1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle traffic systems, and particularly to a personal transportation rail system.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a need for a unique design for an alternative mode of transportation to supplement our urban and dense population areas' transit systems, which have become grossly overcrowded and inefficient. It would be desirable to have vehicles that are a new form of personal transportation that integrates an additional but separate operating subsystem. Until now there has never been a concept that demonstrates that a practical, viable, economical, guideway/vehicle system can be developed with current state-of-the-art knowledge to improve our personal urban transportation systems. Previous efforts at creating personal rapid transit systems have been based on horizontal switching systems requiring unrealistic real estate for implementation, and none have integrated with an inter-urban transit system. There is a need for a system that utilizes a vehicle that can operate on elevated (grade separated) single lane dedicated guideways, using efficient vertical switching, and with the possibility of moving from an urban rail system to either the street or to an inter-urban high-speed rail system. The guideway mode of operation should be fully automated, electric, safe, and non-polluting, offering vehicle speeds of up to 120 mph. With the worldwide demand for oil, the pollution created by burning fossil fuels, and the inefficiencies created by overcrowded urban streets, we are long overdue for a new system of transportation that can supplement our current system with a much safer, more efficient, electric portal-to-portal system.
Thus, a personal transportation rail system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.