Automated Guideway Transit System Research Articles

Providing Priority to Public Transit in the Absence of Dedicated Lanes: An Exploratory Experiment on the Automated Guideway Transit System

Providing Priority to Public Transit in the Absence of Dedicated Lanes: An Exploratory Experiment on the Automated Guideway Transit System

The Hybrid Metro: The Brown Line of the Taipei Metro and Technological Hybridity

The Taipei City Government launched project of automated guideway transit system in the 1980s caused a conflict with the central government's metro project. This conflict drew the intervention of the US government, who invited American transportation consultants to integrate the two transit systems into one. The Brown Line became the only automated metro line of the Taipei Metro. Although the US government had hoped an American company would be the system provider for the Brown Line, Matra’s VAL256 won the contract. However, the VAL256 experienced fire and tire explosion accidents, leading to conflicts between Matra and the Taipei City Government. Matra withdrew all its technical supports to pressure Taipei to pay the down payment. Nonetheless, Taiwanese technical officials and engineers modified the system with flexible strategies making the Brown Line work smoothly without Matra’s technical support. Later, The Taiwanese technical officials invited Bombardier to provide its CITYFLO system and integrated it with the modified VAL256 into one system, avoiding paying a high price to Matra for the extension of the Brown Line. How the Brown Line became a hybrid metro system shows how technological hybridity can change the power relationship between technologically advanced countries such as France and “catching-up countries” such as Taiwan.

Dynamics of Automated Guideway Transit Vehicle with Single-axle Bogies

Summary The steering type of a mechanical guidance system has been used for Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) system in Japan. Recently, the single-axle bogie system has developed for AGT vehicle and applied to Yurikamome 7200 type vehicle. This paper describes dynamic characteristics of AGT vehicle with single-axle bogies. Introducing a nonlinear, 15 degree-of-freedom dynamic model, a computer simulation study on the lateral motion of the AGT vehicle with single-axle bogies are carried out. In order to show the dynamic characteristics of the single-axle bogie clearly, it is compared to that of the AGT vehicle with conventional steering system. The simulation study with actual vehicle parameters shows that single-axle bogie has suitable characteristics for AGT system. The multi-body dynamics modeler, DADS, is used to build the dynamic model of AGT vehicle with single-axle bogies and this is used to demonstrate the vehicle motion in actual guideway. Obtained results are compared to that of the field test. It is shown that the vehicle dynamic response can be obtained in realistic situation by using multibody dynamics code, that is useful for designing both vehicle and guideway.

노면 요철을 고려한 AGT 차량의 동적 응답 해석

The equations of motion for an automated guide-way transit(AGT) system running on a path with roughness have been derived to investigate dynamic responses and wheel loads of moving vehicles of the AGT system. A vehicle of the AGT system is idealized as three-dimensional model with 11 degree-of-freedom. The computer program is developed to solve the dynamic equations, and anlatical results are verified by comparing the results with experimental oness. Parametric studies are carried out to investigate the dynamic responses of an AGT vehicle according to vehicle speeds, surface roughness, damping and stiffness of suspension systems. The parametric study demonstrates that amplitudes of dynamic responses and the wheel loads have a tendency to increase according to travel speeds, the stiffness of suspension system and surface roughness. On the other hand. those amplitudes tend to decrease according to increase of damping of the suspension system.

2104 地震時における新交通車両の挙動解析

2104 地震時における新交通車両の挙動解析

Dynamics of AGT Vehicle with Single-Axle Bogies. 1st Report. Basic Characteristics of Vehicle.

The steering type of a mechanical guidance system has been used for Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) system in Japan. Recently, the single-axle bogie system has developed for AGT vehicle and applied to Yurikamome 7200 series. This paper describes dynamic characteristics of AGT vehicle with single-axle bogies. Introducinganonlinear, 15 degree-of-freedom dynamic model, a computer simulation study on the lateral motion of the AGT vehicle with single-axle bogies are carried out. In order to show the dynamic characteristics of the single-axle bogie clearly, it is compared to that of the AGT vehicle with conventional steering system. The simulation study with actual vehicle parameters shows that single-axle bogie has suitable characteristics for AGT system.

