What is Automated Beamcarried Traffic?
A presentation of light beam traffic systems,and definitions of various terms and abbreviations.
What is Automated Beamcarried Traffic?A presentation of light beam traffic systems,and definitions of various terms and abbreviations. |
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| If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. |
he most common ground-based traffic conduits today are roads and railways. On the roads, vehicles run on rubber tires on asphalt and are propelled by gasoline. On the railroad tracks the trains run on steel wheels on steel rails and are propelled by electricity or diesel oil (the days of steam engines are mostly over by now). These vehicles are run on top of the roadbeds. They tend to be bulky and heavy, in order to take as much freight as possible, since both passengers and freight have to contribute to the cost of keeping a driver.Today´s advanced computerized technology permits transport solutions that, in several respects, are much better than these alternatives. |
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oday's technological development makes it possible to break the trend of chauffeured, gasoline-consuming vehicles. A driver in every vehicle is no longer necessary! Instead of roadbeds, one can use steelbeams with a relatively small cross-section (< 1 m), since vehicles could be kept small. One can also maintain a high traffic throughput, since automatically-driven vehicles react quicker to changing traffic situations than would a human driver. These vehicles would preferably be electrically propelled and capable of quickly adjusting their traffic pattern according to changing demands. |
Micro-processors in the vehicles are given directions from one or more centrally located computers, by way of radio transmitters. These mobile processors also continually report back to the controlling computers their position, speed, destination, etc. The level of traffic safety will increase considerably! The steel beams will lift the traffic from the ground, and free the ground from most of the heavy traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists, greenery and various human activities can reclaim the ground that once belonged to the motor vehicles. |
To sum it up:Beam-carried refers to the fact that the vehicles are travelling along beams that are supported by poles, way up above the ground. Traffic System refers to the fact that this ideally should be a complete, integrated system that provides for practically all transportation needs in the area. |
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oad traffic makes a heavy demand on resources in the shape of land, material, labor and energy, for a certain amount of transportation.
The amount of material resources that can be recirculated is very limited. At the same time, road traffic gives rise to huge environmental problems,
both locally (such as crowding, exhaust fumes, noise, accidents), regionally (such as damage to forests and to agriculture, water poisoning) and globally (such as oil leaks from tankers and destruction of the ozone layer). |
Railways and streetcars are, all over the world, losing out to road traffic when it comes to handling freight and passengers because of delays and frequent time-consuming changes, and because of their route-tied and timetable-tied character.
If we do not manage to produce a traffic solution which is cheaper and better than the motor vehicle, every local fight for the preservation of a good environment will be lost to the road traffic! |
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1) Replacements for trains; they are sometimes called Monorails and can consist of more than one car.
2) Replacements for buses and streetcars;
3) Replacements for motorcars;
This division into 3 groups is sometimes vague. |
Definitions from 3:rd International Conference on Personal Rapid Transit 1975 in Denver: In a personal rapid transit (PRT) system, automated vehicles, no larger than small automobiles, carry people and goods non-stop between stations in a network of separate, dedicated, slim guideways which serve major activity centers, or an entire urban area. The vehicles are occupied by a single individual or a small group travelling together. Personal rapid transit feature off-line stations. Group rapid transit (GRT) systems have many of the basic characteristics of PRT, but use larger, shared vehicles. They are intended for less expensive deployment than PRT-systems, and may use on-line or off-line stations. The simplest automated transit technology is called shuttle loop transit (SLT). SLT systems use even larger vehicles which operate on limited guideway networks with little or no switching capability.
We have made a technical comparison between these systems on this site. |
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The term "Light Rail" is a broad one, and generally refers to any rail vehicle which is typically used in short trains or single vehicles, and uses overhead wires to supply power. The use of overhead wires allows light rail lines to be constructed on street, as well as on more standard railway right of way. In fact, this is one of the main strengths of light rail - it can be constructed more cheaply by running on
street rather than in tunnel or on an elevated structure. SkyTrain has elements of both light rail and subway/metro. It uses side mounted rails (one at +300V, one at -300V) and contactor shoes, similar to what is used on subway trains (typically subways use 600V - 750V on one rail and the track is ground). This design essentially rules out level crossings, and in fact the SkyTrain is (and must be) completely grade separated. |
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SkyTrain also uses automated trains - there are no drivers or attendants.
