AV shuttle industry. As of 2020 vehicles from three different suppliers have been trialed. In 2019 the JTA indicated an interim phase would involve the modification of one of the monorail beams to allow use by autonomous vehicles while the Skyway continues to run on
1222-525: The United States. Driverless metros have become common in Europe and parts of Asia. The economics of automated trains tend to reduce the scale so tied to "mass" transit (the largest operating expense is the driver's salary, which is only affordable if very large numbers of passengers are paying fares), so that small-scale installations are feasible . Thus cities normally thought of as too small to build
1269-542: The agency awarded JTA $ 23.5 million for the initial 0.7-mile (1.1 km) Phase I-A segment. In July 1987, JTA selected French company Matra to build the Phase I-A segment. Work was completed in May 1989 at a cost of $ 34.6 million and revenue service started June 5. At its opening the Skyway served three stations on its east–west route: Central , Jefferson , and Terminal Station and Convention Center (now LaVilla station) on
1316-557: The budget for the U2C, leaving $ 240 million for the project. The Jacksonville Skyway has eight stations on two lines: the Northbank (LaVilla) line, and the Southbank (Kings Avenue) line. All trains run through Rosa Parks Transit Station , James Weldon Johnson Park station , and Central , where they split. 30°19′38″N 81°39′44″W / 30.327087°N 81.662331°W / 30.327087; -81.662331 People mover A people mover or automated people mover ( APM )
1363-577: The concept and Stephens-Adamson would manufacture and install the components. A Speedwalk consisted of a flat conveyor belt riding on a series of rollers, or a flat slippery surface, moving at 1.5 mph (2.4 km/h) (approximately half the speed of walking). The passengers would walk onto the belt and could stand or walk to the exit point. They were supported by a moving handrail . Customers were expected to include airport terminals , ballparks , train stations , etc. Today, several manufacturers produce similar units called moving walkways . A Speedramp
1410-502: The end of 2016. As of June 2019, it continues to be free to ride. In light of this momentum, JTA Director Nat Ford has announced the agency will apply for grants to expand the system with a new station in the fast-growing Brooklyn neighborhood. In December 2015 the Jacksonville Transit Authority announced plans to review the installation and operation citing problems that "Skyway’s current vehicles are so old
1457-468: The gradual acceleration and deceleration speeds on the conveyor belt and overcome the tendency of all belts to stretch at start up and during shutdown. At point "A" passengers would enter a Speedwalk running parallel to the belts and cars of the Carveyor. The cars would be moving at the same speed as the Speedwalk; the passengers would enter the cars and be seated, while the motorized rollers would increase
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1504-741: The immaturity of the technology and other factors, led the Port Authority to abandon the project and pursue alternatives. By the start of the 1980s most politicians had lost interest in the concept and the project was repeatedly de-funded in the early 1980s. Only two APMs were developed as a part of the People Mover Program in the U.S., the Metromover in Miami , and the Detroit People Mover . The Jacksonville Skyway
1551-498: The other side. JTA revealed more detailed plans in 2020 that the U2C network will have 10 route miles – elevated track and ground level roadways – also covering surrounding suburbs such as San Marco, Springfield, and Brooklyn/Riverside (with the future possibility of connecting it with the proposed First Coast Commuter Rail network). In May 2021 the Jacksonville City Council voted to remove $ 132 million from
1598-491: The parts can no longer be replaced — four of 10 vehicles are out of commission — and JTA staff said industry experts did not respond favorably to the possibility of overhauling them". The review considered options to refurbish the current rolling stock, buy replacement vehicles, expand the system, tear down the structure or convert it to alternative use such as a walking path. JTA said in January 2017 that they are "trying to keep
1645-572: The point where any city could afford to deploy them. Most of these systems used elevated guideways, which were much less expensive to deploy than tunnels. However, elevating the track causes problems with noise, so traditional steel-wheel-on-rail solutions were rare as they squealed when rounding bends in the rails. Rubber tired solutions were common, but some systems used hovercraft techniques or various magnetic levitation systems. Two major government funded APM projects are notable. In Germany, Mannesmann Demag and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm developed
1692-432: The speed of the cars up to the traveling speed (which would be preset depending on the distance to be covered). At point B Passengers could disembark and by means of a series of flat slower belts (Speedwalks) go to other Carveyors to other destinations or out to the street. The cars at point B would continue on rollers around a semicircle and then reverse the process carrying passengers back to point A. The initial installation
