Misplaced Pages

#428571

96-478: Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit ( WVU PRT ) is a personal rapid transit (PRT) system in Morgantown, West Virginia , United States. The system connects the three Morgantown campuses of West Virginia University (WVU) and the city's downtown area. Developed from the Alden staRRcar and built by a consortium led by Boeing Vertol , the driverless system was a government-funded experiment in PRT systems. Upon its opening in 1975 with three stations, it had

192-594: A "U" on each end and four stanchions in the center of the vehicle for twelve standees. A yearly event called the PRT Cram takes place in which student organizations try to pack as many individuals as possible inside a modified PRT vehicle. The record of 97 was set in 2000. The cars are powered by three-phase 575- volt alternating current rectified to drive a 70 horsepower (52 kW) direct current motor. Electric pickups are fixed on both sides of each car, which connect to electrified rails on one, or both, sides of

288-436: A "virtual train", but control software issues caused cars to bump unacceptably. The project ultimately failed. Between 1970 and 1978, Japan operated a project called "Computer-controlled Vehicle System" (CVS). In a full-scale test facility, 84 vehicles operated at speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour (37.3 mph) on a 4.8 km (3.0 mi) guideway; one-second headways were achieved during tests. Another version of CVS

384-540: A 1/12 operational scale model. This was further developed and became the Modutram system and a full-scale test track was built in Guadalajara , which was operational by 2014. In 2018 it was announced that a PRT system would be installed at the new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport . The system will include 6 miles of guideway, 4 stations, 22 pods and will connect airport parking to two terminal buildings. It

480-641: A 10-vehicle 2getthere system has operated at Masdar City , UAE, and since 2011 a 21-vehicle Ultra PRT system has run at London Heathrow Airport . A 40-vehicle Vectus system with in-line stations officially opened in Suncheon , South Korea, in April 2014. A PRT system connecting the terminals and parking has been built at the new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport , which opened in 2021. Most mass transit systems move people in groups over scheduled routes. This has inherent inefficiencies. For passengers, time

576-630: A 400 m (1,312 ft) test track in Uppsala , Sweden. This test system was presented at the 2007 PodCar City conference in Uppsala. A 40-vehicle, 2-station, 4.46 km (2.8 mi) system called "SkyCube" was opened in Suncheon , South Korea, in April 2014. In the 2010s the Mexican Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education began research into project LINT ("Lean Intelligent Network Transportation") and built

672-564: A 70 hp (52 kW) motor that allows them to reach 30 mph (48 km/h). The larger vehicle size of the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit has led some to consider it a "group rapid transit" (GRT) system, instead of a true personal rapid transit system. The vehicles have automatic doors on both sides that open to the platform, and are accessible for people with mobility disabilities. The vehicles are designed for 20 passengers, with four seats arranged in

768-459: A PRT car. One student on the PRT was seriously injured and suffered multiple pelvic fractures. A driver, on nearby Mon Boulevard, was also taken to the hospital after their vehicle collided with another boulder that was part of the same disturbance. The guideway is a dedicated roadway for rubber-tired vehicles that allows close separation between vehicles. It is a network that connects all stations and

864-575: A PRT system could provide. Several other urban and transit planners also wrote on the topic and some early experimentation followed, but PRT remained relatively unknown. Around the same time, Edward Haltom was studying monorail systems. Haltom noticed that the time to start and stop a conventional large monorail train, like those of the Wuppertal Schwebebahn , meant that a single line could only support between 20 and 40 vehicles an hour. In order to get reasonable passenger movements on such

960-510: A city transportation planner, began research on PRT and alternative transportation methods. In 1964, Fichter published a book which proposed an automated public transit system for areas of medium to low population density. One of the key points made in the book was Fichter's belief that people would not leave their cars in favor of public transit unless the system offered flexibility and end-to-end transit times that were much better than existing systems – flexibility and performance he felt only

1056-542: A citywide deployment with many lines and closely spaced stations, as envisioned by proponents, has yet to be constructed. Past projects have failed because of financing, cost overruns, regulatory conflicts, political issues, misapplied technology, and flaws in design, engineering or review. However, the theory remains active. For example, from 2002 to 2005, the EDICT project, sponsored by the European Union , conducted

SECTION 10

#1732791093429

1152-458: A crash between the Beechurst and Walnut stations. There were six passengers on board and two were treated for minor injuries. Service to Walnut station was suspended for several days while the incident was investigated. On February 10, 2020, two PRT passengers, and WVU students, were taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital for injuries due to a boulder that dislodged from the nearby hillside striking

