Automated People Movers and Automated Transit Systems 2016: Innovation in a Rapidly Urbanizing World

This paper will inform readers of the processes and steps undertaken during the planning and procurement phases of the automated people mover (APM) project now underway at Tampa International Airport (TPA). The paper will review the need and objectives for the APM system and will touch on how it evolved as an essential component of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority’s (HCAA) master plan. We will discuss the early stages of the APM planning/study process and emphasize how quickly the program transitioned from the planning stage to implementation. We will also discuss the airport’s two phase procurement approach in which HCAA first selected the facility design builder who in turn prepared the request for proposal (RFP) documents for the APM operating system and is now overseeing the work of the APM system contractor. The bid evaluation process and the fact that the bids were very competitively priced will also be discussed. We will conclude by providing an overview of the APM system and touch on the unique characteristics of the system, such as the multi-grade section of the alignment that passes over the airport roadways while staying below the federal aviation administration (FAA) approach and departure surfaces for one of TPA’s runways.

The inter-terminal train (ITT) at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston has been providing non-secure passenger service to all airport terminals and a hotel for over 35 years. The company that implemented the ITT no longer supports this technology. Most of the ITT subsystems have reached the end of their useful life, and many of the suppliers that designed and manufactured subsystems or components no longer produce replacement parts. The IAH inter-terminal train alternatives analysis project studied various alternatives to assist the Houston airport system (HAS) in determining the best way to extend the life of the ITT system and defining different options to maintain passenger service. The project team presented five alternatives to HAS: (1) abandon ITT and replace it with buses, (2) refurbish existing system, (3) replace existing system with moving walkways, (4) replace existing system with a new technology inside the existing ITT tunnel, and (5) replace existing system with a new elevated system that would run along South Terminal Road, with the option to extend the system to remote parking and the consolidated rental car facility in the future. The alternatives were compared in terms of operations and performance analysis, constructability, impacts to existing service, implementation schedule, and rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost analysis. This paper provides an overview of the five proposed alternatives that were presented in the Houston IAH ITT alternatives analysis project.

After more than 140 years since opening the first cable car system in San Francisco, the Bay Area’s extensive transit network has been expanded with a new state-of-the-art cable car system in Oakland, California. On November 22, 2014, Bay Area Rapid Transit District’s (BART) Oakland airport connector system, supplied by Doppelmayr cable car, started public operation, providing a seamless link from the Oakland International Airport to the BART Coliseum Station, which serves the greater BART transit network. This paper provides a technical overview of the Oakland airport connector (OAC) system and speaks about some of the unique challenges that the owner/project team overcame to successfully complete the project and navigate through its first year of highly reliable system operation. Both BART (the owner) and Doppelmayr (the operations and maintenance contractor) are hopeful that the next 19 years of OAC operations are as successful as the first.

Aeromovel is an innovative and sui generis urban transport mode developed in southern Brazil. The main difference between Aeromovel technology and the more conventional automated people movers (APM) resides on its exclusive pneumatic propulsion. On August 10, 2013 Aeromovel’s second commercial line was dedicated by the president of Brazil as one of the strategic infrastructure projects to host the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup matches and also as a flagship project to be replicated nationwide as a very reliable and low-cost alternative to traditional systems. This line is a 1.0 km shuttle service between Salgado Filho International Airport (Porto Alegre, Brazil) and the nearby local commuter rail station. This paper highlights the development of the Aeromovel technology, successful system deployments, current operational data, future applications and other pertinent information related to this highly innovated transportation technology.

IHI/Niigata have successfully completed APM line-extension project at Hong Kong International Airport. In this project, in addition to 1,400 meter APM line extension and new-vehicle supply, existing FBTC system was entirely replaced with CBTC system. The one of the challenging requirements on this project was to minimize the impact to the current APM service operation and maintenance work. Another feature of this project is that trains consist of four types which have been supplied by different manufactures. Through this project, we had chances to learn a lot of experiences, particularly about the best practical methods for APM line extension with providing the latest technology to the existing facilities. This paper describes the project and challenges we have done together with the customer and subcontractors.

