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In Motion
Transit Trend Setters Impact
America
Honolulu Rail Transit may just
be starting a new trend in
America. Their transit system,
now underway, will be the first
driverless rapid transit system built
in the United States since the JFK Airtrain began service in
2003.
Driverless systems first gained some acceptance in the
early 1970s and were used for airports, activity centers and
downtown areas; but the concept of no driver in the cab
of a rapid transit vehicle caused many people to back away
from the idea. UITP: the Observatory of Automated Metros
affirms that safety actually increases since it eliminates
the potential for human error, and a clean track record has
further verified the concept’s viability.
Driverless rapid transit has caught on now in Europe
and Asia; but in North America, only Vancouver, Canada has
really embraced the concept. They now have a fourth line
under construction.
In Honolulu, Lea+Elliott is proud to serve as the core
systems consultant for the project, and we are seeing the
real, tangible benefits of driverless transit. Automated
transit lines have the potential to cut operational costs
significantly. In addition, implementing a new system or
retrofitting an existing one allows the owner to invest
in control technology that can optimize cost savings,
improve system performance and increase the quality of
the equipment and processes. With new automated train
control technologies, passenger capacity can be vastly
expanded by operating at shorter headways (frequencies),
which reduces or eliminates the need for major capital
investment in new infrastructure. I believe Honolulu is on
the right track, and I expect to see it set an example for
other new starts nationwide.
We are considered the leaders in consulting on driverless
transit systems and have plenty of data available and lessons
learned on the topic. If you would like to learn more about
it, let me know and I will put you in touch with our subject
matter experts.
Jack Norton
President’s Column
SAN FRANCISCO - At this year’s annual
shareholder’s meeting, S
ebastian
Gladney, P.E.
was named Lea+Elliott’s
newest senior associate.
Since joining Lea+Elliott in 2000,
Sebastian has led a variety of projects
from APM planning for Seattle-Tacoma
and LAX airports; performing analysis of
transit service alternatives for the San Diego International Airport,
project planning and facilities design for the BART-Oakland
Airport Connector, and detailed design review for the New
Doha International Airport APM; to participating in the planning
through implementation of the Las Vegas CityCenter APM—an
award-winning project for which he served as deputy project
manager. Based in the San Francisco office, he has spent time in
Seattle working on the Seattle Monorail Project and in Hawaii
working on preliminary design and engineering for the on-going
Honolulu Rail Transit project. Sebastian is currently traveling to
Hong Kong serving as Lea+Elliott’s project manager for Hong Kong
International Airport’s Third Runway Infrastructure and Concourse
Scheme Design project and the APM System Expansion and New
APM Depot Design Consultancy Services project.
Conference Round-up
Lea+Elliott was a proud sponsor of the 7th Annual Podcar
City Conference in Washington D.C. held Oct. 23–25, 2013.
The conference was hosted by the International Institute for
Sustainable Transportation (INIST). Sponsors included the
U.S. Department of Transportation, Swedish Transportation
Administration, KOMPASS Network, Mineta Transportation
Institute, Advanced Transit Association, and George Mason
University.
The concept of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), small automated
vehicles providing direct, non-stop origin-to-destination
service, has been promoted for over 35 years. Recently, system
implementations are becoming a reality; one operating at London
Heathrow Airport, another at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, and lastly
the newest system at Suncheon Bay in South Korea.
Lea+Elliott Principal David Little, AICP
served as a session
moderator on “Planning in Practice” for PRT Systems. Other
Lea+Elliott speakers included
Michele Jacobson, AICP
;
Jeff Davis,
P.E.
; and
Sanjeev Shah, P.E., J.D.
New Senior Associate
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