Capital Costs and Ridership Estimates of Personal Rapid Transit

Preparing capital cost estimates for new transit technologies requires refining and refitting traditional estimation tools. The personal rapid transit (PRT) system project in Rosemont, Illinois—a suburb of Chicago near O’Hare International Airport—required (1) the development of estimates of PRT capital costs, (2) establishment of a reasonable cost range for the PRT system, and (3) an order-of-magnitude evaluation of existing cost projections. A method was developed to compare PRT system components (versus the entire system) with the components of existing automated-guideway transit (AGT) and automated people mover (APM) systems in North America. Seven components of the PRT, AGT and APM systems were examined—(1) guideways; (2) stations; (3) maintenance and control facilities; (4) power and utility systems; (5) vehicles; (6) command, control, and communications systems; and (7) engineering and project management. Three analysis techniques were used—(1) statistically significant regression analysis; (2) measurement of a central tendency for “comparable” systems; and (3) statistics from all AGT systems. The results show that the combination of the three techniques worked well for component-level studies and show promise for use in other cost analyses involving new technologies or application of existing technologies on a scale outside the bounds of previous experience. In addition to the cost study, a PRT ridership forecasting approach and projections were evaluated, providing another key element of decision support for potential PRT deployment in Rosemont.

Procurement methods for automated guideway transit systems

Procurement of an Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) system is a relatively new process for many procuring agencies worldwide. Outside of large airports, no single transit market sector has enough experience to establish well proven procurement methodologies for innovative transit technologies. Several methods, however, have emerged recently which, together with more conventional approaches, make the decision making process quite complex. The objective of this article is to review currently used and recently considered procurement methods and recommend a methodology for their selection depending on specific project requirements.

Urban Automated Guideway Transit Systems : Technical Solutions and Development Possibilities

First, definitions are given and the main system families are described. Then the main characteristics are given for typical systems which are in operation or under development. VAL system is an example of automated light metro on pneumatic tyres which can be adapted to various line configurations. There are other examples of automated guideway transit systems in other countries : Westinghouse in USA, ALRT in Canada, KNT and NTS in Japan so on... Much research has been carried out on active guideway systems, until now the most successful one is the SK.

VAL automated guided transit characteristics and evolutions

AbstractVAL (Light Automated Vehicle) is a medium capacity driverless automated guideway transit system. It has demonstrated both technical feasibility and economical performance of driverless operation applied to a metro line.It includes several advanced well proven technologies. Since the first line design, the product has been adapted to various operating requirements and enhanced by application of further technological evolutions in several areas: Automatic Train Control, Rolling Stock, Track.

Design of a data base for automated guideway transit information

A mechanism is established for documenting operational and maintenance data of Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) systems on a consistent and repetitive basis. The present disparity in AGT data documentation is reviewed. Data elements which are representative of a wide range of operational characteristics of AGT systems are identified. Optimum frequencies at which the different data items should be reported are discussed, and a set of standard data-reporting forms are generated. Finally, the effort needed to accumulate the desired data on a continuing basis is reviewed. Data identified in this article were obtained through extensive literature surveys, as well as contacts with several AGT operators. In addition, an actual on-site data collection study was carried out at the Morgantown People Mover System to test the applicability of the forms.

Design and Construction of Dade County METROMOVER

The background, funding, design features and system characteristics of the Dade County METROMOVER system, the first automated guideway transit system in a U.S. downtown environment, are described. Design features include the route alignment, vehicle, guideway superstructure, guideway substructure and the stations. System characteristics describe the capacity, headways and run time of the system. Some construction-related issues and maintenance of traffic during construction are also addressed.

Power Factor and Higher Harmonic Currents of the Electric Power System for a High-Power Three- Phase AC Electrified Automated Guideway Transit

In three-phase ac electrified automated guideway transit (AGT) systems, the car uses a thyristor phase control type controller. The controller has a low power factor, and it generates higher harmonic currents to the power line. Such AGT systems as the Osaka- Nanko Port Town line which opened in 1981, need much more electric power than conventional personal rapid transit systems. In such a case, the harmonic currents at the receiving point are necessary not to exceed the limits of the power company. A simulator has been developed to calculate electric power and higher harmonic currents in a multivehicle power feeding system. Simulations for the Osaka-Nanko Port Town AGT system show that the average power factor is less than 0.7 and harmonic currents exceed the limits with no countermeasures. After several simulations, we developed the power feeding system which uses a fifth higher harmonic filter of 250 kVA at all seven feeding substations, and seventh, eleventh, and thirteenth harmonic filters, which total 1.0 MVA, at the receiving substation.

