LHR schedule, corporate name, India, fall conferences
1. On-schedule for historic start
"The Heathrow pod is innovative technology and we have always said that the system will be launched when it is ready to do so. The system, as well as being a world first, is bespoke to fit into existing airport infrastructure and the process of completing this is informing our decision about the launch date. Testing is continuing and we anticipate that the system will officially launch in the near future." - BAA's schedule statement, June 2010.
We are currently quite busy at Heathrow, conducting passenger trails and proving out the system in various scenarios: large influxes of passengers, emergency scenarios, and non-standard use cases where passengers have special needs or seek to use the ULTra System in an unexpected manner. This comprehensive test program will ensure that the ULTra system provides a reliable, user-friendly, high-quality service from the very first day of public operation.
ULTra PRT is happy to arrange guided tours for cities and organizations with serious interest in an ULTra system for their location.
2. New corporate name "ULTra PRT" replaces "ATS"
ULTra PRT is the 40-person company responsible for the ULTra system: ULTra PRT Ltd is the UK corporation and ULTra PRT Inc is the US corporation. Both the US and UK companies were previously known as Advanced Transport Systems (ATS), but international name recognition for "ULTra" grew so large that we've changed our corporate name accordingly. ULTra PRT (the company) is larger than the rest of the worldwide PRT industry combined.
Our transit "product," is known as the "ULTra system." The term "ULTra" was formerly an acronym for "urban light transit," but is now more of a standalone brand name for our ULTra system.
3. PRT for Gurgaon, India
600,000-population Gurgaon is the call center capital of the world and won India's "best city to work in" and "best city to live in" titles from Business Today magazine.
Hindustan Times embraced PRT for Gurgaon: "It may well be the answer to reducing travel time in growing traffic snarls of our cities." "The state of Haryana government has shown interest in this futuristic transport system for Gurgaon. In fact, the Indian partner of ULTra PRT, Fairwood made a presentation before Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and top government officials in December." Says Transport Commissioner, Anand Mohan Sharan: "It is an environment friendly system and a green solution to congestion caused by vehicles used for local commuting."
4.Sept. PRT@LHR and Oct. San Jose conferences
Those considering PRT for their locale should consider attending the following 2010 conferences:
4A. Podcar City Conference San Jose, October 27‐29
San Jose City Hall: http://podcarcity.org/sanjose/
"PRT fits perfectly with public transit and high-speed rail," said Rod Diridon, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute and a California High Speed Rail Authority board member. "It is a brilliant solution to the first and last mile of travel, connecting people to the primary transportation lines. They also allow many people to have greater mobility, such as seniors, disabled people, and anyone else who cannot easily walk to transit."
"We place significant value on the development of transit options for residents and visitors that further the San Jose Green Vision. PRT definitely will help us reach our Green Vision goals, while serving as a model for other cities around the world." said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.
4B. PRT@LHR 2010 Conference
London Heathrow Airport, September 21-23:
• Early conference details may be found at: http://www.ptrc-training.co.uk/event.php?id=173
• Call for papers: http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/PRT%20Call%20for%20Papers%2012%204%2010.pdf
• For reference, the 2009 PRT@LHR conference program: http://www.prtatheathrow.com/