1248-407: A day is 31,280, set on August 21, 2006. In 2003, about 60% of costs were covered by the 50-cent fares. Morgantown's economy boomed in the 2000s and the city was noted for having the lowest municipal unemployment rate in the U.S. Mayor Ronald Justice said, "We're a small town with big traffic issues, and the PRT could be the reason we're able to continue our growth." There are two proposals to extend

1344-451: A fitful start, being three years behind schedule and costing 3–4 times more than estimated. It was expanded in 1978 to its current five stations, two maintenance depots, and over 70 vehicles. Like all PRT systems, stations are built on sidings , which allows vehicles to bypass stations and permits express trips between any two stations. While the system achieved reliability upwards of 98% for most of its life, its reliability declined in

1440-507: A group which advocates the use of technological solutions to transit problems, compiled a definition in 1988 that can be seen here. Currently, five advanced transit networks (ATN) systems are operational, and several more are in the planning stage. [REDACTED] Morgantown, West Virginia , US (1975) The following list summarizes several well-known automated transit networks (ATN) suppliers as of 2014, with subsequent amendments. Modern PRT concepts began around 1953 when Donn Fichter,

1536-431: A junction, for example. Several types of guideways have been proposed or implemented, including beams similar to monorails, bridge-like trusses supporting internal tracks, and cables embedded in a roadway. Most designs put the vehicle on top of the track, which reduces visual intrusion and cost, as well as easing ground-level installation. An overhead track is necessarily higher, but may also be narrower. Most designs use

1632-636: A network topology, with all stations located on sidings , and with frequent merge/diverge points. This allows for nonstop, point-to-point travel, bypassing all intermediate stations. The point-to-point service has been compared to a taxi or a horizontal lift (elevator). Numerous PRT systems have been proposed but most have not been implemented. As of November 2016 , only a handful of PRT systems are operational: Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (the oldest and most extensive), in Morgantown, West Virginia , has been in continuous operation since 1975. Since 2010

1728-452: A pod immediately upon arriving at a station, and can – with a sufficiently extensive network of tracks – take relatively direct routes to their destination without stops. The low weight of PRT's small vehicles allows smaller guideways and support structures than mass transit systems like light rail. The smaller structures translate into lower construction costs, smaller easements , and less visually obtrusive infrastructure. As it stands,

1824-424: A point-to-point fashion, instead of running like an automated people mover from one end of the line to the other. During periods of low usage all cars make a full circuit stopping at every station in both directions. Morgantown PRT is still in continuous operation at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia , with about 15,000 riders per day (as of 2003 ). The steam-heated track has proven expensive and

1920-452: A scheme to use the PRT system to connect terminal 2 and terminal 3 to their respective business car parks. The proposal was not included in the final plan due to spending priority given to other capital projects and has been deferred. If a third runway is constructed at Heathrow will destroy the existing system, which will be built over, will be replaced by another PRT. In June 2006, a Korean/Swedish consortium, Vectus Ltd, started constructing

2016-505: A second campus 2 mi (3.2 km) away in Evansdale. Free busing was offered to move students between the campuses, but all the roads led through the city center, creating gridlock more typical of a megacity. In the late 1960s, Samy Elias, who led WVU's industrial engineering department, learned of experiments with PRT in the U.S. after the HUD reports were published. A minor PRT craze

SECTION 20

#1732791093429

2112-462: A single passenger per vehicle is optimum. Other designs use a car for a model, and choose larger vehicles, making it possible to accommodate families with small children, riders with bicycles, disabled passengers with wheelchairs, or a pallet or two of freight. All current designs (except for the human-powered Shweeb ) are powered by electricity . In order to reduce vehicle weight, power is generally transmitted via lineside conductors although two of

2208-427: A small on-board battery to reach the next stop after a power failure. CabinTaxi uses a LIM and was able to demonstrate 0.5 second headways on its test track. The Vectus prototype system used continuous track mounted LIMs with the reaction plate on the vehicle, eliminating the active propulsion system (and power required) on the vehicle. ULTra and 2getthere use on-board batteries, recharged at stations. This increases