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is faced with a growing need for parking facilities, some of which are, or will be, located remotely from the terminal at distances too far for most passengers to walk. A comparison was made between a shuttle bus solution and a personal rapid transit (PRT) solution over a 30-year life cycle. The study investigated alternate parking facilities to meet the projected growth and the ability of the different solutions to provide adequate levels of service. It also evaluated the impact of connect times (car to terminal) on parking charges at surrounding airports. PRT connect times were found to vary from five minutes average to seven minutes maximum while the equivalent shuttle bus connect times were 12 and 17 minutes, respectively. This difference indicated a substantially higher parking charge could be justified by the PRT system, but PRT daily rates were conservatively held at only $1.00 higher than shuttle bus rates. With approximately similar life-cycle costs (capital plus operating), the net present value of the PRT solution was found to be higher than the bus solution. In addition to the significantly shorter connect times, the PRT solution provides level boarding, seated rides, reduced emissions, wheelchair accommodations and, significantly, does not add to surface congestion. For these reasons, the airport commission decided to pursue the PRT alternative. The initial PRT system serving the existing economy lot is expected to cost around $20 M. It will have 21 vehicles and 0.88 track-miles of guideway. It will include three at-grade stations in the parking lot, an elevated station at the terminal and a maintenance/storage facility. An additional station attached to Concourse B could allow deplaning passengers, with no bags to collect, a quick return to their cars—a feature not possible with shuttle buses.

Accurate data on passenger activity and traffic patterns at airports are essential information for people flow analysis and management, space use, service monitoring, security enhancement, productivity assessment, and resource optimization to improve or maintain the operating means at airport facilities. bCounted is the automatic people counting and people flow management system to provide this information. The system offers sophisticated solutions for automatic people counting (APC) on trains, automated people movers (APM), buses and shuttles as well as at stations, security-sensitive areas, and any location where people move through portals. Customers include airport authorities, bus and shuttle operators, door and portal manufacturers, OEMs, retailers, and providers of services where frequency and people flow management play a role. bCounted features infrared APC sensors which make use of the latest “time-of-flight (TOF)” technology. Inconspicuously mounted above the door or portal, the sensors provide in real-time three-dimensional (3D) images of the field of vision and the people or objects to count. Working like an infrared camera, the sensors distinguish between passengers and objects, e.g., wheelchairs or luggage carts. A communication module captures the APC data, correlates it with location and time, and communicates the count data to a cloud-hosted backend. In mobile applications, e.g., on APM vehicles or shuttle buses, wireless GPS modems are used to track the vehicles. The backend produces customized “as needed” reports and can be accessed anywhere in the world via a Web Portal. Since 2007, bCounted has successfully been utilized in APM and shuttle bus systems. bCounted provides an effective method to generate information and statistics about ground transportation and facility usage, accurate counts at stations, exact passenger frequency reports for vehicle capacity and headway planning, statistics for fund application, and to assign operation cost to different system partners. It notifies transportation operators and airport facility staff if and when to take pre-determined, ad-hoc measurements or corrective actions based upon passenger frequency or people flow.

JAI is supporting the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to conduct an 18-month major system overhaul project of its automated people mover (‘Tram’) system, including new control and communication subsystems and refurbishment and upgrade of vehicles. Existing subsystem design limitations (such as replacement of moving platform gates with full height platform doors) are further being improved resulting in the extension the operational life of this system for at least the next twenty (20) years.

