IMTS: Transportation of the Future?
To explain my personal lack of posting (although not that you would have noticed, as massyset is doing a better job than I've ever done of keeping you up to date), I'm currently travelling outside the U.S. and will be for the next several months. You'll be getting lots of transit reports from abroad because, well, I'm just that big a transit nerd.
Report one from the field is on the Toyota IMTS (Intelligent Multimode Transit System) that we talked about here many, many months ago. Toyota bills this system as the future of transit technology. It's, for lack of a better description, a hybrid bus system that runs without a driver on dedicated roads and is handled by a driver on standard roadways.
The system is currently operating at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan. At the Expo, it runs on dedicated roadways for three stops and then manual operation for one. The dedicated path has actual stations, which resemble some of the tube stations on the Jubilee line, with glass doors that block you from the cars (and/or roadway). The roadway itself is standard asphault, although it appears to have some form of magnetic and/or electronic guideway in the middle. The IMTS cars resemble large buses but done up in a more futuristic manner.
The system itself runs well; on straightaways it operated at 30-35 km/h; curves were significantly slower. The system is computer controlled, so it's not being forced along by a metal guideway (at least not obviously) and the ride is very smooth.
The final verdict? Interesting technology and likely a good long-term intermediate. It would be especially useful for BRT applications. I can't see it replacing local bus systems or train lines, however, unless they can get the system to work at significantly higher speeds.
Post Author:
amg | 12:06 AM |
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Those buses look interesting...kind of like some sort of insect.
These transit vehicles without an operator sort of freak me out. I guess they shouldn't, though. In DC (when everything is working) the operator only closes the doors and, if you're lucky, mumbles something about the next stop. I saw an Orange Line operator reading a paperback book once. In the end I guess a computer is more reliable than a human anyway...
I understand that the IMTS buses operate in platoons of three vehicles when in automatic mode. During driverless operation, was there a system employee on board the lead vehicle ready to push the stop button if something went wrong?
Hi, Bob --
At the expo, at least, the front car had an employee in it to 'hit the stop button', although he seemed a lot more concerned with turning the giant stuffed animal in the driver's seat around for pictures than worrying about anything going out of control.
-A
AMG:
Thanks for the information about the on-board employee. As a follow-up question, did you notice if the 2nd and 3rd buses in the platoon had system employees on board as well? Also, would it be ok if I grabbed some of the IMTS photos you posted on May 18 and put them on my web site, www.johnsonvisual.com (with credit to Third Rail of course)?
Bob,
Help yourself to the pictures!
Cars #2 and #3 did not appear to have on-board employees; only Car #1. I'd imagine whichever car went off for manual operation had an onboard employee the whole way, as well, but we never got to test that route.
Thanks,
Aaron (AMG)
Aaron,
Thanks for the pictures. I've copied them and will have them up in a few days.
Bob
The photos are up at www.johnsonvisual.com. Thanks again.
Bob