2304-532: A special de-icing vehicle. Masdar's system has been limited because the exclusive right-of-way for the PRT was gained by running the vehicles in an undercroft at ground-level while building an elevated "street level" between all the buildings. This led to unrealistically expensive buildings and roads. Proposals usually have stations close together, and located on side tracks so that through traffic can bypass vehicles picking up or dropping off passengers. Each station might have multiple berths, with perhaps one-third of

2400-624: A stepped approach, had to abandon the study stage and move the project directly to engineering tests. Numerous problems cropped up as a test system was set up at Boeing's plants, notably the requirement to heat the guideways to melt the snow that collected in the U-shaped guideways, resulting in costly changes to the design. By the time the original deadline passed, the system was already massively over-budget and nowhere near ready for buildout. Instead of an accomplishment that would work in Nixon's favor,

2496-437: A study on the feasibility of PRT in four European cities. The study involved 12 research organizations, and concluded that PRT: The report also concluded that, despite these advantages, public authorities will not commit to building PRT because of the risks associated with being the first public implementation. The PRT acronym was introduced formally in 1978 by J. Edward Anderson . The Advanced Transit Association (ATRA),

2592-483: A symbol and usually its main or alternate logo since 1902, originally in sarcastic defiance of John McGraw 's 1902 characterization of the new team as a "white elephant". The Al Maktoum International Airport on the outskirts of Dubai has also been named a white elephant. The Roman-styled Boothtown Aqueduct in Sydney , which was opened in 1888, has been referred to as a "white elephant" for its failure to operate as

2688-401: A system, the trains had to be large enough to carry hundreds of passengers (see headway for a general discussion). This, in turn, demanded large guideways that could support the weight of these large vehicles, driving up capital costs to the point where he considered them unattractive. Haltom turned his attention to developing a system that could operate with shorter timings, thereby allowing

2784-439: A track spiraling up to the summit of Big Spotters Hill. The track was approximately 600-metre (1,969 ft) long (one-way) and featured only two stations. The six-month operation was intended to research the public acceptance of PRT-like systems. In 2010 a 10-vehicle (four seats each), two station 2getthere system was opened to connect a parking lot to the main area at Masdar City , UAE. The systems runs in an undercroft beneath

2880-462: A white elephant was regarded—and is still regarded in Thailand and Burma—as a sign that the monarch reigned with justice and power, and that the kingdom was blessed with peace and prosperity. The opulence expected of anyone who owned a beast of such stature was great. Monarchs often exemplified their possession of white elephants in their formal titles (e.g., Hsinbyushin , lit.   ' Lord of

2976-528: Is built on elevated bridges and viaducts, while the remainder is at or below ground level. The viaduct spans are approximately 30 ft (9.1 m) long, and there are two styles of viaduct, with those constructed in Phase I being noticeably heavier-duty than those built in Phase II. The system is fully automated and can operate in three modes: "demand", "schedule", and "circulation". In the 2006 fiscal year,

Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit - Misplaced Pages Continue

3072-514: Is in full operational service as of November 2021, transporting students and staff daily. Morgantown is a small city with about 30,000 permanent residents, with close to 140,000 in the metropolitan area . WVU adds 28,000 seasonal residents from August through May. As WVU expanded in the 1960s, geographic constraints – the city is situated in a mountain valley along the Monongahela River  – forced WVU to build

3168-462: Is lucky enough to find a seat. The bus will be caught up in street congestion and move slowly, and it will make many stops completely unrelated to his trip objective. The bus may then let him off at a terminal to a suburban train. Again he must wait, and, after boarding the train, again experience a number of stops on the way to the CBD, and possibly again he may have to stand in the aisle. He will get off at

3264-507: Is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, scheme, business venture, facility, etc. considered expensive but without equivalent utility or value relative to its capital (acquisition) and/or operational (maintenance) costs. The term derives from the sacred white elephants kept by Southeast Asian monarchs in Burma , Thailand (Siam), Laos and Cambodia . To possess

3360-707: Is supplied by Ultra MTS. The airport is due to open in 2021. Among the handful of prototype systems (and the larger number that exist on paper) there is a substantial diversity of design approaches, some of which are controversial. Vehicle weight influences the size and cost of a system's guideways, which are in turn a major part of the capital cost of the system. Larger vehicles are more expensive to produce, require larger and more expensive guideways, and use more energy to start and stop. If vehicles are too large, point-to-point routing also becomes more expensive. Against this, smaller vehicles have more surface area per passenger (thus have higher total air resistance which dominates