The Pearlridge Center (Aiea, HI) comprises over 200 retail and dining establishments and is the largest indoor, super-regional shopping center in Hawaii. Unique to this development is the overall property configuration: two fully independent retail complexes, two community centers, and three office buildings, all located on 50 acres of property. The two complexes are linked by an innovative transportation solution based on monorail technology operating in semi-automatic mode. Having provided outstanding shuttle service for decades, the monorail system recently underwent a comprehensive rehabilitation program with the primary goal of upgrading the system from semi-automatic to fully-automatic operation. Other upgrades included a new communications system, fare collection system, platform screen doors, and other systems. In support of this rehabilitation project (known as the Pearlridge Monorail Automation and Communications Upgrade Project), Jakes Associates, Inc. (JAI) was asked to perform professional services over the life of the project which included strategic planning, system procurement management, engineering, design, and project oversight. This paper presents both challenges and opportunities faced by the project management team, system vendors, and system owner and summarizes project activities that resulted in a system that can safely operate in full automation mode.

Stanley A. Dashew was an inventor, industrialist, entrepreneur, sailor, and philanthropist, and over the course of his long business career he was involved in the development of several innovations including credit card processing, mining and medical equipment, offshore oil transportation, and the Dashaveyor transportation system. The Dashaveyor system was one of the early automated people mover systems when it was introduced in the late 1960s. The system was displayed at the Transpo’72 exhibition in Washington and one of his earliest sales efforts was a system at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Although the Dashaveyor was not selected, it was chosen for the new Metro Toronto Zoo, which opened in 1974. Known as the Toronto Zoo Domain Ride, the Dashaveyor AGT began service in 1976 and operated until 1994. This paper introduces Stanley Dashew, the development of the Dashaveyor system, and the history of the Toronto Zoo Domain Ride.

Mobility in future cities will be based on walking, biking, high quality public transport, and less used cleaner cars. Some of the factors that determine the perceived quality of the public transport network are the proximity of the network to the citizens; and the transportation time. With current public transport configurations, improving one of these factors has a negative impact in the other one. Accelerating moving walks can contribute to create a transportation network that is closer to the citizens, and that is faster to destination, making the public transport far more attractive. This can be achieved applying accelerating moving walks in two different ways, which are presented in this paper: The “fast track concept”, allowing an increased distance in between public transport stations; by connecting intermediate access to the new hubs with accelerated moving walks. The reduced number of stations has a significant impact in reducing the transportation time and increasing the productive capacity of the network. Constructing feeders to connect new relevant areas in the network with existing stations.

In 2009, Bombardier Transportation’s Division Systems and Asia/Australia (previously Systems Division) embarked on a development project that was initially known as the “APM Platform Convergence” project, later to become known as the INNOVIA APM 300 project. On March 14, 2012, the prototype APM 300 vehicle left the static test bay at Bombardier Transportation’s Pittsburgh facility under its own power to embark on dynamic testing, even as two system projects, for King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Munich Airport in Munich, Germany, were already underway, having reached Notice to Proceed in May and December of 2011, respectively. With receipt of a third order for a system at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in November, 2012, the APM 300 has now transitioned from development through prototype and initial production to a stable product. This paper will examine that transition.

Expansion management of aluminum/stainless steel power rail due to thermal cycling is critical for long service life of the system and can be addressed by a variety of methods. The high relative expansion rate of aluminum, combined with heating due to electric current flow, climatic conditions and the need to maintain electrical continuity, makes design coordination of the power rail, guideway, and current collector critical to system performance and reliability. Improper expansion management can cause excessive wear of and damage to current collectors, shoes, power rail and power rail accessories, resulting in high maintenance costs and loss of service. Power rail expansion joints must manage the movement of the power rail due to thermal expansion, work in parallel with guideway structural expansions, and maintain an electrical connection with the train. It is best to address the design characteristics of the guideway, collector shoe and power rail expansion joints early in the system configuration. Designers must understand the environmental, physical, and electrical conditions of the entire system to properly design, locate and install expansion joints. This paper examines proper and improper design, location, and installation through real world examples. The authors offer key considerations for proper expansion management and optimal system performance.

