1. New corporate name "ULTra PRT Limited" replaces "ATS"
ULTra PRT Limited is the 40-person company responsible for the ULTra system: with ULTra PRT Limited the UK corporation and ULTra PRT Inc the US corporation. Both the UK and US companies were previously known as Advanced Transport Systems (ATS), but international name recognition for "ULTra" grew so large that to avoid confusion we have changed our corporate name accordingly. ULTra PRT (the company) is larger than the rest of the worldwide PRT industry combined.
Our transit "product," is known as the "ULTra system." The term "ULTra" was formerly an acronym for "urban light transit," but is now more of a standalone brand name for our ULTra system.
2. PRT passenger capacity world record
In March of 2010, ULTra PRT demonstrated 48 passengers departing from the four-berth London Heathrow (LHR) Terminal 5 station in 5 minutes, for a world-record hourly PRT outbound station capacity of 576 passengers per hour. The ULTra Heathrow system will continue to set PRT world records throughout 2010. [ Read More... ]
3. Mountain View: first US PRT council resolution
The City Council of Mountain View, California, became the first US city to pass a PRT resolution. The resolution "supports the general concept of a PRT system in Mountain View." As motivation for supporting PRT, Mountain View cited climate protection, fossil fuel over-dependence, air pollution, travel speed, travel safety, and need for better "last mile" solutions to assist traditional transit. Text of the council resolution and press coverage is provided. [ Read More... ]
4. PRT for Gurgaon, India
600,000-population Gurgaon is the call centercenter capital of the world and won India’s "best city to work in" and "best city to live in" titles from Business Today magazine.
Hindustan Times embraced PRT for Gurgaon: "It may well be the answer to reducing travel time in growing traffic snarls of our cities." "The state of Haryana government has shown interest in this futuristic transport system for Gurgaon. In fact, the Indian partner of ULTra PRT, Fairwood made a presentation before Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and top government officials in December." Says Transport Commissioner, Anand Mohan Sharan: "It is an environment friendly system and a green solution to congestion caused by vehicles used for local commuting."
5. PRT for Tysons Corner, Virginia (US)
Tysons Corner (Virginia) is a well-known suburban "edge city," on 4.9 square miles with a worker-heavy daytime population of more than 100,000. A specific plan is being developed to transform the area with an emphasis on reduced auto-dependence and more housing. While Tysons will have four new Metro stations, recent press coverage highlighted complaints from major landowners about the lack of a "last mile" solution. PRT offers the only realistic last mile solution for Tysons. A system sketch, circulator service comparison, and transit planning "use cases" are provided.
"Instead of waiting until Tysons' very long-term [$165M per mile] fixed-guideway transit is built, Tysons could become a visionary community by building and implementing a state-of-the-art PRT system at the beginning." - Steve Offutt, Greater Greater Washington blog. [ Read More... ]
6. PRT for Portland New Urbanist AmberGlen Plan (Oregon, US)
Portland suburb Hillsboro became the first U.S. city to adopt language favorable to PRT within a city-adopted specific plan. The ambitious 582-acre Amberglen Plan states, "A transit circulator facilitates quick connections to transit stations. Eventually … PRT or other local circulator could serve to focus area investment near transit corridors." The distance from the north end of Amberglen to Quatama MAX light rail station is 2.0 miles. A faster-than-a-car PRT system makes this connection five times faster than jogging-speed circulator bus or 19th-century streetcar. A PRT system sketch is provided. [ Read More... ]
7. Sept. PRT@LHR and Oct. San Jose conferences
Those considering PRT for their locale should consider attending the following 2010 conferences:
7A. Podcar City Conference San Jose, October 27-29, San Jose City Hall (US)
"PRT fits perfectly with public transit and high-speed rail," said Rod Diridon, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute and a California High Speed Rail Authority board member. "It is a brilliant solution to the first and last mile of travel, connecting people to the primary transportation lines. They also allow many people to have greater mobility, such as seniors, disabled people, and anyone else who cannot easily walk to transit."
"We place significant value on the development of transit options for residents and visitors that further the San Jose Green Vision. PRT definitely will help us reach our Green Vision goals, while serving as a model for other cities around the world." said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. [ Conference link... ]
7B. PRT@LHR 2010 Conference, London Heathrow Airport, September 21-23. [ Conference link... ]
8. Even more awards for ULTra PRT
ULTra PRT was awarded the Viva Shield, a prestigious UK award, in recognition for transit technology advancement. Previous winners of the award include: Hovercraft: 1960, Automatic Transmission Gearbox: 1962, Sir Freddie Laker for the Skytrain (the first low-fare transatlantic air service): 1978, Channel Tunnel: 1994, the Falkirk Wheel: 2002, McLaren Mercedes (for winning the Drivers Championship): 2008. [ Read More... ]