3456-481: Is wasted by waiting for the next vehicle to arrive, indirect routes to their destination, stopping for passengers with other destinations, and often confusing or inconsistent schedules. Slowing and accelerating large weights can undermine public transport's benefit to the environment while slowing other traffic. Personal rapid transit systems attempt to eliminate these wastes by moving small groups nonstop in automated vehicles on fixed tracks. Passengers can ideally board

3552-405: The Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit project was completed. It has five off-line stations that enable non-stop, individually programmed trips along an 8.7-mile (14.0 km) track serviced by a fleet of 71 cars. This is a crucial characteristic of PRT. However, it is not considered a PRT system because its vehicles are too heavy and carry too many people. When it carries many people, it operates in

3648-605: The University of Minnesota . Raytheon failed to install a contracted system in Rosemont, Illinois , near Chicago , when estimated costs escalated to US$ 50 million per mile, allegedly due to design changes that increased the weight and cost of the system relative to Anderson's original design. In 2000, rights to the technology reverted to the University of Minnesota, and were subsequently purchased by Taxi2000. In 1999

3744-657: The Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 into law, thereby forming the Urban Mass Transportation Administration . UMTA was set up to fund mass transit developments in the same fashion that the earlier Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 had helped create the Interstate Highways. That is, UMTA would help cover the capital costs of building out new infrastructure. However, planners who were aware of

3840-606: The Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) for a comparative study of three PRT systems: the Monocab , Dashaveyor , and the Alden staRRcar. The Alden staRRcar was found to be the most suitable system for Morgantown. Political pressure by Senator Robert Byrd led Secretary John Volpe of the then-new United States Department of Transportation to propose that Morgantown be used as an experimental site for PRT development. President Richard Nixon had expressed strong support of

3936-535: The guideway . The wheels of the vehicles steer slightly toward whichever side is powered to ensure that they stay in firm electrical contact with the rails. Each car has four-wheel steering to help negotiate the tight turns in the PRT guideways, especially around stations. The system connects the university's campuses via five stations (Walnut, Beechurst, Engineering, Towers, Medical) along a 3.6 mi (5.8 km) route. All stations are on sidings , which allows vehicles to bypass stations. It takes 11.5 minutes to ride

Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit - Misplaced Pages Continue

4032-458: The 2000s – dipping to 90% by 2015 – and it gained a reputation for unreliability. In response, a renewal project was approved in 2012, which has so far replaced the vehicle control and propulsion systems, replaced parts of the power supply, and repaired other infrastructure. A new vehicle control system was commissioned in 2018, and the vehicle fleet is also being replaced. The system has operated reliably, and currently

4128-646: The 2010s and there are plans to replace the vehicles. From 1969 to 1980, Mannesmann Demag and MBB cooperated to build the Cabinentaxi urban transportation system in Germany . Together the firms formed the Cabintaxi Joint Venture. They created an extensive PRT technology, including a test track, that was considered fully developed by the German government and its safety authorities. The system

4224-604: The 2getthere designed ParkShuttle system was opened in the Kralingen neighbourhood of eastern Rotterdam using 12-seater driverless buses. The system was extended in 2005 and new second-generation vehicles introduced to serve five stations over 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) with five grade crossings over ordinary roads. Operation is scheduled in peak periods and on demand at other times. In 2002, 2getthere operated twenty five 4-passenger "CyberCabs" at Holland's 2002 Floriade horticultural exhibition. These transported passengers along

4320-601: The PRT concept were worried that building more systems based on existing technologies would not help the problem, as Fitcher had earlier noted. Proponents suggested that systems would have to offer the flexibility of a car: The reason for the sad state of public transit is a very basic one – the transit systems just do not offer a service which will attract people away from their automobiles . Consequently, their patronage comes very largely from those who cannot drive, either because they are too young, too old, or because they are too poor to own and operate an automobile. Look at it from

4416-651: The PRT concept, and Volpe was trying to arrange to have an experimental system well underway before the next presidential election, in November 1972. Examining the proposals, the UMTA decided that Alden was far too small to be able to handle the job, and arranged for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to take over as systems management role, signing a contract with them in December 1970. Boeing Vertol

4512-469: The West, the term "white elephant", relating to an expensive burden that fails to meet expectations, was first used in the 17th century and became widespread in the 19th century. According to one source it was popularized following P. T. Barnum 's experience with an elephant named Toung Taloung that he billed as the "Sacred White Elephant of Burma". After much effort and great expense, Barnum finally acquired

