Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 - (Page 25)

SolaTrek presentation to Engineers at Boeing Educational Training Center in Canoga Park, California Each bi-level car carries approximately 162-seated passengers and costs about $1.3 million. Ridership for the light rail system averages about 88,750 trips per month. The average speed is around 41 miles per hour. One of the problems with commuter trains is that the traveler has to get to and from the station or terminal. If this means driving a car, it will have to be parked, provided there is a space. That creates a potential need for a parking lot or ramp and that means more land will be used around the station or terminal. It also creates a need for some form of transportation at the end of the train ride to get to the ultimate destination. A Hybrid Solution An innovative solution to address increased traffic congestion and parking issues has been developed by SolaTrek (www.solatrek.com). It is a concept that seeks to solve problems without changing people’s habits. People can still use their vehicles but in a more efficient manner. SolaTrek uses a new maglev (magnetic levitation) technology that operates over guideways, which serve the same purpose as a set of tracks. The trains are powered by solar panels on top of the transport cars. Each transport car would cost approximately $100,000. Because of the type of propulsion, there is no need for expensive components throughout the guideway, which makes it less costly to build. Currently, construction is estimated at $50 million per mile for the guideways, stations, shuttles and trains. The network has departure and arrival stations located along the route. Vehicles are put on transfer shuttles, which run on a separate guideway, and transferred onto the passing SolaTrek. Rather than stop at each station, the SolaTrek’s are continuously running on two, opposite-direction guideways at 80 mph. Each guideway could transport 10,000 cars per hour (equal to a five lane highway) because the trains don’t stop. Furthermore, the speed could also be increased up to 250 mph between stations. The SolaTrek addresses a host of issues. Travelers maintain the use of their own vehicles, there’s no need for parking, and it’s cheaper to get from point A to point B in a faster, more relaxing, less polluting, safer, quieter fashion. The system can handle more capacity, and uses less land. The arrival/departure stations and guideways can be built over the existing roadways. The width of the guideway is about eight feet and the width of the cars are about 13 feet. This width allows for placement of the guideways, which are typically elevated, over the center median or the shoulders of existing roads. The guideways and supports can be made offsite, trucked in and installed, which controls costs, causes less traffic disruption and offers faster completion time. The elevated-guideway design uses less land than at-grade systems. Drainage concerns are negated. Only minimum earth work is necessary and the effect on existing roads is minimal. The solar technology means lighter weight dispersed over a large area, which requires fewer support columns. An elevated guideway is also more secure from intrusion. Another advantage of the SolaTrek is that it can be privately funded (which would make it less costly to build and maintain) and paid for by the people that use it rather than federal or state tax dollars. This concept could be the answer to a host of problems. SLDT About the author: Dale Jaedtke is the president of Far West Construction Company. He can be reached at (805) 648-2207 or dj@farwestconstruction.com Facts and figures gathered from the following sources: The California Department of Transportation www.dot.ca.gov Amtrak www.amtrak.com Metrolink www.metrolink.com SolaTrek www.solatrek.com Images courtesy of SolaTrek www.SLDTonline.com 25 http://www.solatrek.com http://www.dot.ca.gov http://www.amtrak.com http://www.metrolink.com http://www.solatrek.com http://www.SLDTonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 Contents Our Voice: Energy Savings Accounts Mining the Sewers for On-site Reuse Modern Flood Disasters The Financial Challenge of Leed® Technology: Opportunities Exist to Buy in Now SLDI In Focus: A Look Inside Calendar of Events Energy: Solar Power on Rails Industry News Products & Services The Bottom Line: Green Lending – Class G Advertiser Index Editorial Board SLDT Resources Last Word: Not All Gloom & Doom

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

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