A presentation for Public Transportation 424 class at Cal Poly-SLO.

1. Automated Guided Transit (AGTs)
(also Automated People Movers - APM)
James Hinkamp
CE 424: Public Transportation
10.27.10

2. APMs are used in different settings, most often in large
facilities where operations are time-intensive, but can also
function as local transit
Airports
Resorts
Transit
Las Vegas (MGM Grand)
SFO
Singapore

3. Definitions of “people movers” vary, depending on
technical specifications
 Automated Guided Transit (AGT)
 Kobe, Japan Kobe New Transit
 Miami, FL Downtown People Mover (DPM)
 Las Vegas, NV
 Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)
 London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
 Guideway transport from business parking lot to Terminal 5 (International)
 Programmable destinations
 Potentially high speeds
 80-100km
 Automated Transit Network (ATN) *essentially PRT
 San Jose, CA (conceptual)

4. Courtesy: podcarcity.org
The APM Guidebook describes 7 types of guideway systems
Most track layouts can accomodate
more than 2 stations, but only the
Dual-Lane Shuttle w/ Bypass is
NOT recommended.
Source: ACRP APM Guidebook

5. Passenger carrying capacities range from 2,000 - 25,000
per hour per direction
Compare
7,500-15,000
60,000
30,000
1,500-2,500

6. APMs operate worldwide in over 143 locations, most
notably in Asia.
International
Japan
Tokyo
Kobe
Chiba
Hiroshima
China
Hong Kong
Chongqing
Korea (Seoul)
Singapore
Indonesia (Jakarta)
Domestic
San Francisco (SFO)
Miami, FL
Dallas/Ft.Worth, TX
Phoenix, AZ
Los Angeles (Getty Center)
Europe
London
Milan
Copenhagen
Madrid
Zurich

7. Airports feature the most prevalent AGT systems; London
Heathrow, however, features state-of-the-art application of
PRTs
 Opened to public Spring 2010
 Units are limited to 4
passengers
 3.8 km guideway
 18 pods in fleet
 Electric propulsion

9. Masdar City (Abu Dhabi, UAE) is preparing for a transit
network that is reliant on PRTs within city limits
(conceptual)
 “Zero carbon environment”
 Build out is projected in 7 years and foresees
extensive automated transit
 2,000 PRTs
 50,000 residents
 70,000 jobs

10. Sources

APM Users Group http://www.apmusersgroup.org
 Airport Cooperative Research Program. (2010). Guidebook for Planning and
Implementing Automated People Mover Systems at Airports.

APM Standards Committee http://www.apmstandards.org

Airfront.21 http://www.airfront.us/
 Florida Int’l University http://web.tongji.edu.cn/~yangdy/apm/apmrev.html
 Vuchic, Vukan. (2007). Ch. 7: Unconventional Modes & Systems.

U of Washington http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/prtquick.htm