4608-608: The White Elephant ' and the third monarch of the Konbaung dynasty ). Because the animals were considered sacred and laws protected them from labor, receiving a gift of a white elephant from a monarch was simultaneously a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because the animal was sacred and a sign of the monarch's favour, and a curse because the recipient now had an animal that was expensive to maintain, could not be given away, and could not be put to much practical use. In

4704-538: The air, and in a manner that will contribute to sound city planning." The resulting report was published in 1968 and proposed the development of PRT, as well as other systems such as dial-a-bus and high-speed interurban links. In the late 1960s, the Aerospace Corporation , an independent non-profit corporation set up by the US Congress, spent substantial time and money on PRT, and performed much of

4800-546: The animal from the King of Siam only to discover that his "white elephant" was actually dirty grey in color with a few pink spots. The expressions "white elephant" and "gift of a white elephant" came into common use in the middle of the nineteenth century. The phrase was attached to "white elephant swaps" and "white elephant sales" in the early twentieth century. Many church bazaars held " white elephant sales " where donors could unload unwanted bric-à-brac , generating profit from

4896-456: The city and was supposed to be a pilot project for a much larger network, which would also have included transport of freight. Expansion of the system was cancelled just after the pilot scheme opened due to the cost of constructing the undercroft and since then other electric vehicles have been proposed. In January 2003, the prototype ULTra ("Urban Light Transport") system in Cardiff , Wales,

SECTION 50

#1732791093429

4992-492: The city cores, and people moved out of the downtown areas. Lacking pollution control systems, the rapid rise in car ownership and the longer trips to and from work were causing significant air quality problems. Additionally, movement to the suburbs led to a flight of capital from the downtown areas, one cause of the rapid urban decay seen in the US. Mass transit systems were one way to combat these problems. Yet during this period,

5088-611: The control equipment for the Morgantown system changed very little. The control room is said to resemble a NASA mission control room from the 1970s , though the underlying electronics are more modern. As of 2015, the system's cost per trip is $ 2.01, the third least expensive (after New York and Boston) for any fixed guideway system in the United States . Morgantown PRT operates chiefly as transportation for WVU's students and, as such, runs primarily during class days. During

5184-466: The development of a short, one-half to one-second headway, high-capacity PRT (HCPRT) system will be initiated in fiscal year 1974." According to PRT supporter J. Edward Anderson , this was "because of heavy lobbying from interests fearful of becoming irrelevant if a genuine PRT program became visible." From that time forward people interested in HCPRT were unable to obtain UMTA research funding. In 1975,

5280-487: The early theoretical and systems analysis. However, this corporation is not allowed to sell to non-federal government customers. In 1969, members of the study team published the first widely publicized description of PRT in Scientific American . In 1978 the team also published a book. These publications sparked off a sort of "transit race" in the same sort of fashion as the space race , with countries around

5376-403: The end of the event. The system is closed on holidays and during semester breaks. When it opened, the PRT was controlled by DEC PDP-11 computers installed in 1971. Due to difficulty in procuring replacement parts, these older computers were replaced in 1997-1998 with Intel Pentium computers. A 2010 study recommended renewal of the system given declining reliability caused by its age and

5472-525: The energy cost of keeping vehicles moving at speed), and larger motors are generally more efficient than smaller ones. The number of riders who will share a vehicle is a key unknown. In the U.S., the average car carries 1.16 persons, and most industrialized countries commonly average below two people; not having to share a vehicle with strangers is a key advantage of private transport . Based on these figures, some have suggested that two passengers per vehicle (such as with skyTran , EcoPRT and Glydways), or even

5568-533: The entire length of the system from the Walnut Station to the Medical Station. The guideway consists of concrete pathways with magnetic induction loops that provide car location data. The system's concrete pathways have embedded pipes that circulate a glycol solution, which is heated at stations to help melt snow and ice prevalent in Morgantown's snowy winter climate. Most of the system (65%)

5664-572: The estimate. It consisted of 5.2 mi (8.4 km) of guideway, 45 vehicles, 3 stations, and a maintenance/control facility. Service was interrupted during the 1978–1979 school year for a system expansion, dubbed Phase II, during which WVU provided bus service between the campuses. The system was extended from the "Engineering" station towards new stations at "Towers" ( dormitories ) and the WVU Medical Center/ Mountaineer Field . Phase II cost $ 64 million, bringing

