[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Got it: New airport, plus high speed rail to airport from a point somewhere in Las Vegas, and a new transit system across Las Vegas consisting of quasi PRTs or half street/track bus/BRT.

Anything else?

He is going to work in a Star Trak Transporter.

Note the usage proposed on the Japanese DMV is for use on existing rail lines which have insufficient traffic to justify a train.

They offer an operating cost advantage over a carbon fueled bus on dedicated right of way but cost more. I doubt they make any sense unless you have existing rail lines.

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Got it: New airport, plus high speed rail to airport from a point somewhere in Las Vegas, and a new transit system across Las Vegas consisting of quasi PRTs or half street/track bus/BRT.

Not quite: No HSR linking the new airport - rather, high speed dual-mode using elevated guideway along existing freeways (as shown and described in the article) and then using conventional surface roads the final few miles to home or destination.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Anything else?

Yes, but it doesn't relate to this thread. You'll have to wait for the announcement.

[jamesdenver]

Not quite: No HSR linking the new airport - rather, high speed dual-mode using elevated guideway along existing freeways (as shown and described in the article) and then using conventional surface roads the final few miles to home or destination.

Nice. I would call it "Super Shuttle" on rails! Perhaps some branding opportunities.

How do you adjust for unequal traffic? Wouldn't there be congestion and crowding on board with peak times to and from airport? How many does each car hold? Wait times?

Will they come to the front door of every residence and hotel? Or just main arterial streets?

Do they have a driver or automated? With these efficient vehicles cars zipping about the city picking people up it'd seem they'd have to wait to drop people at the airport with a limited amount of stations? How are bottlenecks that come with peak times accounted for without excessive pax waiting?

Yes, but it doesn't relate to this thread. You'll have to wait for the announcement.

I understand. And thank you.

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

Note the usage proposed on the Japanese DMV is for use on existing rail lines which have insufficient traffic to justify a train. I doubt they make any sense unless you have existing rail lines.

Reduce it to taxi-size and, like the taxi, make individual runs (no ride-sharing) and you get the picture. And because we'd be running one-ton cars and not 100-ton locomotives, the size and cost of the guideway will be a fraction of that required by conventional rail.
Here's a look at
something similar . Because of the lessened rolling resistance, greater speeds are possible. Multiple vehicles would also 'train-up', making for an over-all capacity many times greater than conventional rail or anything else. The vehicle could also suck power from the guideway, making it zero-emission. Taking it the next step - dual mode - will change everything.

[jamesdenver]

Reduce it to taxi-size and, like the taxi, make individual runs (no ride-sharing) and you get the picture

Where are the cars stored on the strip? Hotel properties? Giant underground garages? Assuming many people leave at the same time (Sundays for example) how to you expedite such a massive number without long wait times? Would I be allowed to share a car with somebody? It doesn't bother me - I split a taxi to McCarran from Aria with a nice lady from Austin last time there.

And what about unloading congestion? Where do all these nice train track cars go when they reach the airport?

Also, that nice man in the video doesn't seem to realize his car is on a TRAIN TRACK!

[jamesdenver]

Check out this article. I read it like 10 years ago and surprised it's still up. Scroll down to "Congestion in PRT stations"

Personal Rapid Transit - Cyberspace Dream Keeps Colliding With Reality

And - wow. That man reading his paper, in his car, on an active rail line. I think of all the risks discussed in this thread, potentially rounding a corner and looking head on into a speeding CSX locomotive due to a switching error (manual or electronic) would be quite close to the top of the list. At least it would be quick.

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Nice. I would call it "Super Shuttle" on rails! Perhaps some branding opportunities.

Interesting name, SuperShuttle. Maybe it will stick. And yes, plenty of opportunity for branding.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

How do you adjust for unequal traffic?

Everything is computer-controlled, so no 'unequal traffic'.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Wouldn't there be congestion and crowding on board with peak times to and from airport?

