ULTra Test Day

ULTra PRT is required to perform a number of specific demonstrations of the performance of the ULTra System at Heathrow to show how it deals with a number of different operating scenarios. This video shows one of the early demonstrations of the system, conducted in mid-March.

The purpose of this trial was to test the ability of the ULTra station at the Terminal 5 multi-story car park (MSCP5) to handle a large influx of passengers arriving simultaneously. To simulate the mix of well-seasoned travellers who were familiar with the ULTra system, staff members from ULTra PRT accompanied passengers in every vehicle. The system was able to clear all 48 passengers in under 5 minutes thus easily meeting the maximum expected.

With the further enhancements that are being implemented this will reduce to three and a half minutes. Hence the station will be able to serve as many as 800 passengers per hour -- equivalent to a coach arriving every three to four minutes -- far more traffic than is currently anticipated. This excess capacity allows the station to serve passengers quickly, even when they arrive as part of large groups, and to accommodate the future growth of passenger traffic at the airport.

Despite its high capacity, the station at MSCP5 was primarily designed to fit into an existing parking structure with minimum impact upon the car park. With more capacity-oriented designs, ULTra stations can accommodate passenger flows at twice the rate of the MSCP5 station. The operating principles remain the same however, and these have been validated by the testing experience at Heathrow.

In addition to testing the system performance with large groups of knowledgeable passengers, ULTra PRT is also conducting demonstrations under various emergency scenarios and adverse conditions as well as for what are known as non-standard use cases situations where passengers have particular specialist needs or seek to use the ULTra System in an unexpected manner. This comprehensive test programme will ensure that the ULTra system provides a reliable, user-friendly, high-quality service from the very first day of public operation.

For more information, visit http://www.ultraprt.com/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• ultra
• heathrow
• transport
• transportation
• public transit
• prt
• personal rapid transit
• environment

[L1verpool10]

cool vid man but air on dont work. and we never see u!

[nathankoren]

@L1verpool10 Air con had a glitch during testing in June, but has since been fixed. And you *do* see me -- I'm the big bloke from 0:57 to 1:07. Only ten seconds of fame -- where's my 15 minutes?!?

[Badsellcut]

Nathan, I saw it working whilst at T5 last month - is it fully operational now?

[nathankoren]

@Badsellcut It is fully operational, but the airport doesn't want to open a new system during their busiest season, so the public can't yet ride it. Soon, soon....

[TodayHi1953]

Dang... When is this technology gonna come to the US??? Hey, can y'all consult with dart on a deal or something? I really want this to take me to school and 2 mah friendz house every day!

[nathankoren]

@TodayHi1953 We've got a branch in the US, and they're working hard to bring ULTra there. Unfortunately, transportation projects always take longer to develop than people expect, so it's probably going to be a while before we come to your exact home town. But we *are* coming, so be patient. :-)

[jcsaintpo]

curious to know if it's easy to enter with an electic wheelchair!

would be great not to have to wait for a special taxi, or ask 24h in advance for an adapted bus at a given hour!

[nathankoren]

@757K Well, it was certainly a successful test, which is to say that we accomplished everything we'd set out to, and also learned some things that will allow us to offer an even better service. There have been many more (and different) passenger trials since then, although not with the video crews around. But more videos should be forthcoming soon!

[L1verpool10]

I went on the pod once again and I noticed a slight door malfunction in pod 206. The draught excluder was coming off which made it difficult for the door to close.

[L1verpool10]

@nathankoren LOL! But I went on the pod during October.

[kreutzere]

@nathankoren decades :D thats why robotic google car now is allowed to drive in Nevada. And the test card did a tons of miles without any problems.

[puffpet]

I'd love to see these in America... maybe replacing my city's terrible subway system.

[Gordyuk]

i was lucky enough to be a test participant on Saturday and i have to say i absolutely loved the system. Its so quick, easy to use. I felt like i was using one of the pods from The Incredible movie :) I doubt i will ever take public transport to the airport again when flying to/from T5

[andjack]

So, how does it manage snow and ice? Any result of that?

A swedish examination of PRT systems say there are only one who can mannage snow and ice. And yeas, it's not only in scandinavia there are snow in the winter :-)

Check nyteknik se / nyheter / fordon_motor / jarnvag / article268938.ece and watch?v=3J-S_YYuNBU

[explorer47422]

Damn if I'd of known I'd of volunteered for that!