Status

CityTram began as an investigation into how to improve our transportation system to increase fleet fuel economy and reduce emissions.  That investigation concluded that evolution of the current system would be too slow and too limited.  It is time to replace it with a new system.  The requirements for that system have been understood.  A reference design has been done to prove those requirements can be met.  This site reports on that reference design.

The reference design proved feasibility, but transit districts want to buy a finished product solution (rather than develop one).  So Citytram evolved into a product development activity. Final detailed design of the rails and bridges has been completed. Structural engineering analysis of the rail, bridge, and some of the tower designs has been completed using software tools available to the community.  Professional review is still pending.  Final detailed design of the prototype pod (iincluding its own structural analysis) has progressed through 4 refinement versions. It is now close to meeting all target specs (including those in ASCE 21-13 requirements for APMs).  Bids are being accepted to build version 5 of the pod, and the first few bridge sections.  Design studies have been performed by shadowing the local MPO corridor development studies.  A number of practical application issues were exposed and addressed in the product definition.  More of this is yet to be done.   

What is now needed: 

1) professional structural engineering review of the designs;

2) mechanical and civil engineers to accelerate completion of all tasks.

3) makers / builders to help construct and test the prototype pods, bogie, and bridges.

4) money to pay for items 1 through 3, and to rent a site and build a test facility.

5) people to interact with local MPOs across America to make sure the MPOs are looking at PRTs, and to make sure CityTram knows about those opportunities.

6) a CEO to join and lead this effort who has large scale commercial or municiple construction experience, or construction management experience, or public works experience.   

7) legal expertise to help set up the formal entity, including helping advise on the corporate form - non-profit; public-interest corp; for-profit corp.

8) business development people to contact potential partners and suppliers - design-build firms; APM manufacturers; roller-coaster manufacturers; etc.

9) software developers to develop the control software, user interface and central scheduling software, and load simulation enviroment; and also the site modelling tools.

If you are interested in providing either funds or personal skills to these efforts please contact stephen@citytram.org.