Since urbanization continues at a rapid pace, more and more people live in cities. Hence, urban transports systems face an ever increasing ridership demand. As a consequence, many transport operators consider turning conventional (driver-based) systems into automatic operation to increase performance and provide more reliable train service. If converting an existing subway line into fully-automatic operation, the safety of passenger on platforms becomes a vital aspect. An intrusion detection system based on stationary video cameras and intelligent image processing has therefore been developed with dedicated focus on railway safety requirements. Once, the system detects suspicious behavior or a person on the track, central control can be informed and a braking signal can be sent directly to the train via ATP. Since not only the station track is a hazardous zone but passengers standing too close to the platform edge can be at danger as well, a complementary safety function is provided. A 50 cm wide strip at the platform edge is supervised and an audio announcement can be triggered to request people to step back so as to even prevent people from getting too close to the track. This system has been implemented and tested in various installations, e.g., with the Berlin subway operator (BVG) and the subways of Nuremberg and Munich. The system architecture, related safety aspects as well as the operational experiences are presented in this paper.

Elevated guideway design for APM systems is often completed by bridge engineers unfamiliar with APM system requirements and their impacts on the guideway bridge structure. Often, new APM systems are procured with one contract for the guideway structure and a separate contract for the APM system. This allows for conventional bridge contractors to bid on the guideway, but it can present challenges in coordination of requirements. There are a few key issues that should be understood by the guideway designer to determine how the APM system will affect the guideway design. This paper will compare typical highway bridge design considerations with APM system guideway design considerations. The key differences can be broken down into two main categories: geometric and structural.

The paper discusses a vision for how the parallel development paths of automated roadway vehicle (AV) and connected roadway vehicle (CV) technologies, and automated guideway transit technology will evolve into a demand-responsive, fully autonomous transit service. The paper provides insight into the initial applications of AV/CV technology to transit service, primarily within semi-protected transitways and controlled environments such as campus settings and high occupancy vehicle (HOV)/managed lanes. Long term implications for fixed facilities and system operations are discussed. Overall long term considerations of aerial and at-grade transitway design, station site and facilities configurations, and maintenance facility layouts are conceptually assessed. Operating concepts for transit systems of automated and connected, driverless roadway transit vehicles are discussed, as well as the necessity of advanced simulations necessary to analyze the complex operations.

For well over 100 years, the “track circuit,” which is deployed in fixed block train control systems, has been the primary element of Signaling for automated transit systems including automatic people movers (APM). Fixed block train control offers a proven solution that ensures passenger safety while meeting the transit system’s performance, maintainability, and availability goals. Throughout the years, fixed block train control has made many advancements; most notably the incorporation of microprocessor based interlockings in lieu of relay logic. Despite this and other improvements, fixed block technology remains a very hardware-centric solution to modern train control. Because of which, recent decades have seen the rise of communication based train control (CBTC) throughout the industry where the passing of vital data via radio communication allows signaling suppliers to eliminate the need of underlying track circuits. As APM installations that are near or are exceeding the design life of their current fixed block systems, decisions must be made as to the upgrade: refurbish and maintain the existing track circuited system or replace with CBTC. This paper will explore the advantages and downfalls with each approach. Also included are the considerations that property owners must keep in mind when upgrading automatic train control systems.

In 2013, the European Commission granted substantial funds of the Commission’s Seventh Research Framework Program FP7 to the NGTC Project Consortium, consisting of numerous representative members from European Railways and associated institutions, the railway supply industry, urban mass transit operators and associated organizations, and railway research institutions. The objective of the NGTC research project is to prepare a set of specifications and analyses for a future train control system that shall support better re-utilization of major constituents in mainline railway applications as well as in urban mass transit applications. Significant challenges for the project come from the requirement that the proposed modular architecture shall be on the one side backward compatible to the existing European rail traffic management system (ERTMS) Baseline 3, and on the other side introduce common train control modules that may be used in highest performance unmanned train operation (UTO) urban mass transit applications. At the time of paper drafting, all working packages have started. Some are sufficiently advanced to being reported and discussed in this paper in the context of APMs. This paper is an introduction into the NGTC functional and safety architecture and the application of 4th/5th generation radio transmission systems for future virtual block architectures.

