Each electric personal rapid transit (PRT) vehicle removes 30 cars from the road!
1. Heathrow Pod Passenger Trials Begin
On April 18, T5 Business Car Park passengers joined in confidence trials of the Heathrow pod. The trial encourages travelers to get on board and let BAA and Ultra PRT, the pod's creators and developers, know what they think of the system. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with passengers undertaking the five minute ride to/from the T5 Business Car Park to T5 describing it as "futuristic", "rapid" and "a transport revelation." Overall, the reactions of passengers have been incredibly positive, ranging from “Loving the pod!” to “It's a fantastic idea, it really does promote not only a great image of Heathrow adopting cutting edge technology but is also fast and convenient!.” To “Used the Heathrow Pod at Terminal 5 on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. I was delighted with it. The staff were helpful and obliging, the Pod call station was very easy to use, the instructions in the Pod itself were very good and clear. The whole process was quick and efficient, it was much easier than taking the bus, and quicker.” Comments BAA, “'Testing is going very well. A full public service is now expected to follow in the coming weeks as confidence in the system continues to build, with the 21 pod vehicles operating 22 hours a day.”
2. New "ULTra for HSR" video
High speed rail (HSR) has become an increasingly attractive form of transit, offering inter-city travel that is faster, more convenient, and more environmentally friendly than driving or flying. But how do you get to the HSR station? ULTra can increase the popularity of each HSR station, without requiring expensive parking structures. By connecting to HSR, ULTra can increase the area that is served, boosting rail ridership, and making for a more economically viable system. ULTra takes high speed rail to the next level. video
3. Even more momentum for ULTra in India
Haryana Chief Minister Hooda said PRT will improve public transport immensely in the city. PRT seems the best possible option for the city which has little space left on the ground for infrastructure. Elevated PRT tracks require less space than elevated Metro. The average fare will be affordable. article
Sonovatech’s four-minute video shows off their 3D animation capabilities for all types of transportation systems, with 30 seconds dedicated to ULTra. Shown is ULTra within an Indian visual context. ULTra station design shows deference to local architectural styles. video
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said PRT will supplement existing modes of public transport and will serve as an alternative to personal vehicles. The government is keen to for a pilot project in areas such as Dwarka, Karol Bagh, East Delhi and Delhi University North Campus. article
4. PRT characteristics for India
The case for PRT is different in India than in the West. Indian cities are tremendously crowded, with traffic congestion that far surpasses anything seen in Europe or the Americas. Travel mode share is dispersed over foot, bike, motorcycle, private cars, taxis, cycle rickshaw, auto rickshaw, and larger vehicles. In many urban areas, average traffic speeds are below 15 kph (9.5 mph) – often dropping below 5 kph (3 mph). The urban environment is often so built-up that there is no more room for surface-level transit, necessitating new elevated (or below-ground) systems.
In India, ULTra is attractive because it provides the most flexible and lowest-cost means of building elevated transit, connecting to previously unreachable areas. In many crowded locations, PRT is characterized by local planners as “the only option.” ULTra offers a winning combination of speed, safety, and low environmental impact.
India is a country of economic extremes. Average household income in urban areas stands at $660 per month (at Purchasing Power Parity), yet there is also a vast middle class which now exceeds 350 million people. ULTra can accommodate both types of customers, by offering cheaper tickets on a seat-by-seat basis with ride-sharing, and premium tickets which cover the cost of an entire vehicle. ULTra fares in India will be competitive with fares charged by taxis and auto rickshaws (tuk-tuks), which are currently the main form of short-range urban transport. These different options allow the same ULTra infrastructure to simultaneously function as a low-cost, high-capacity peoplemover and as a premium taxi service.
5. PRT for "City of Apple"
Renowned Masdar Ecocity architect Norman Foster will design the new 150-acre City of Apple (COA) Campus in Cupertino, with “an environmentally-friendly design approach that will incorporate cutting-edge technology in materials and equipment as well as renewable energy resources. Pathways between buildings will occur underground to keep as much of the surface green as possible." PRT can run just below ground, opening up COA for pedestrian maximization. A PRT system could connect all three Apple campuses and provide car-free access for apartment residents to interesting places: super market, movies, coffee, noodle houses, brew pubs, etc. details
6. New video: 164 Vehicle Trips Per Hour
On January 11, ULTra PRT undertook a Heathrow system capacity trial. Our target was to complete 160 vehicle journeys in one hour. This involved 18 people continuously traveling back and forth, selecting journeys. Upon arrival at their destination, travelers exited the vehicle before selecting a return journey at the station's Destination Selection Panel. We exceeded our target - completing a total of 164 vehicle journeys between the car park stations and Terminal 5 using a fleet of 18 vehicles. This would be the equivalent of moving 656 passengers an hour on the 1.9 kilometer journey each way, assuming occupancy of four people in each vehicle. All systems performed well and no issues were reported. video
7. Layout / Simulation Tool for ULTra
CityMobil is a large European Union research project with 28 consortium partners, comprised of suppliers of advanced transport systems, university research centers and public transport agencies. The project aims to achieve a more effective organization of urban transport by developing integrated solutions based on advanced concepts for autonomous/automated vehicle transit. CityMobil details
One CityMobil project output is a system layout and simulation tool for ULTra systems. Features include:
- Build and edit an ULTra network of guideways, stations and maintenance depots against a map or aerial photography of the area selected.
- Determine the level of demand at each station, either by having the tool construct an origin-destination matrix or by adjusting the O/D matrix by hand.
- Run the simulation to view queueing passengers/vehicles in either real-time or faster-than-real-time. Observe how the individual vehicles are controlled to wait at stations until passengers arrive and then are directed to the requested destination station. Observe how empty vehicles are called to stations where passengers have arrived.
- Generate system layout images to more effectively communicate the two-dimensional nature of PRT networks
- Simulation outputs include overall mean waiting time, mean waiting time at each station, and the number of vehicles required.
- Small to medium-sized PRT systems may be created and simulated. System size limitations are a maximum of 20 stations, covering a maximum area of 25 square km, and a restriction of 300 hourly outbound vehicle trips per station.
- The tool, installer, samples, and instructions may be accessed at: http://www.ultraprt.com/prt/implementation/simulation/. Customer support is not provided.
8. ULTra Station Simulation and 3D Animation using VISSIM
PTV Vision’s three-minute animation highlights how VISSIM can be used for ULTra simulation and 3D animation. The video shows queueing passengers and features novel in-station vehicle choreography. VISSIM is a very powerful simulation tool for many different types of transportation simulations. Some transportation consultants may be able to apply VISSIM for PRT feasibility studies and alternatives analyses. video