It also uses linear induction motors rather than standard electric motors. Linear induction motors pull the train along the track by reacting with a "reaction rail" mounted in the centre of the track. The gap between the vehicle and the reaction rail must be maintained to close tolerance. On the positive side, however, the train can now accelerate and decelerate regardless of wheel to rail adhesion! The use
of linear induction motors also allows for smaller wheels and a lower floor (and hence lower platforms at stations). SkyTrain stations are the length of a six car train, with each car being only 12.7 m long - approximately the same length as a standard bus. The small car length and steerable trucks allow the SkyTrain to make tight turns with a minimum of noise. |
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AGT (Automatic Group Transit) systems have many of the basic characteristics of PRT, but use larger, shared vehicles. They are intended for less expensive
deployment than PRT-systems, and may use on-line or off-line stations. As a rule, the vehicles run after a time table. These systems are also called GRT.
AGVS = Automated Guided Vehicle System; a general term applicable to transport systems using driverless vehicles
AHS = Automated Highway System; its aim is to develop automated information about the traffic situation for motorists
APM = Automated People Mover, is a general term for driver-less, computer-controlled vehicles. As of this writing, (January 2004) there are more than 100 APMs in operation throughout the world. In addition to this listing, there are about 20 driver-less Metro-systems both running and under construction. They are thus very often not single vehicles but complete trains, running on regular railway tracks.
APTA = American Public Transit Association, a U.S. organisation
ASCE = American Society of Civil Engineers. They have published proposed
interface standards for all future automated people-mover systems for public use in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, these proposed standards are widely regarded as not being quite in tune with what is needed.
ATRA = Advanced Transit Association. ATRA was founded as a non-profit corporation in the 1976 by private
individuals. It is not run by the US Government at all. Its members are mostly focused on PRT in the "true" sense, as per Edward Anderson. San Diego-based Tom Richert is the new president.
AVL = Automated Vehicle Location
BART = Bay Area Rapid Transit District, consisting of the area around San Francisco and Oakland, California
CUTE = Clean Urban Transport in Europe, a EU-sponsored project that aims to test fuel-cell-propelled buses in 9 cities within the European Union during 2003 to 2006. 27 buses participate, and the tests will evaluate how well they handle different climates and other things. Stockholm is one of the chosen cities.
Dual Mode = Transporting vehicles that can travel both on the road and along the beams, as a beam vehicle. Dual mode vehicles have wheels, but also the ability to connect and disconnect from specially adapted carrier beamvehicles.
EDICT stands for "Evaluation and Demonstration of Innovative City Transport". It is EU-sponsored project, started in 2002, for evaluation of automatic transport systems in four European cities:
GIS = Geographic Information System.
GPS = Global Positioning System; the use of satellites to determine one's position.
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GRT (Group Rapid Transit). systems have many of the basic characteristics of PRT, but use larger, shared vehicles. They are intended for less expensive
deployment than PRT-systems, and may use on-line or off-line stations. As a rule, the vehicles run after a time table. These systems are also called AGT. H-Bahn = A suspended beamcarried transport in Dortmund, Germany, built by Siemens. It's guideway hardly has any welding at all and should be horribly cheap to produce. The carrying capacity is big: A 30 meter beam (100ft) can carry 3 x 14 ton vehicles, meaning you can use the guideway for large containers and even ore. The H-bahn track only has a size of a square meter (1.1 x 0.9 ). The backside is that it is made of one inch thick steel plates. ICMA = International City / County Management Association. ITS = The Integrated Transportation System is a paper concept that is being developed in Colorado. It represents a major departure from today's transportation methods but does not rely on any new and untested technological breakthroughs. It is a unique combination of existing technologies combined to take full advantage of the positive features of each. It is a dual-mode system in that it does not replace the auto/truck system but supplements it in significant ways. All travel on the system takes place on an interconnected network of elevated guideways. Lean Transit is inspired from the concept "Lean Production" and means that the emphasis is put on the traveller´s efficiency, rather than the effective use of the vehicles. The vehicle waits for you instead of - as is usually the case with public transport today - you have to keep track of timetables. Light Rail is rather similar to GRT, with the purpose of transporting groups of people in each car. It is automatic, but uses tracks or a sturdier supporting beam than ordinary supported GRT.
