London Heathrow POD ULTra PRT videos 2011-10-27

London Heathrow ULTra PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) System. Several scenes from my visit shortly after it opened in September 2011.

[@nebulaaah]

Yes Morgantown PRT built in 1975, incredible. I wasn't even born then!

[@pameladenicolo3300]

I can't believe how nice the woman's voice is :D "sorry for the wait" "see you soon" that was awesome!

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

Pamela De Nicolo Yea, her voice is really nice! I've ridden lots of new transit systems and airport people movers where they use an ugly computer voice. Sometimes they don't even get the intonation. pauses, and pronunciation right!! I love the British accent!

[@markorollo.]

I would seriously go to Heathrow just to ride one of these things. i might be just a bit obsessed with them lol, Travel for me as a none driving wheelchair user (for other medical reasons than being a wheelchair user) is difficult, i either get driven around or i use the metrolink tram, which has made things easier but i dont like it when it gets crowded, it can get a bit claustrophobic, These would be ideal for someone like me to get around on. Everything from the ease of use, to it being for your own personal use and getting you direct from A to B, to just the overall design of them is spot on for me.

[@Kojects]

Great video and a very interesting system. I just recently had the opportunity to ride the SkyCube PRT (former Vectus PRT company) and it was a great experience. I must say that I prefer rail-based PRTs.

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

Kojects I haven't ridden any rail-based PRT. I would like to head out to South Korea to ride the system that opened last year. I fear unfortunately that PRT might not have much of a future being replaced by driverless vehicles/taxis which will ride on public streets rather than on its own guideway. Highways and streets can accommodate many, many more vehicles at higher speeds if all the vehicles are automated. Years from now, we may see automated vehicle only highways and streets where driving manually is forbiddon.

[@johnwang9914]

The interesting thing about SkyCube/Vectus system is that the linear motors are in the track, the cars literally have just an aluminum plate that's propelled magnetically. This makes the system excellent for winter conditions as it's all magnetic so the loss of traction is not a problem, the cars are also less expensive and all travel at the exact same speed but it makes the track very expensive.

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

You have to hail a PRT pod using the touchscreen at each station bay. If a pod arrives at a station to discharges a passenger and you get on without using the touchscreen, the pod will not go anywhere. You would have to exit the pod, and select which station you want to go to using the touchpad, then re-enter the pod.

[@MrSquareart]

Great video!!!!! I like to see more of it from the outside view. It good to watch the system!!! What do you think about the heathrow pods?

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

A more efficient way of handling the queue of passengers would be to have one or two touch screens per station. A passenger would enter where his or her destination is and the screen would tell them which station bay to go to to to catch their pod ride. Some elevators around the world use this technique.

[@johnwang9914]

I would imagine that the modern method would be for people to use an app on their phone as the touchscreen interface.

[@bubba1984]

totally awesome

[@spongejohn]

do the arriving passengers who is in the pod have their own designated "door parking" apart to those passengers who are boarding the pod? *in this video i estimated 3-4 doors ("door parking") who have pods parked waiting for passengers and unloading passengers. do these "door parking" have their own separated function? example: door 1-exiting the pod, door 2-entering the pod. after people leave the pod in door 1, the pod will move to door 2 to load passengers. is it alternate like that or not?

[@johnwang9914]

Well, not the first and not even the only operating system. The problem with the Heathrow system is that it's just between the terminal and the parking lots. We need to see a PRT function as a demand responsive collector and distributor to say an LRT station to see it's true benefits. Despite appearing futuristic, the Heathrow Ultra pods are most notable for their simplicity, the power is from three twelve volt lead acid batteries similar to car batteries albeit designed for deep discharge and the cars follow the curbs with proximity sensors.

[@spongejohn]

are the boarding passengers use the same pod in entering with those passengers who are exiting the pod?

[@paulwilliams5208]

Your out by some 36 years bub! it is merely a shuttle between 2 places short-of 4km Morgantown WV USA has FIVE stops, short- of 6km - DAILY ridership 16,000

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

I still need to go to Morgantown to check this out! I’ve looked at it on google maps and it looks amazing!