Automated transit systems, especially fully automated metro lines, have been in operation for more than 30 years. Most of these automated systems have revealed a great success story in terms of ridership, safety, and reliability, but also in terms of operating costs. The efficiency of such automated transit systems is significantly higher than for conventional rail systems, which is the primary reason for this operational and monetary success. However, this higher efficiency depends very much on the way the operation of the system is organized. A flexible and demand-driven train headway, such as for the VAL in Lille, France or the Skytrain in Vancouver, Canada, provides a very frequent train service attracting a high ridership on one end and requires less operational expenses (effort) to provide the train service on the other end. A very meaningful benchmark indicator of this efficiency has been found with the overall ‘traffic efficiency’ which is defined as the ratio of the total passenger kilometers travelled per year and the produced seat kilometers per year. Empiric studies show this efficiency to be less than 20% for conventional (driver-operated) urban rail systems and approximately 35% for automated transit systems. Hence, automated train operations in combination with flexible and demand-driven train service can double the total efficiency of the rail system. Complementary to such empiric observations, an analytic model has been developed to explain the efficiency increase in a very straight-forward way. The proposed ‘traffic efficiency’ indicator can be used to benchmark different systems or even different lines of an operator the reveal areas of improvement within a network. Very quick and straight-forward calculations are possible to estimate the expected efficiency increase when converting conventional operation into fully-automatic operation. Quick feasibility checks can indicate whether such an automatic and demand-driven operation is beneficial at all. The paper shall present the fundamental differences in terms of efficiency found between conventional and automated rail systems, explain the proposed efficiency indicator including the mathematical background. Practical implications are discussed for making decisions whether to migrate to automatic operation and what conditions are most favorable.

The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the challenges involved in integrating a smart vehicle into a modern environment, and to ensure the vehicle is current at delivery and will stay current for years to come. The management approach to this task will be agile regarding the hardware and software integration. Agile is an iterative, incremental method of managing the design and build activities for engineering, information technology, and other business areas to provide new product or service development in a flexible and interactive manner. The challenge is to be flexible, and yet to follow industry standards specified to deliver quality systems. In this paper, we will discuss a high level approach to hardware and software integration, and contract management skills required to be successful in this dynamic and rapidly changing environment where as an example we will use the current vehicle procurement of Miami-Dade County.

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is embarking on a unique procurement of a replacement for the Metro system now beyond 30 years of age. The replacement will include both train control and new railcars under one contract with performance based requirements that will allow the supplier industry to offer creative alternatives to meet the objectives. The important technical requirements will help illustrate the project objectives, along with a discussion of the MTA goals for the project. Each element of the total scope of the project is addressed including a central feature of the project, the requirement for a communications based train control (CBTC). The implementation and cut-over of the new train control system while maintaining service is discussed. The approaches to maintaining operations and granting access to workers is included as part of a strategy to develop the right concessions of system service versus job-site access.

Automated people mover (APM) systems have been widely used as reliable passenger transport in airports around the world. They provide efficient services between airport terminals and other facilities. Monorails are widely known as transport solutions for large amusement parks because of their excellent aesthetic appeal. However, both APMs and monorails are also very suitable for urban applications. Their unique features, such as small curve radii and low noise levels, make them excellent transit solutions for urban settings, especially for some cities that have unique challenges along the alignments. This paper provides an overview of the urban applications of APMs and monorails. It talks about the features and advantages that make monorails and APMs ideal for some urban applications. It discusses why cities should consider monorails and APMs as a part of their urban transportation solutions. This paper also discusses recent market trends in terms of application of monorails and APMs in urban settings using some examples.