LSM = Linear Synchronous Motor. These devices are similar to conventional rotary synchronous motors, like those used in electric clocks, in that the speed of the moving component depends solely on the frequency of the alternating current applied to the motor. LSM's differ from clock motors in that the moving element travels in a straight line rather than rotating. LSM's have been produced with efficiencies of as high as 98%, making them among the most efficient mechanical devices known. Maglev = short for "Magnetic Levitation". Both guideways and the underside of vehicles are equipped with strong magnets that turn the same poles towards each other, i.e. if the guideway magnets have their North poles facing up, the traveling vehicles have their magnets mounted so that they´re facing the guideway with their North poles facing down. The ensuing repulsive force is strong enough to keep the vehicle floating above the guideway, eliminating both friction and wear. Monorail = railroad that uses one rail instead of two. The technique as such is quite old. Today, there are various technologies in use, such as straddle-beam and gyro-stabilized monorail. MTBF = Mean Time Between Failures. This is the average time a component is expected to function, before it fails for some reason or another. OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. |
Platooning = 2 or more vehicles coupled together electronically to form a train. This means that the total headway for vehicles going in the same direction could be reduced. In synchronous and point-synchronous systems, the cars would essentially be travelling in the same timeslot, although one would have to allow for the fact that the timeslot needs to be longer. The cars in a normal train is also an example of "platooning", although they are mechanically coupled. PMT = Personal Mass Transit. This system has been devised by David Petrie of Petrie Transit Consultants in Seattle, Washington. PTI = Public Technology Inc., a U.S. organisation whose aim is to promote environmentally friendlier traffic technology.
The RUF test track at Ballerup (outside Copenhagen) was opened on June 9th 2000. The track is 25 meters long and has 1 ruf test-vehicle. The tests have shown that the test vehicle can be developed into a real car with Dual-Mode qualities. The test track is sponsored by some private companies (SIEMENS and others). SFC = Single Fault Condition. This means that a system is evaluated in regard to what would happen if any component should suddenly fail. TMC = Transmodal Capsule. This concept has been derived from a Master of Science in Engineering thesis written at the University of Washington, by Richard C. Harkness, in 1970. Many of the ideas it contains are now being talked about again, more than 30 years later. In this thesis, Harkness describes a dual-mode concept that provides for the containerization of passengers or cargo and then the movement of that container, called a transmodal capsule (TMC), with various prime movers. The capsule may be carried aboard an electric car chassis for suburban use, a conveyor network for use in center cities, a tunnel or tube for intraregional trips, an airplane for cross-country trips and a ship or ferry when needed. TOD = Transit Oriented Development. A concept whereby urban and suburban planning is made from the beginning to use the intended transportation systems in an optimal manner, such as using little beamcar stations (with one, two or three berths) to form TOD around. For instance; whith 4 to 25 houses located around a little station, then that station could have a call-a-car wagon in front of your front-door. TRB = Transport Research Board, a U.S. organization VMTS = Vehicle Mass Transit System. This concept was developed by Professor Andrew A. Frank at the University of California at Davis. The system would utilize large trucks that operated on dedicated freeway lanes (e.g. HOV lanes) and carry several small vehicles from one station to another at speeds of around 60 mph. The main idea is to provide a means for substantially increasing the utilization of the existing freeway system while providing for high speed, stressless travel by persons riding in the comfort and privacy of their own vehicle.
