‘World first’ autonomous transit system for Shildon
LOCOMOTION, the National Railway Museum’s site at Shildon in County Durham, will be the location for a driverless electric pod system described as the first of its kind in the world, writes Graeme Pickering.
London-based Urban.MASS is behind the project, which will combine door-to-door on demand and mass transit transport modes.
Lightweight driverless electric pods can be deployed to any part of the system area, using ground-level or elevated tracks and existing road networks. Depending on demand, the pods can operate individually or group together to run as connected trains, giving flexibility where needed for high frequency peak-time capacity.
Elevated track, powered by overhead solar canopies, can run above roads and other obstacles. Urban.MASS says these sections will have a physical footprint which is
70% smaller than a typical urban light rail system and will minimise the need which might otherwise occur at ground level for tunnelling and demolition.
Modular design allows quick construction and adaptability to changing needs of urban areas as they develop, with a cost estimated by the company to be 50% less than a traditional mass transit route.
Shildon trail
The Shildon system, which will run next to the route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, is due to be operational in time for its bi-centenary in
2025 and forms part of the NRM’s £55 million Vision 2025 transformations of the site and its York headquarters. It will allow Urban.MASS to demonstrate the flexibility of the technology in negotiating a number of obstacles, including a road bridge, railway line and public walkway.
There will be three stations, one at ground level (where the pods will travel on tarmac), an intermediate stop (allowing pods to transfer between ground level and elevated track) and a station on elevated track, where pods can avoid ground level obstructions while travelling at higher speeds.
Urban.MASS says Bristol, Liverpool, Cambridge, Oxford and Cardiff are among the British cities it has identified that would be suitable for deployment of the system.