Personal rapid transit

An Ultra PRT vehicle on a test track at Heathrow Airport, London
A vehicle on West Virginia University's PRT system, Morgantown, West Virginia
Automated track-bound traffic
Automatic train operation
Lists of automated train systems
Related topics

Personal rapid transit (PRT), also referred to as podcars or guided/railed taxis, is a public transport mode featuring a network of specially built guideways on which ride small automated vehicles that carry few (generally less than 6) passengers per vehicle. PRT is a type of automated guideway transit (AGT), a class of system which also includes larger vehicles all the way to small subway systems.[1] In terms of routing, it tends towards personal public transport systems.

PRT vehicles are sized for individual or small group travel, typically carrying no more than three to six passengers per vehicle.[2] Guideways are arranged in 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 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,[3] South Korea, in April 2014.[4][5] A PRT system connecting the terminals and parking has been built at the new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, which opened in 2021.[6][7]

  1. ^ McDonald, Shannon S. (2012). "Personal Rapid Transitpersonal rapid transit (PRT) systemand Its Developmentpersonal rapid transit (PRT) systemdevelopment". Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer. pp. 7777–7797. ISBN 978-1-4419-0851-3.
  2. ^ Gilbert, Richard; Perl, Anthony (2007). "Grid-connected vehicles as the core of future land-based transport systems". Energy Policy. 35 (5): 3053–3060. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.661.3769. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2006.11.002.
  3. ^ "PRT System to Open for Suncheon Bay Garden Expo".
  4. ^ "Suncheon Bay Project, South Korea". Archived from the original on 2013-06-11. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  5. ^ Masdar City and Suncheon have only two passenger stations while at Heathrow the two stations at the carpark are very close to one another. Masdar also has three freight stations.
  6. ^ "Just now! Its in Beijing! Chengdu Tianfu International Airports first public appearance". Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  7. ^ "New airport opens to flights in China's Chengdu". SHINE. Retrieved 2023-02-12.