5760-431: The fall and spring semesters, it operates 6:30 am–10:15 pm weekdays and 9:30 am–5:00 pm on Saturdays. It is normally closed on Sundays. During the summer semester, it is closed (as of 2021). When major WVU events – notably football and men's basketball games – are scheduled to end outside of normal operating hours, the system will run for at least an hour after

5856-501: The federal government was feeding the problems by funding the development of the Interstate Highway System , while at the same time funding for mass transit was being rapidly scaled back. Public transit ridership in most cities plummeted. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy charged Congress with the task of addressing these problems. These plans came to fruition in 1964, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed

SECTION 60

#1732791093429

5952-431: The guideway to distribute power and data communications, including to the vehicles. The Morgantown PRT failed its cost targets because of the steam-heated track required to keep the large channel guideway free of frequent snow and ice. Heating uses up to four times as much as energy as that used to propel the vehicles. Most proposals plan to resist snow and ice in ways that should be less expensive. The Heathrow system has

6048-478: The individual cars to be smaller while preserving the same overall route capacity. Smaller cars would mean less weight at any given point, which meant smaller and less expensive guideways. To eliminate the backup at stations, the system used "offline" stations that allowed the mainline traffic to bypass the stopped vehicles. He designed the Monocab system using six-passenger cars suspended on wheels from an overhead guideway. Like most suspended systems, it suffered from

6144-434: The junctions) or conventional steering. Advocates say that vehicle-switching permits faster routing so vehicles can run closer together which increases capacity. It also simplifies the guideway, makes junctions less visually obtrusive and reduces the impact of malfunctions, because a failed switch on one vehicle is less likely to affect other vehicles. Track switching greatly increases headway distance. A vehicle must wait for

6240-449: The lack of access to replacement parts for key components, such as the vehicles and the control system. The report considered replacement of the PRT with buses but concluded they would be unsatisfactory given the extra traffic congestion and poor travel times that would result. By 2015 reliability had fallen to 90%. In 2012, the university Board of Governors approved $ 15 million as part of renewal and modernization project. The total cost

6336-466: The line from both ends: one would extend southward to the new commercial and shopping area being developed as part of a riverfront revitalization project, while a longer extension is being considered to the northwest to connect a new research park. If both extensions are completed, at an estimated $ 30–40 million a mile, the system would almost double in length. On November 30, 2016, the system had its first reported accident when two PRT cars were involved in

6432-423: The maintenance facility. The guideway is used mostly by the PRT vehicles except in an emergency where maintenance workers can drive a car up to tow a non-functioning PRT vehicle off the guideway. The guideway is a concrete structure with about half of its length elevated. It has three-phase 575 VAC, 60-Hz propulsion power rails on the sidewall that are equipped with electric heating for cold weather operations. Below

6528-415: The minimum distances between consecutive junctions. A mechanically switching vehicle, maneuvering between two adjacent junctions with different switch settings, cannot proceed from one junction to the next. The vehicle must adopt a new switch position, and then wait for the in-vehicle switch's locking mechanism to be verified. If the vehicle switching is faulty, that vehicle must be able to stop before reaching

6624-564: The new software. The updated cars have not been used during typical business hours as they are not compatible to the current system. In addition to receiving new software, Phase II also includes replacing electric boards and sensors on the guide ways and signs. 39°38′33″N 79°57′50″W  /  39.6424°N 79.964°W  / 39.6424; -79.964 Personal rapid transit PRT vehicles are sized for individual or small group travel, typically carrying no more than three to six passengers per vehicle . Guideways are arranged in

6720-417: The next switch, and all vehicles approaching the failed vehicle would be affected. Conventional steering allows a simpler 'track' consisting only of a road surface with some form of reference for the vehicle's steering sensors. Switching would be accomplished by the vehicle following the appropriate reference line – maintaining a set distance from the left roadway edge would cause the vehicle to diverge left at

6816-434: The operating systems use on-board batteries. According to the designer of Skyweb/Taxi2000, J. Edward Anderson , the lightest system uses linear induction motor (LIM) on the vehicle for both propulsion and braking, which also makes manoeuvres consistent regardless of the weather, especially rain or snow. LIMs are used in a small number of rapid transit applications, but most designs use rotary motors . Most such systems retain

6912-524: The phenomenon that "one man's trash is another man's treasure" and the term has continued to be used in this context. In modern usage, the term now often refers in addition to an extremely expensive building project that fails to deliver on its function or becomes very costly to maintain. Examples include prestigious but uneconomic infrastructure projects such as airports, dams, bridges, shopping malls and football stadiums. Rail transport projects are also sometimes deemed white elephants. In Japan, it

