This book summarizes the work on Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) carried out at the Aerospace Corporation from 1968 to 1976. It is intended as a reference for experts and a text for students of transportation engineering. Emphasis is on describing concepts rather than engineering details. PRT is an automated taxicab system, a public transit system of 3- to 6-passenger vehicles operating automatically on a network exclusive guideways separate from street and pedestrian traffic. The book reports on both theoretical studies about economics, networks, traffic management, vehicle propulsion and control and also on experiments testing concepts of propulsion and control.
A comprehensive discussion of automated transit This book analyzes the successful implementations of automated transit in various international locations, such as Paris, Toronto, London, and Kuala Lumpur, and investigates the apparent lack of automated transit applications in the urban environment in the United States. The book begins with a brief definition of automated transit and its historical development. After a thorough description of the technical specifications, the author highlights a few applications from each sub-group of the automated transit spectrum. International case studies display various technologies and their applications, and identify vital factors that affect each system and performance evaluations of existing applications. The book then discusses the planning and operation of automated transit applications at both macro and micro levels. Finally, the book covers a number of less successful concepts, as well as the lessons learned, allowing readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Key features: Provides a thorough examination of automated transit applications, their impact and implications for society Written by the committee chair for the Automated Transit Systems Transportation, Research Board Offers essential information on planning, costs, and applications of automated transit systems Covers driverless metros, automated LRT, group and personal rapid transit, a review of worldwide applications Includes capacity and safety guidelines, as well as vehicles, propulsion, and communication and control systems This book is essential reading for engineers, researchers, scientists, college or graduate students who work in transportation planning, engineering, operation and management fields.