1739-428: The track (but not easily converted from one to the other), allowing dual-track movements from a single elevated guideway only slightly wider than the cars. A test track was completed in 1975 and ran until development was completed in 1979, but no deployments followed and the companies abandoned the system shortly thereafter. In the U.S., a 1966 federal bill provided funding that led to the development of APM systems under
1786-550: The tracks in a pit; by adjusting the pitch of this thread at different points, the carriages could be sped up, or slowed down to a walking pace at stations, to allow passengers to join and leave. The railway ran reliably for the two years of the exhibition, and was then dismantled. In late 1949, Mike Kendall, chief engineer and Chairman of the Board of Stephens-Adamson Manufacturing Company, an Illinois-based manufacturer of conveyor belts and systems , asked Al Neilson, an engineer in
1833-423: The years to meet budget constraints and UMTA's parameters. After several stops and starts, UMTA selected Jacksonville as one of seven cities to receive federal funding for the "Automated Skyway Express" in 1985. Two other related projects are Miami 's Metromover and Detroit 's People Mover . UMTA's approved plan called for the construction of a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) Phase I system to be built in three segments;
1880-548: Was Pittsburgh 's Skybus, which was proposed by the Port Authority of Allegheny County to replace its streetcar system, which, having large stretches of private right of way, was not suited for bus conversion. A short demonstration line was set up in South Park and large tracts of land were secured for its facilities. However, opposition arose to the notion that it would replace the streetcar system. This, combined with
1927-585: Was awarded a new contract to revamp the existing east–west segment with new technology and to complete the remaining Phase I extensions. The system was shut down on December 15, 1996, to replace the former Matra technology with Bombardier equipment; the older cars were sold to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago . The northbound extension was completed, adding the Hemming Plaza (now James Weldon Johnson Park ) and Rosa Parks Transit Station stops, and
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1974-629: Was built in the late 1980s. Although many systems were generally considered failures, several APM systems developed by other groups have been much more successful. Lighter systems with shorter tracks are widely deployed at airports; the world's first airport people movers, the Tampa International Airport People Movers , were installed in 1971 at Tampa International Airport in the United States . APMs have now become common at large airports and hospitals in
2021-409: Was kept but with modifications made in order to tie everything into the new facility. While the new JRTC opened on May 4, 2020, the Skyway did not commence service to the facility until July of that year due to a temporary pause in Skyway service caused by COVID-19. On March 3, 2021, JTA announced that it had approved plans to convert a portion of its Skyway maintenance facility property off Leila St in
2068-569: Was never fulfilled due to political difficulties. Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania , Disneyland in California, and Walt Disney World in Florida are among many locations that have used variations of the Carveyor concept. The term 'people mover' was used by Walt Disney , when he and his Imagineers were working on the new 1967 Tomorrowland at Disneyland . The name was used as
2115-644: Was to be the 42nd Street Shuttle in New York City between Times Square and Grand Central station. The first mention of the Carveyor in a hardback book was in There's Adventure in Civil Engineering by Neil P. Ruzic (1958), one of a series of books published by Popular Mechanics in the 1950s in their "Career" series. In the book the Carveyor was already installed and operational in downtown Los Angeles. Colonel Sydney H. Bingham, Chairman of
2162-473: Was undertaken by the Florida Department of Transportation and Jacksonville's planning department, who took the Skyway project to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) in 1977 for further development. Early proposals recommended a comprehensive system over 4 miles (6.4 km) long that would connect into adjacent neighborhoods, but the project's route and scope were greatly reduced over
2209-594: Was very similar to a Speedwalk but it was used to change elevations; up or down a floor level. This could have been accomplished by an escalator, but the Speedramp would allow wheeled luggage, small handcarts etc. to ride the belt at an operating cost predicted to be much lower than escalators or elevators . The first successful installation of a Speedramp was in the spring of 1954 at the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Station in Jersey City, New Jersey , to connect
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