I've never hear of trackless trams. Is this a thing? Would they be good for St. Louis? Thoughts?
http://theconversation.com/why-trackles ... EVooW-_SZI
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http://theconversation.com/why-trackles ... EVooW-_SZI
It would be awesome. Depending on how well this goes in China, St. Louis should pursue it. Be one of the first ART metros in the U.S.
I'm sure the cost-to-build would be reduced by millions UNLESS the technology costs are astronomical.
China is kicking butt in infrastructure advancements.
I'm sure the cost-to-build would be reduced by millions UNLESS the technology costs are astronomical.
China is kicking butt in infrastructure advancements.
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I would guess it's somewhere between busses and trams in terms of both build and operating costs, but falling closer to the bus end on build costs and maybe bring the operating costs down at least a little closer to trams, though I would guess the energy costs don't change much from busses. It's a neat idea and it could certainly fill a need in a kind of intermediate market. Would love to see parts of Grand get the enforced diet the dedicated lanes imply.
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Am I correct in understanding this to be BRT, just with vehicles that are more comparable to light rail in appearance? If so, why can't the NS line be started with this? Would be much less expensive to start out with, and could potentially solve the issue some people have with "riding a bus". Better yet, if a route doesn't make sense or if future development would justify changing the route, it would be WAY less expensive to alter the route. This seems like a no brainer to implement.
^That's what I was thinking; this could be perfect for North - South.
Thanks for that video, Arch. I'm really intrigued by this concept.
Thanks for that video, Arch. I'm really intrigued by this concept.
I don’t see how this is any different than BRT, except for the author’s appreciation for children being able to run up and down the aisle.
I think this looks really cool and would be a great fit. But if it’s just a well dressed bus, then let’s use an articulated bus.
I could be wrong, but I believe these would still need to be approved and crash tested by the FTA, US DOT, FHWA, as their not yet in the US. Missouri would probably need to legislatively enable semi-autonomous or non-rail guideway vehicles. N/S also runs on MoDOT row at times, so I’d expect their own line of approvals for the lane markings.
Also Metros operating expenses are already sky rocketing, due to growing personnel expenses. These aren’t fully autonomous vehicles, therefore the cost to train staff for a 4th vehicle type and pay them to operate a more advanced vehicle isn’t small.
I could be wrong, but I believe these would still need to be approved and crash tested by the FTA, US DOT, FHWA, as their not yet in the US. Missouri would probably need to legislatively enable semi-autonomous or non-rail guideway vehicles. N/S also runs on MoDOT row at times, so I’d expect their own line of approvals for the lane markings.
Also Metros operating expenses are already sky rocketing, due to growing personnel expenses. These aren’t fully autonomous vehicles, therefore the cost to train staff for a 4th vehicle type and pay them to operate a more advanced vehicle isn’t small.
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I'd think that any talk of creating a Street Car or Modern Trolley in STL must absolutely take Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) into consideration. I also agree with everyone who's stated that this technology should be a strong consideration for a N-S Metro Line in the City.
Should this be implemented, then it must be built with making stations for ART be more like those of MetroLink than just being bus stops. A major value draw of Light Rail and Modern Trolleys is how they have hard infrastructure, i.e. rails and energy lines, that turn stops on a route into places. ART, however, has much more subtle place-making elements, such as sensors built into the roads (the "virtual track") and charging hubs for their all-electric vehicles. It makes conscious choices on where to build stations that much more important. ART remains a very new technology that's still proving itself viable, including in cold weather conditions. We can't just adopt it just yet. But as this matures, it really must be considered.
Meanwhile, I absolutely detest the idea of the N-S line heading into Downtown east of Tucker if that means we have to dig up the streets to lay rail lines for a new type of MetroLink car. Rush hour traffic on shared streets would be a nightmare. With this, however, disruption should be minimized - and at much lower costs, fractions of standard light rail expansions. As well, this technology furthers the opportunity to implement new lines at faster time rates.
Seriously, the center of Tucker in Downtown could be the hub for this.
It could turn Tucker into a modern version of Canal Street in NOLA.
Should this be implemented, then it must be built with making stations for ART be more like those of MetroLink than just being bus stops. A major value draw of Light Rail and Modern Trolleys is how they have hard infrastructure, i.e. rails and energy lines, that turn stops on a route into places. ART, however, has much more subtle place-making elements, such as sensors built into the roads (the "virtual track") and charging hubs for their all-electric vehicles. It makes conscious choices on where to build stations that much more important. ART remains a very new technology that's still proving itself viable, including in cold weather conditions. We can't just adopt it just yet. But as this matures, it really must be considered.
Meanwhile, I absolutely detest the idea of the N-S line heading into Downtown east of Tucker if that means we have to dig up the streets to lay rail lines for a new type of MetroLink car. Rush hour traffic on shared streets would be a nightmare. With this, however, disruption should be minimized - and at much lower costs, fractions of standard light rail expansions. As well, this technology furthers the opportunity to implement new lines at faster time rates.
Seriously, the center of Tucker in Downtown could be the hub for this.
It could turn Tucker into a modern version of Canal Street in NOLA.
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This was posted in the Metro Reimagined thread about 10 days ago.framer wrote: ↑Jan 16, 2020I've never hear of trackless trams. Is this a thing? Would they be good for St. Louis? Thoughts?
http://theconversation.com/why-trackles ... EVooW-_SZI
I love it. It's actually achievable. It's perfect to slow down Gravois. It's definitely deserves it's own thread.