7008-470: The power rails is a steering rail that allows the guidewheel of PRT vehicles to be pressed against to steer along the guideway. Communication induction loops and guideway heating pipes are located on the road surface. The system has 73 vehicles that resemble small buses. They are 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) long, 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m) high and 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) wide. Weighing 8,760 lb (3,970 kg), they are powered by

7104-473: The previous vehicle to clear the junction, for the track to switch and for the switch to be verified. Communication between the vehicle and wayside controllers adds both delays and more points of failure. If the track switching is faulty, vehicles must be able to stop before reaching the switch, and all vehicles approaching the failed junction would be affected. Mechanical vehicle switching minimizes inter-vehicle spacing or headway distance, but it also increases

7200-471: The problem of difficult switching arrangements. Since the car rode on a rail, switching from one path to another required the rail to be moved, a slow process that limited the possible headways. By the late 1950s the problems with urban sprawl were becoming evident in the United States. When cities improved roads and the transit times were lowered, suburbs developed at ever increasing distances from

7296-582: The safety, and reduces the complexity, cost and maintenance of the guideway. As a result, the ULTRa guideway resembles a sidewalk with curbs and is inexpensive to construct. ULTRa and 2getthere vehicles resembles small automated electric cars, and use similar components. (The ULTRa POD chassis and cabin have been used as the basis of a shared autonomous vehicle for running in mixed traffic. ) Almost all designs avoid track switching , instead advocating vehicle-mounted switches (which engage with special guiderails at

7392-437: The standpoint of a commuter who lives in a suburb and is trying to get to work in the central business district (CBD). If he is going to go by transit, a typical scenario might be the following: he must first walk to the closest bus stop, let us say a five or ten minute walk, and then he may have to wait up to another ten minutes, possibly in inclement weather, for the bus to arrive. When it arrives, he may have to stand unless he

7488-539: The station most convenient to his destination and possibly have to transfer again onto a distribution system. It is no wonder that in those cities where ample inexpensive parking is available, most of those who can drive do drive. In 1966, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development was asked to "undertake a project to study ... new systems of urban transportation that will carry people and goods ... speedily, safely, without polluting

7584-445: The summer of 2018. For the vehicle replacement in phase 2, which has not commenced as of September 2017, the university has said it will look for vehicles that weigh 2,500–3,000 lb (1,100–1,400 kg), about one-third the 8,760 lb (3,970 kg) for the current fleet. The $ 52.6 million phase II renovation of the PRT is still being completed. Over the winter break of the 2017-2018 academic year, 11 cars were upgraded to

7680-417: The system became a political chess piece and was derided in the press as a white elephant . There were large cost overruns during the development of the system, and it was not until 1974 that the system had matured technically. Construction of the first guideway in Morgantown started that year, and was completed the next. The Phase I system began operations in 1975, with a final cost of $ 62 million, four times

7776-437: The system broke down 259 times for a total of 65 hours and 42 minutes, out of a total of 3,640 hours and 15 minutes scheduled running time, which equates to about 98% availability. Of those 259 breakdowns, 159 were caused by vehicle-related problems. In 2007, the system received funding to improve efficiency by reducing this vehicle downtime. Since the system's completion in 1975, technology for PRTs has advanced considerably, but

7872-408: The system requires an operation and maintenance budget of $ 5 million annually. Although it successfully demonstrated automated control and it is still operating it was not sold to other sites. A 2010 report concluded replacing the system with buses on roads would provide unsatisfactory service and create congestion. Subsequently, the forty year old computer and vehicle control systems were replaced in

7968-422: The three station Duke University Medical Center Patient Rapid Transit system was commissioned. Uniquely, the cars could move sideways, as well as backwards and forwards and it was described as a "horizontal elevator". The system was closed in 2009 to allow for expansion of the hospital. In the 1990s, Raytheon invested heavily in a system called PRT 2000, based on technology developed by J. Edward Anderson at

8064-401: The total for the entire system to $ 130 million. Upon its completion, the system had 71 vehicles, 8.65 mi (13.92 km) of guideway, and 5 stations. One existing station had also been expanded, and a second maintenance facility was added. Although the system's construction ran far over budget, it still proved to be what its designers had claimed: a reliable system of automated transit that