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n the 1950-s planners in the USA started to discuss automatic systems, with vehicles running on their own conduits, as a replacement for cars, buses and trucks. Nothing much happened, though, except for small systems in connection with expositions.In the 1970-s about 15 experimental systems were built in the USA, Japan and Western Europe. These were mainly replacements for buses or for motorcars. |
These systems are mainly found in connection with airports, shopping centers, amusement parks and university campuses and as collective transportation. Driverless Metro systems are being built in many cities. An example is the
About 2 million passengers travel with these systems every day, and so far without any personal injuries. There are also systems for handling freight. At the present, there are plans for new installations for about 5 billion dollars around the world. Many of them use narrow steelbeams as traffic conduits. |
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 Around the years 1995-97, Germany provided more state funding for research into beam-carried traffic systems than any other country in the world. |
There were once 3 beam-based traffic systems in particular that were of interest; the C-bahn, the M-Bahn and the H-Bahn, all of them by German design. These are terminated and buried by now. But Europe's biggest industrial concern, Siemens, developed one of these systems into "SIPEM" (Siemens Personal Mover). This automatic system has been tested in Dortmund in Germany since 1984 without any problems. It runs between 2 university campuses, and is presently being duplicated at Duesseldorf, Germany, where a beam will connect various airport terminals, hotels and parkinghouses with a railway station. But Siemens is no longer interested in further development of this concept. |
There are also 2 basic approaches to how the beam should be used. The traditional view is to let the beamcars
run on top of the beams, so-called supported traffic. The other method, represented by for instance
SIPEM, Aerorail and SwedeTrack´s FLYWAY®, is to use hanging carriages. This is referred to as suspended
traffic. The suspended beam system is technically superior to the
supported system. The reasons for this are clearly detailed on this page.
For further information about supported systems, visit |
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 The potential development of the beam-carried traffic system towards a real resource-efficient, attractive, environmentally sound and inexpensive traffic system is better than for any other conceivable system. |
Why is that? Well, there are 3 main reasons: 1. Today's development within computer technology makes it possible to construct fully automatic traffic networks, whose operation is entirely computer controlled! This, in turn, means that the traffic will be cheaper to operate, while at the same time safer. 2. Man is incredibly fast exhausting the Earth´s available oil supply! After the year 2006 it is estimated that oil production will be unable to keep up with rising demand without price inflation. Alternative technologies are difficult to make viable; many projects to develop an electric car have flopped or ended in bankrupcy. Alternative fuels will successively be used, but as car ownership keeps climbing, it will be increasingly costly to have a motorcar. 3. Today's traffic congestion in big cities, together with lack of space to build new roads, makes it imperative to find alternate solutions to the traffic problem. Light-Beam traffic is the most obvious solution imaginable! |
Where will big, commercial beamtraffic systems first be built?Do not be surprised, therefore, if a non-industrial country with a growing middle class and thus a rapidly increasing number of motorcars on a road network that cannot handle this traffic load, becomes the first country to solve its urban traffic problems by building a beamcarried traffic system. |
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Well, the answer to that question should be pretty obvious. It is in the urban areas that crowded conditions, noise, exhaust fumes and accidents are most acute and do the most harm. Also, real estate-prices are at a premium there.It is increasingly difficult and costly to find the space needed to build new and desperately needed highways and parking areas. Many cities have an old core, which fares very badly when city planners tear down buildings in order to make room for the cars. | And these problems accelerate as traffic volume grows! Cities are growing faster than the population as a whole in most countries, and especially so in the third world. At the present (in the year 2001), 60 % of the earth's population is living in cities. Between urban areas, the environmentally sound railway can possibly pay off, provided that the trains are directly serviced at their stations with the people and goods they are to carry. This is most efficiently done by way of beam-carried traffic, since this system can be made to reach practically everywhere.
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