May 2021
From the President
Greetings! ATRA worked very hard for about three years to bring about changes to the American Society of Civil Engineers' Automated People Mover Standards that would better adapt these standards to personal rapid transit (PRT). I am very pleased to announce that the latest edition of these standards has now been published and incorporates the changes we negotiated.

The most important change is that the so-called "brick wall stop" criterion no longer applies to Automated Transit Networks (ATN). This change frees up ATN technology to potentially achieve higher speeds and capacities. This technology can now truly become urban mass transit, way beyond just first/last mile service.

The document is also the first official document I know of to define ATN, which covers both PRT and group rapid transit (GRT). The word "Personal" in PRT implies both elitism and low capacity to many people I have spoken with. In addition, the term "PRT" has negative historical connotations involving failures in the U.S. and abroad. I think it is high time we replaced "PRT" with "ATN". When we do so, lets be sure the world gets the message that ATN is urban mass transit - not just a slow, low-capacity, first/last mile solution.

As always, enjoy reading!

Best regards,

Peter Muller, ATRA President
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ATRA News
Economics of the Intelligent Transportation Network System ITNS

by J. E. Anderson
The purpose of this paper is to provide a generic examination of the economics of HCPRT networks of various sizes in cities of various total populations and population densities. To do so realistically, it is necessary to consider the variation in density from the Central Business District (CBD) outward. In the CBD, the population of interest is not the resident population, but the daytime population, which is generally considerably higher.  Edwin S. Mills of Princeton University showed that a density distribution decreasing exponentially from the center is a good approximation of the density of many cities, so this model will be used.

News
Sierra Club Endorses Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)
Dear Mayor Tran and City Council Members,

On behalf of our more than 85,000 Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter supporters, the environment upon which we all depend, and future generations dependent upon our current generation to solve our Climate
Crisis, we urge you to analyze and consider the Milpitas PRT Project as
proposed by LoopWorks

ASCE Updates APM Standards
The most important change is that the so-called "brick wall stop" criterion no longer applies to Automated Transit Networks (ATN). This change frees up ATN technology to potentially achieve higher speeds and capacities. This technology can now truly become urban mass transit, way beyond just first/last mile service.

East Contra Costa County Dynamic Personal Micro Transit Feasibility Study Report
The cities of Pittsburg, Brentwood, Oakley, and Antioch, along with East Contra Costa Transit Authority (ECCTA), Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA), and Contra Costa County, have collaborated to conduct a feasibility study for potential deployment of a Dynamic Personal Micro
Transit (DPMT) network in Eastern Contra Costa County (East County). The purpose of this Feasibility Study (Study) is to analyze whether constructing and operating a DPMT system in the East County region is feasible and beneficial. The Study investigates the DPMT’s core system, including how it operates, the potential benefits, potential ridership demand, costs of implementation, and
identification of risk mitigation strategies, potential business models, and funding strategies. The main purpose of the Study is to inform decision-making entities whether the DPMT proposed by Glydways
could be successfully integrated over time, to complement traditional bus and rail transit, and support the region’s greater transportation strategies.

Driverless electric car transit looms in East Contra Costa’s future
Pittsburg has hopped aboard a preliminary plan calling for a transit system that uses driverless electric cars to shuttle passengers to and from Bay Area BART, bus and Amtrak stations in East Contra Costa County.

Creating a new future for Milpitas mobility
LoopWorks is creating a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system to serve over 10,000 residents in the Metro Area around the new BART Transit Center (see MilpitasPRT.com). Currently, getting to and from that transit hub is challenging for pedestrians, cyclists and other rollers. In the words of the plan, “With the station located at the intersection of two high-stress roadways, there are significant barriers to travel to and from the station.” While barriers like these are an easy jump for PRT, they are major hurdles for traditional steel-and- concrete bridges which, like the recently-completed bridge over Montague Expressway, can cost $15 million.

Mountain View hits the brakes on Automated Guideway Transit
Mountain View's vision of a futuristic transit system to ferry tech employees to and from work is getting canned, at least for now, after City Council members voted Tuesday to defer the item indefinitely.

EOI invited for implementation of Personalised Rapid Transit (PRT) system in Haridwar
Haridwar, India (Urban Transport News): The Uttarakhand Metro Rail, Infrastructure & Building Construction Corporation Ltd. invites online proposals to shortlist private entities to bid as 'concessionaire' for the development of Personalised Rapid Transit (PRT) System in Haridwar City of Uttarakhand.


Apparently the project is being rebid - probably because only one bid was received. If this is the case, it points to the need for competition in the industry.
Autonomous Vehicle Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) Has Emerged as a Green Urban Transport Mode and Investment Opportunity
PARK CITY, Utah, April 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Personal Rapid Transport (PRT) is small autonomous podcars on dedicated guiderails or grades. There are currently four PRT systems in operation, but the industry is set for rapid 2020's growth. And PRT's emergence is happening largely under the media radar.

Elon Musk's Boring Company shows off Vegas tunnel again, and it looks lame
It seems like this project is quickly turning into Tesla cars driving people underground, rather than some sort of futuristic transport system.

Glydways to Partner Tri Delta Transit to Advance Innovative Personal Micro Transit System
The Tri Delta Transit Board of Directors has unanimously approved a resolution to support feasibility study findings regarding a Dynamic Personal Micro Transit (DPMT) system in Eastern Contra Costa County.

PNC Infra Only Bidder for Haridwar’s PRT System
PNC Infratech on Monday emerged as the only firm to submit an application for developing Haridwar’s personal rapid transit (PRT) system on public-private partnership mode under Design, Built, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis.

Named Haridwar Darshan, the Uttarakhand Metro Rail Corporation (UKMRC) has proposed to build a 19.65 km network of 4 elevated corridors on the central verge of the city’s roads:


The technology supplier is Ultra PRT Ltd. The system has 19.65 km of two-way track and 28 stations.
Podaris March 2021 Newsletter
Exploring the 15-minute city with Podaris

Recently, the idea of the “15-minute city” or “20-minute city” — an aspirational vision of the city in which most of the needs of its inhabitants can be met within a 15 or 20-minute walk, cycle or public transport trip from any location — has captured the imagination of planners and policymakers around the world, from Paris to Melbourne, and beyond.

PNC Infratech emerged as single bidder for Haridwar PRT Project
DEHRADUN, (Metro Rail News): PNC Infratech Ltd on Monday emerged as the only bidder for the development of Personalised Rapid Transit (PRT) System in Haridwar as per Uttarakhand Metro Rail Corporation (UKMRC).

The above links are to articles that appear relevant to advanced transit but no guarantee is made as to their accuracy and no verification of the integrity of the associated websites has been made.

Editorial comments are in italics.
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