Autran System Examples

At a relatively low capital cost, a system with a five mile elevated main guideway may be built to by-pass a region of severe traffic congestion on conventional streets and roadways. Ramps extend to and from elevated loading and unloading stations connected through "branch" guideways to opposite ends of the main guideway. Each station has 8 lanes. The driver of a car or other light vehicle drives up a ramp to a loading station and onto an awaiting platform of one of the 8 lanes. The vehicle is then locked to the platform. Then the carrier vehicle accelerates along a branch guideway to enter the main guideway at a speed of 110 ft/sec or 75 MPH, decelerating when approaching and unloading station. From a lane of the unloading station, the driver then drives down a ramp to continue travel on conventional streets and roadways. It is estimated that such a system can be built for $34.73 M (million) and that it can carry 6,730,000 light vehicles/year at a fare of $1.90 and realize a profit.

With the five mile system, the trip time is about 5.1 minutes, allowing for times of loading, unloading, acceleration and deceleration. This compares to 12 minutes at an average speed of 25 MPH. The driver and any passengers of the light vehicle can save nearly 7 minutes. They also avoid safety risks. The driver avoids the strain of driving through congested traffic and the cost of fuel and wear of his vehicle and its tires, making it attractive to use the system for a fare of only $1.90. The public benefits from reduced traffic congestion, reduced oil consumption and reduced pollution.

Examples of four additional systems are analyzed in detail in financial analysis . The analyses of the five possible systems are summarized as follows:

  1. A five mile light-vehicle-only system charges a fare of $1.90 for the five mile trip, carries 6.73 M (million) light-vehicles/year and produces a net income of $2.99 M, equal to 8.61% of capital costs of $34.73 M.
  2. A ten mile light-vehicle-only system charges a fare of $3.00 for an average 8 mile trip, carries 15.14 M (million) vehicles per year and produces a net income equal to 12.38% of capital costs of $87.58 M.
  3. A ten mile passenger-only system charges a fare of $1.90 for an average 8 mile trip, carries 26.28 M passengers per year and produces a net income equal to 10.72% of capital costs of $90.90 M.
  4. Ten mile systems (1) and (2) are combined to carry both autos and passengers on the same guideways. A net income is produced equal to 16.67% of capital costs of $132.49 M.
  5. A one hundred mile system charges, for trips at 100 MPH through an average forty mile distance, fares of $6.5 for passengers and $12.26 for light vehicles. It carries 70.08 M passengers and 50.46 M light vehicles per year, generating a net income equal to 40.29% of capital costs of $1,064.33 M.

To summarize, the foregoing examples show that:

  • An Autran system can be viable without taxpayer support; the net income obtained from fares, after deducting operating expenses, can be more than sufficient to pay for capital costs.
  • An Autran system can be viable even when constructed on a relatively small scale and for a single purpose, either for carrying only light vehicles on platforms or for carring only passenger cabins.
  • Using the same main guideways for carring both light vehicles on platforms and passenger cabins can produce a substantial increase in the ratio of net income in capital costs.
  • Expansions of the system can produce large increases in the ratio of net income to capital costs.