[@MarinaLizzy389]

WHAT WHY I NEVER SAW THOSE PODS AT HEATHROW

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

Marina2345 Lizzy12t098 sometimes you can get a glimpse of them taking off or landing, but if you want to ride them or see them up close, you need to be at Terminal 5. LHR is a huge place!

[@skipsassy1]

These should be all over the cities to suburbs no matter how many car lobbyists come out of the woodwork. They are the ones that destroyed trollies in Los Angeles in the 1930s - firestone and the car lobbyists wanted the electric trollies out of LA and won! Let's not let that happen to the best invention since the steam engine.

[@JohnNikonov1]

It is the first COMMERCIAL PRT in the world.

[@tannerrobinson5110]

I thought that Morgantown WV had the first PRT in the world.

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

On the tv screens inside each vehicle at London Heathrow, the slideshow sates that this is the world's first PRT system. Technically the Morgantown system is a GRT (Group Rapid Transit). I guess I would agree that in concept, Morgantown was first.

[@johnwang9914]

Originally, the Morgantown system was supposed to be three passenger cars hence a PRT but the company that won the bid went out of business and the contract fell to Boeing who made it a 24 passenger system. Many see the Morgantown system as how anti-prt lobbyists sabotage PRT projects. Still, the Morgantown system has run flawlessly for decades.

[@zombierage9796]

There doing this in Masdar a new city in uae it will be finished in 2025 the future is here ?😀 but it is amazing and eco friendly!!!

[@johnwang9914]

Unfortunately, the Masdar system was scaled down due to the 2008 economic crisis. Basically it's only a two station demonstrator though there are five cargo stations to which there are no means of bringing cargo to.

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

There are signs on the fence that say, Danger Automatic Vehicles can kill We wouldn't want any people or wildlife to wander on the tracks, would you?

[@johnwang9914]

Clearly the fencing on the elevated guideways are for any potential pedestrians crossing the guideway. How can you tell someone wasn't a fan of PRT and wanted to incur an unnecessary cost.

[@NaiveDJack]

That looks like the starting sequence of an Half-Life-like shooter.

[@SamSitar]

they should extend the PRT system. one day the system sound be fast like the time lapse sections.

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

There are firm plans to build a couple more PRT systems at Heathrow in the next few years. We will see, but I'm hopeful!

[@SamSitar]

thanks for sharing that. they should connect if possible.

[@peskipantz]

It's NOT the first. Morganstown has it in Virginia, and has had it for years.

[@alanmexwell6876]

peskipantz its Morgantown West Virginia West Virginia and Virginia are 2_diffrent states yes wvu's PRT is the first

[@sant_vauls]

That woman is so polite. Is it possible to be in love with a transport pod?

[@neuralwarp]

I love the pods. What a brilliant idea! The only thing I didn't like is that patronising marketing executive voice. There's absolutely no need for all that babble.

[@frankle326]

i don't think there is enough fencing

[@mohammad_nadi]

this machine must be smaller and should be really personal

[@Sitcommer]

I bet they have a problem with people doing the nasty in the pods.

[@rachelquarrell71]

What do you mean by nastys,sex?

[@johnwang9914]

They're finding that the placement of the controls have encountered accidental activation when passengers adopt positions not covered in their focus group testing often resulting in aborting the ride to the nearest station.

[@alsanova]

Sorry to burst your bubble, this is not the first PRT system in the world. Look up Google!

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

They say they are the first PRT system in the world.

[@PilotUTA]

theres no rail

[@neuralwarp]

that's not a true PRT. It's more like an automatic railbus. And the first automatic railbus was invented in Britain in the 1800's.

[@srckovic]

To Bfb

[@THOMASTHESAILOR]

Cute, but, this is an old Video, New Pod upgrade must include : The Pods speaking Arabic.. Welcome to Agenda 21..