Because the 'launch' space will be custom designed, no congestion, no crowding to or from. This type of guideway can handle the equivalent of ten lanes of freeway traffic.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

How many does each car hold? Wait times?

Whatever the car can hold. There will be everything from 2-seat Smartcar to 10-seat limo.
Because there will be several locations scattered throughout the airport, no (or minimal) wait time. And minimal walk-time, too.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Will they come to the front door of every residence and hotel? Or just main arterial streets?

On regular roads, they will 'act' like a regular car, so they will, in fact, travel to and from the front door of every residence and hotel.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Do they have a driver or automated?

Like I said, on the guideway (rail) they will be automated, but once off the guideway and they hit the conventional streets, they will be human-controlled - that is, at least until driverless technology is introduced. then automated the entire way. I should point out that there will be guideways direct-connecting participating hotels, and for those it will be DL the entire trip.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

With these efficient vehicles cars zipping about the city picking people up it'd seem they'd have to wait to drop people at the airport with a limited amount of stations?

Again, because we're designing for the future, pickup and drop zones will be built into the structure, not as now is, where everything is after-the-fact.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

How are bottlenecks that come with peak times accounted for without excessive pax waiting?

There will be several ways to do it. One is to have the service direct-connected to the actual gate - with baggage delivered separately, either your hotel room or if you're local, to a remote off-airport pickup site.

Thanks for the intelligent discourse.

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

Note the usage proposed on the Japanese DMV is for use on existing rail lines which have insufficient traffic to justify a train.

Just because the proposed Japanese service is an adjunct to existing rail service does not make it less viable as a stand-alone service. Conventional rail runs when it wants to, if it wants to: this service is 24/7 and will park in your garage.

Originally Posted by lvmensch

They offer an operating cost advantage over a carbon fueled bus on dedicated right of way but cost more. I doubt they make any sense unless you have existing rail lines.

They will, indeed, cost more, but only fractionally more. But only a fraction of the cost of conventional rail. As for only making sense with existing rail lines, hardly. In addition to what I said (above), the cost of this technology is estimated at about one-tenth that of conventional rail.

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Check out this article. I read it like 10 years ago and surprised it's still up. Scroll down to "Congestion in PRT stations" Personal Rapid Transit - Cyberspace Dream Keeps Colliding With Reality

PRT shares the same big problem as rail: you have to get TO the station and then FROM the station. It (PRT) is, however, much cheaper and easier to build, demand responsive, and has much greater carrying capacity.
Here's an interesting
video showing how it can be over-under, thus instantly doubling capacity. This system, which was developed and tested to acceptance in the mid-70s, demonstrated half-second headways, which gave it a greater capacity than even subway.
As for the man reading his paper in a car on an active rail line, would never happen. Unlike the Japanese train concept, these use dedicated guideways that would fit almost anywhere, including the new airport we're supposed to be discussing but have gotten a bit 'off track'.

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Where are the cars stored on the strip? Hotel properties? Giant underground garages?

It's an on-demand system, somewhat like the 'just in time' concept a la auto factories. If there is a direct link to the hotel (meaning no using the street) this would be seamless. Because they are driverless and can be moved, most vehicles would be stored off-site. This will change parking as we now know it.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

Assuming many people leave at the same time (Sundays for example) how to you expedite such a massive number without long wait times? Would I be allowed to share a car with somebody?

Indeed, a large venue letting out - say the new arena, the proposed domed stadium or (worse), the end of a NASCAR event - always makes for chaos. Conventional transit requires everyone to congregate at one spot, then board. But here, because of the ease of location, several portal sites would be created, including those on upper levels of the structure.
All travel doesn't have to be individual. In fact, in high demand situations, users would be incentivized to ride share with lower fares. Similarly, those insisting on persona trave would pay higher fares.

Originally Posted by jamesdenver

And what about unloading congestion? Where do all these nice train track cars go when they reach the airport?

Because this will be a special built airport, the adapted cars would be accommodated. Two things you won't see on site are a car rental facility and a parking garage.