The Miami Metromover is a free automated people mover system operated by Miami-Dade Transit serving downtown Miami’s central business district and surrounding neighborhoods. Due to the dramatic increase in the Miami Metromover ridership over the last decade and the recent development in key areas of downtown Miami, feasible options to connect future Metromover passengers to a new urban downtown lifestyle through an expanded Metromover system are needed. This paper summarizes the initiative to quickly and proficiently assess the feasibility of expanding the Metromover system to connect the underserved markets in downtown Miami while maintaining an efficient operation of the existing system. The project initiative was developed by the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization in coordination with Miami-Dade Transit and other partner agencies. During the study, options for system expansion were conceptualized and evaluated to provide greater system accessibility to Metromover users and improve system efficiency within the downtown area. Major elements of the study included data collection, passenger sampling survey, development of a Metromover expansion master plan, and identification of a preferred concept through a variety of quantitative and qualitative measures. As part of the refinement process estimated capital costs and operations and maintenance costs for the project were developed.

The Detroit People Mover opened in 1987 and it was intended to be the downtown distributor for a proposed $600 million city and metro-wide rail transit system. This paper provides a brief history of transit in Detroit, development of the People Mover, its operations and challenges, and explores its future role as the Detroit M-1 light rail transit is completed. The paper also reviews the U.S. government downtown people mover (DPM) program of that era and the role that the Ontario government had in the development of automated guideway transit systems through its GO-Urban plans for Hamilton, Ottawa, and Toronto, and the formation of the urban transportation development corporation (UTDC). Although the GO-Urban project was abandoned, automated guideway systems developed by the UTDC were built in Scarborough (a Toronto suburb), Vancouver (the SkyTrain), and Detroit. It is a fascinating story that connects Canada with the Detroit People Mover.

City planners and transport agents consider cable propelled transportation (CPT) as a real alternative to conventional means of public transport. It was mostly during the last decade, when CPT started to establish itself as an option due to the technological improvements as well as for evidencing the highest availability and safety indexes. For instance, the aerial tramway in Portland (USA) provides transportation services between the South Waterfront district and the main Oregon Health and Science University. In La Paz (Bolivia), a mass transit system is configured in terms of monocable detachable gondola, which currently extend for 10 km distributed in several lines. It is very likely that the proposed tricable detachable gondola will help to solve the traffic congestion problem in Lagos, Nigeria. This paper presents the implementation of CPT by describing the aforementioned technologies that are today transporting—or will transport in a near future—commuters in urban areas. Aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the systems entire lifecycle, the text firstly specifies the transit oriented planning process for each case study, then highlights the project design aspects, and finally states the approach adopted for the operation and maintenance for a successful operational integration.

It is important for potential suppliers and/or proposers of emerging automated transportation systems to understand the basic requirements for submitting and organizing proposals. Understanding these basic requirements will help potential emerging technology suppliers submit a proposal that addresses the needs of the automated transportation system owner and therefore increases the chances of acceptance. This paper will address the various aspects to be discussed when submitting proposals for an automated transportation system.

A study was recently undertaken for a client in the Silicon Valley to explore the capacity limits of automated transit networks based on small vehicles departing on demand. Based on proven PRT designs, advanced strategies were developed for ridesharing with multiple destinations and multiple origins. These strategies were applied to morning (few to many) and evening (many to few) peak demand periods. Vehicle pair-coupling was introduced in stations while decoupling could be performed at speed in diverges. A tentative 30 miles single guide-way network was designed with 50 stations. The network connected a city and campus to existing and proposed transit stops and provided service within the area. Simulations verified a total network capacity of 14,500 trips per hour using 910 vehicles designed to accommodate 6 seated passengers. The average vehicle load was up to 4.3 passengers (72%) and the maximum link flow was up to 6,500 pphpd. This capacity is comparable to that of mass transit while providing on-demand service and mostly non-stop travel.