8160-509: The track needed to decelerate to and accelerate from stations. In at least one system, Aramis, this nearly doubled the width and cost of the required right-of-way and caused the nonstop passenger delivery concept to be abandoned. Other designs have schemes to reduce this cost, for example merging vertically to reduce the footprint. White elephant A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of without extreme difficulty, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance,

8256-469: The vehicles in a system being stored at stations waiting for passengers. Stations are envisioned to be minimalistic, without facilities such as rest rooms. For elevated stations, an elevator may be required for accessibility. At least one system, Metrino, provides wheelchair and freight access by using a cogway in the track, so that the vehicle itself can go from a street-level stop to an overhead track. Some designs have included substantial extra expense for

8352-555: The world rushing to join what appeared to be a future market of immense size. The oil crisis of 1973 made vehicle fuels more expensive, which naturally interested people in alternative transportation. In 1967, aerospace giant Matra started the Aramis project in Paris . After spending about 500 million francs , the project was canceled when it failed its qualification trials in November 1987. The designers tried to make Aramis work like

8448-461: Was being set off by a combination of federal funding and estimates that showed a PRT system would be far less expensive to build and install than any other form of mass transit . Elias felt a PRT would be a perfect solution to the traffic problems in the city. Gathering support from WVU, the City of Morgantown, and West Virginia's congressional delegation, Elias arranged a $ 50,000 development grant from

8544-696: Was certified to carry passengers by the UK Railway Inspectorate on a 1 km (0.6 mi) test track. ULTra was selected in October 2005 by BAA plc for London's Heathrow Airport . Since May 2011 a three-station system has been open to the public, transporting passengers from a remote parking lot to terminal 5. During the deployment of the system the owners of Heathrow became owners of the UltrPRT design. In May 2013 Heathrow Airport Limited included in its draft five-year (2014–2019) master plan

8640-528: Was feared that the Yurikamome at Odaiba would end up as a multibillion-yen white elephant, . In Singapore, paper cutouts of white elephants were placed next to the completed but unopened Buangkok MRT station on the North East Line in 2005 to protest its non-opening. (The station eventually opened the following year.) The American Oakland Athletics baseball team has used a white elephant as

8736-582: Was in public operation for six months from 1975 to 1976. This system had 12 single-mode vehicles and four dual-mode vehicles on a 1.6 km (1.0 mi) track with five stations. This version carried over 800,000 passengers. CVS was cancelled when Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport declared it unsafe under existing rail safety regulations, specifically in respect of braking and headway distances. On March 23, 1973, U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) administrator Frank Herringer testified before Congress: "A DOT program leading to

8832-475: Was inexpensive to operate. It has offered on-time service rates far better than the bus services it replaced, and eliminated the gridlock that had locked up the city center. Moreover, no injuries were reported for the first 42 years of operation, until the first reported accident in November 2016. From July 2005 to June 2006, about 2.25 million rides were taken on the PRT. As of November 2007, the PRT transports about 16,000 riders per day. The record for most riders in

8928-473: Was projected to be $ 100–$ 130 million. The three phase plan is to replace the control and propulsion systems in the current vehicles, installation of a new automatic train control system, upgrade the power supply, repairs to the infrastructure and finally replacement of all the vehicles. Part of the phase 1 work to upgrade the vehicles' control and propulsion system was completed by early 2014 and resulted in improved operations. On April 29, 2014, Thales Group

9024-425: Was selected by WVU to install its SelTrac Communications-based train control (CBTC) system, as well as new systems for fare collection and passenger information. Upgrades occurred during the summer breaks in 2015 and 2017 while the system is normally closed. Replacement of the train control system will continue during the fall 2017 and spring 2018 semesters in preparation for full-scale testing and commissioning during

9120-458: Was selected to build the vehicles, Bendix Corporation supplied the control systems, and F.R. Harris Engineering would design and build the guideway, stations, and other facilities. The original estimates for the system were $ 15–20 million. But having set a deadline based on political considerations, rather than technical, the system had to be rushed through to completion as soon as possible. JPL, used to running large engineering projects with

9216-516: Was to have been installed in Hamburg , but budget cuts stopped the proposed project before the start of construction. With no other potential projects on the horizon, the joint venture disbanded, and the fully developed PRT technology was never installed. Cabintaxi Corporation, a US-based company, obtained the technology in 1985, and remains active in the private-sector market trying to sell the system but so far there have been no installations. In 1979

#428571