The Advanced Elevated Rail Committee (AERC) of Forward Quest is continuing the assessment process for an innovative transportation system alternative to serve Northern Kentucky and the downtown Cincinnati riverfront. As part of this process, the designers and builders of eight different elevated mass-transit systems told residents and government leaders how they could use their system to travel between riverfront destinations and to commute to work on elevated rail mass-transit systems.

Left to Right: Bill Owen, Owen Transit Group; Peter Mitchell, Mitchell Transit Systems; Ed Anderson, Taxi 2000; Chip Tappan, Director of ERT Study.

    The eight symposium participants were selected from respondents to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) package which the AERC distributed in February to 52 elevated rail design-build companies around the world. The RFQ asked for a proposal and estimated costs to build a loop connecting downtown Covington, Newport and Cincinnati, as well as a connector from downtown to the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, both for monorail and personal rapid transit (PRT) systems.

    Presenters at the symposium included companies from Japan, England, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Their systems ranged from high-speed magnetic levitation (Maglev) monorail to suspended monorail to personal rapid transit (PRT), which uses individual cars for on-demand non-stop trips.

Andy Euston, Urban Design expert with HUD; Sally Davis, representing Ky. Governor Paul Patton.

    The governor of Kentucky, Paul Patton, also demonstrated his support for the AERC’s elevated rail study by sending his representative, Sally Davis, to speak on his behalf. Ms. Davis read a letter from the governor in which he expressed his interest in elevated rail as a way to connect communities, get people to better jobs and improve the quality of life in Kentucky.

    Following welcoming statements from Joe Wind, the director of the AERC Steering Committee, and Chip Tappan, the director of the ERT Study, representatives of each of the companies present gave five minute previews of 30 minute presentations that would follow throughout the day.

    The systems presented in the eight 30 minute sessions which followed were (click on each systems name for graphics and additional information on each system):

Aerorail
(Dallas, Tx.)

    Aerorail is a steel-wheel suspended monorail with 87-passenger vehicles for the CDB loop and 160-passenger vehicles for the Airport-to-CBD connector. The Aerorail system is fully automated and the vehicles can be linked together train-like for greater capacity.

HSST
(Tokyo, Japan)

    The HSST system, a support-type monorail, uses magnetic levitation for lifting and linear induction motors (LIM’s) for propulsion. HSST proposes 180-passenger vehicles for the Airport-to-CBD connector. Because of its high speed, HSST can also serve to connect Greater Cincinnati with nearby cities. HSST has an operational system in Yokohama and has the financial backing of its parent company, Japan Airlines.

Aerobus
(Houston, Tx.)

    Aerobus is a non-typical monorail system that uses a cable system, similar to that found on suspension bridges, under which suspended 35-passenger vehicles ride. It can span the Ohio river without any supports in the water.

Futrex System 21
(Charleston, S.C.)

    With Futrex System 21, 52-passenger vehicles travel in opposite directions on each side of an elevated triangular (in cross-section) “monobeam”. A one-quarter scale operating model already exists in Charleston, S.C. System 21 features sleek cars and a simple switching mechanism that makes limited networks possible.

Taxi 2000
(Minneapolis, Minn.)

    Small automated PRT vehicles, operating at 1-2 second headways, carry up to 3 adult passengers [650 lbs.] non-stop from origin to destination. Vehicles are available on demand, instead of running on fixed schedules. Linear induction motors are used for both propulsion and braking. Because the vehicles are small the guideway is only 3.5 ft. X 3.5 ft. and is, therefore, relatively inexpensive to produce and has minimal visual impact.

ULTRA
(Bristol, England)

    The ULTRA (Ultra Light Transport) PRT is being developed by the Advanced Transport Group. This system of small vehicles carries up to 4 passengers non-stop from their origin to destination and is available on demand. ULTRA uses DC motors for propulsion and disc brakes for braking. Plans are currently underway to build this system in Bristol.

Mitchell Transit System
(Leesburg, Va.)

    This system offers another PRT concept utilizing small (2-4 passenger) and very lightweight vehicles and short headways to achieve desired capacity and demand. For propulsion, numerous small electric motors located in the guideways propel the vehicles along. Since the motors are located in the guideway and not it the vehicles, very lightweight vehicles can be used.

The OTG HighRoad System
(Atlanta, Ga.)

    The Owen Transit Group has designed the HighRoad System which, like that offered by Futrex, is a side-supported people mover concept. Electrically-propelled, 96-passenger vehicles move bi-directionally on each side of a single guideway beam. This system is already being planned to connect Atlanta’s airport with one in Chattanooga, Tenn.

A proposal from Ard, Inc./Global Technologies is also being considered by the AERC. This is a combination monorail/PRT system in which the vehicle are suspended from a beam. Larger vehicles function in typical monorail fashion, while smaller vehicles function in a dual-mode manner where they can drive on city streets as well as ride on the guideway.

    Estimated costs to build the systems presented range from a low of $3.3 million a mile to a high of $33 million a mile. PRT developers came in with the lowest costs, ranging from $3.3 to just over $6 million a mile. These figures are significantly lower than estimated light rail costs, which range from OKI’s recent cost estimates of $28 million a mile to over $45 million a mile in other cities.

    Chip Tappan, who directed the production of the RFQ and heads up the ERT Study, was pleased with the capabilities and the costs of the technologies presented. “We believe that at least some of these companies have the potential of getting us to ride and leave our cars behind,” said Tappan.

    The Symposium also provided the opportunity for members of the audience to ask questions of the elevated rail company representatives. Members of the AERC Evaluation Committee were able to do the same during 30 minute question and answer sessions with each of the companies’ representatives held on the following day, Sunday, June 14.

    “We held this symposium for two reasons,” said Joe Wind, director of the AERC Steering Committee. “The first was to allow public officials, business leaders, and area residents to personally see and learn about innovative transportation options; the second was to give the AERC the opportunity to learn more about what could work for our area”

    The AERC is continuing its work of evaluating the systems presented at the Symposium and of educating the citizenry to the advantages of elevated rail systems. It has recently requested that the participants submit additional information for its evaluation process. Jakes & Associates, consultants to the AERC, will submit a proposal within six months for taking the study to the next level. The AERC anticipates that, by the end of the year, one or more systems could be presented as viable options for our future transportation needs.

    Through these actions the AERC continues to pursue its goal of developing an efficient, effective and environmentally compatible public transit system that, by connecting the airport to the CBD and linking the three riverfront districts with a people mover system, will serve to reduce traffic congestion, positively impact the area’s economy, and enhance the area’s national and international image.

    By broadening the number of transportation options being considered, the AERC seeks to provide the most effective, forward-looking systems possible in order to position Northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area to compete more effectively in evolving global markets.

JOIN THE AERC

If you would like to become a member to assist the AERC in achieving it’s goals or are interested in additional information about the AERC, call 606-292-7990, fax to 606-292-5518, write to AERC, c/o Forward Quest, 50 E. RiverCenter Blvd., Suite 400, Covington KY 41011, or e-mail fquest@fuse.net.

Copyright © 1998 Forward Quest, Inc.