Alternative to bus rapid transit along Northwest Expressway

[JohnH_in_OKC]

Alternative to bus rapid transit along Northwest Expressway
Here's a new concept for high speed transit from downtown to the Northwest Expressway --
I envision that it would run all the way from the downtown transit station to the Walmart at the Northwest Expressway and Council Road (rather than stopping at Meridian as most route planners have suggested.) This is like building a subway without the astronomical expense and doing something no other city has done, so far.

Elevated Caterpillar Trains fly over traffic without blocking out the cityscape

http://inhabitat.com/elevated-caterp...the-cityscape/

08/24/2016 under Design, Green Transportation, Innovation, MIT, News1
by Cat DiStasio
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<--click to enlarge image

An Indian Railways engineer recently won the MIT Climate CoLab competition with plans for an elevated “Caterpillar Train” (cTrain) that hints at a new era for mass transit. Ashwani Kumar Upadhyaya’s concept, designed by Jacob Innovations Inc, is a new response to the decades-long question of how to integrate effective mass transit into an urban environment without creating an eyesore or adding to traffic congestion. The arch-supported elevated cTrain concept rose to the top of the 29 submissions in the Transportation category of MIT’s challenge to win the award.

The cTrain concept calls for rail cars that travel on a network of elevated tracks at an average speed of 62 miles per hour. The train infrastructure could be built quickly and at a low cost, by using concrete poles that connect via arches on opposite sides of a sidewalk. That design also improves accessibility, making it easier for commuters to hop on and off the rail cars without clogging up sidewalk traffic for those who are simply walking past.

Upadhyaya presented a paper on his cTrain concept at the 14th World Conference on Transport Research in China last month. Next month, he will join other category winners at the MIT Climate CoLab Crowds & Climate Conference on the MIT campus in Boston. There, he will present the cTrain concept to leaders from businesses, non-profit organizations, governments, and communities around the world.+-
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[Plutonic Panda]

Haha. I would love to see that. I would bet it will not happen however due to costs.

Check out elevated PRT systems. They are super rad.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

One improvement to the design that I would make is to make the elevated train drop to street level for every stop. Transit systems should be designed so that access for the disabled is not impeded. No one should have to climb stairs to access public transit. Also being street friendly is being bike and elderly friendly. I'm sure it would additionally lower the cost of constructing the system.

[tfvc.org]

One improvement to the design that I would make is to make the elevated train drop to street level for every stop. Transit systems should be designed so that access for the disabled is not impeded. No one should have to climb stairs to access public transit. Also being street friendly is being bike and elderly friendly. I'm sure it would additionally lower the cost of constructing the system.

They would put elevators at the stops for accessibility.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

I believe that elevators are expensive to buy and maintain - especially when designed for outdoor use. What happens when the elevator is not functioning at YOUR stop if you're disabled?

[Plutonic Panda]

I believe that elevators are expensive to buy and maintain - especially when designed for outdoor use. What happens when the elevator is not functioning at YOUR stop if you're disabled?

I don't know. I'm sure that argument could be used for anything. It couldn't be more expensive than what it would cost to build a platform that lowers the train to ground level. What if that stopped working? Then the whole system would go down. Not saying your idea is bad, but it has its pros and cons.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

I don't envision a "lowering" platform. When the transit cars are making a stop just tilt-drop the overhead lines until the transit cars are level to the ground. This would have to be in the center median or to the right or left side of the road. The descending/ascending lines would need to be protected from tall trucks by a concrete barrier or cable barrier and would need to fully fall and rise prior to every intersection where the transit cars stop so that trucks would not run into the descending/ascending overhead lines while the trucks are making turns & u-turns underneath the overhead lines. The concrete or cable barriers would also protect the entering/exiting passengers from wayward traffic.

[Rover]

I would think that going up and down would add significant horsepower requirements for the trains and slow them up.

[tfvc.org]

I don't know. I'm sure that argument could be used for anything. It couldn't be more expensive than what it would cost to build a platform that lowers the train to ground level. What if that stopped working? Then the whole system would go down. Not saying your idea is bad, but it has its pros and cons.

All the DC metro elevated spots have elevators. I am sure it is for ADA compliance. From what I remember there were two elevators at each stop. I don't know what their contingency plans were when both were out of commision, I am sure that the winters in DC are as bad as here. I think Chicago also have elevated stops as well.

[baralheia]

A large portion of the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system does use elevated trackage and, consequently, elevated stations; many - but not all - stations are wheelchair accessible with elevators. There are a good handful of stations that are not ADA compliant. CTA's system map (showing both accessible and non-accessible stations) is here: http://www.transitchicago.com/assets...016_s_full.pdf

[Plutonic Panda]

All the DC metro elevated spots have elevators. I am sure it is for ADA compliance. From what I remember there were two elevators at each stop. I don't know what their contingency plans were when both were out of commision, I am sure that the winters in DC are as bad as here. I think Chicago also have elevated stops as well.

Yeah, Los Angeles has elevators at every elevated stop as well as their subways. Though the weather here doesn't do anything to complicate it. :P

[tfvc.org]

I just asked my friend in DC what happens when the elevators are out and Metro will offer a shuttle bus for those affected. They keep their website pretty updated with any closures, and most people who use transport will check the site or twitter for any closures or detours.