Licensing of Safety-Related Equipment of Track-Bound Transportation Systems

One very important aspect of the operation of track-bound transportation systems (e.g. railways, urban rapid transit systems, automated guideway transit systems) is safety. The demand for safe operation is based on statutory requirements. The following paper goes briefly into the philosophy of safety and deals with the problems of verification of safety in connection with the realization of various technologies. It attempts to highlight the importance of verification and licensing conditions and thus show that “the creation of safety” is not enough, it must be verified. The importance of reliability as opposed to safety is also touched on.

A performance assessment model for automated guideway transit systems

A computer model has been developed for the purpose of assessing the performance characteristics of Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) systems. The model is structured to provide an effective, low-cost tool for establishing the supply side characteristics of AGT systems for a variety of network configurations and demand models. Features of the model include the automatic generation of service routes and assignment of route operating frequencies and the capability to display results as well as verify user supplied network data through the use of computer generated graphics. Model outputs consist of system operational statistics, passenger service measures, system capital and operating costs, and energy utilization estimates. Applications of the model have included examinations of AGT system design requirements and cost/performance comparisons of AGT and conventional transit modes. The model has proved to be particularly useful for conducting parametric studies necessary to gain an understanding of system performance-operating policy interactions. A detailed description of the model is presented in the paper along with examples of model outputs and a discussion of computer resources required in using the model.

Traffic analysis of PRT gradecrossed intersection

AbstractA gradecrossed intersection of the personal rapid transit system (PRT), which is one of the automated guideway transit systems, is modeled. Its control algorithm which assigns moving cells to avoid vehicle collision at intersection part or the merging part is presented. the algorithm is based on a “first‐come, first‐served” principle and no priority between the two intersected lines is introduced. In both lines, the same upper bound is set for the length of forward and backward maneuvering. When the maneuver length is likely to exceed this upper bound, the vehicle is forced to diverge even if it was to go straight, so that the maneuver length does not exceed the upper bound.To analyze the behavior of this model from the probability theoretical viewpoint, the state is defined based on the maneuver length of vehicles at each time instance synchronous to cell arrival. Thus, the model is formulated as a finite Markov chain (one‐dimensional random walk). As a result, the relation between vehicle traffic density and (1) delay distribution and expected delay time due to intersection passing, (2) abort rate, and (3) throughput, is obtained explicitly.

Computer models for AGT system operations studies

The major functions, inputs, and outputs of the seven computer models developed during the Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) System Operations Studies (SOS) project are described. The models were designed to provide tools to enable the transportation community to analyze the operation of AGT systems in the complete spectrum of deployments. Three analytic models are described: the feeder system model, which determines the cost and service characteristics of the non-AGT components of the door-to-door trip; the system cost model, which calculates annual and life cycle costs and environmental impacts; and the system availability model, which calculates the impact of failures and recovery times on passenger and vehicle delays in the network. Four simulation models are described: the discrete event simulation model, which models individual trips and vehicles on AGT networks for a wide range of management algorithms, service policies, and network configurations; the system planning model, which models vehicle and passenger flows on AGT networks; the detailed station model, which models individual vehicle and passenger movement in a station; and the detailed operational control model, which is a time step simulation that models individual or strings of vehicles on links, merges, or intersections.

Guideway sidewall roughness measurements on an automated guideway transit (AIRTRANS) system

Guideway sidewall roughness measurements on an automated guideway transit (AIRTRANS) system

Vehicle-Follower Control With Variable-Gains for Short Headway Automated Guideway Transit Systems

The use of the vehicle-follower approach for the longitudinal control of vehicles in an automated transit system is discussed for the short headway (0.4 to 3.0 s) range of operation. It is shown, if one adopts a constant gain approach, that the required bandwidth of such controllers increases rapidly with a decrease in nominal headway if safe operation is to be assured. Initial conditions typically encountered during merge and overtake maneuvers can cause unacceptably large jerk and acceleration levels if applied to such constant gain controllers. A candidate for overcoming these problems is a control technique which first employs gains appropriate to the initial conditions and then varys the gains to achieve the desired values as controller errors are reduced. Under nominal operating conditions, this time-varying gain approach is also demonstrated to satisfy performance requirements based upon the kinematics of ride quality constraints.

New transit technologies and control options

Automated guideway transit systems feature vehicles which are capable of fully automatic operation under computer control on separated running surfaces (guideways). While just emerging on the urban transit scene such systems offer the potential for improved service and cost effectiveness. Paramount to the successful implementation of automated transit are the control algorithms required to operate the vehicles. A description is given of some of the features of near term deployment configurations and applicable vehicle control options.