March-April_2022 - 32

COVER STORY
based ATN. P3 developer Plenary Group
is assisting the companies in launching
the GSP project.
Edwards said GSP went through a
detailed RFP process to find a vehicle
partner. One of the key factors leaders
sought was a working vehicle, not a test
or concept. It also had to run independent
of a fixed track so it could potentially
run in mixed traffic as the technology
matures.
" We wanted to touch it, feel it and
understand it, " he said. " There's a lot of
companies out there that are purporting
this technology, but it's all frankly
housed in the cloud. It's virtual and
nothing you can go test and ride. "
PRT systems are being embraced
by the rest of the world, but the U.S.
has been less apt to adopt the technology.
Airport leaders went to Masdar
City, Abu Dhabi to see its PRT system
firsthand.
The current proposed route of GSP's electric ATN system.
COURTESY OF GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
al new economy parking lot at GSP
to show airport leaders and community
partners the capabilities of GRT
vehicle technology and its application
to the airport environment. Specifically,
it demonstrated how automated vehicles
can be used as parking shuttles, cargo
delivery vehicles and other transit uses.
" For me, when they see visualizations
45%
of airports are
considering the purchase
of electric vehicles
or shuttle buses to
enhance landside
sustainability efforts
SOURCE: 2021 AIRPORT BUSINESS STATE OF THE
INDUSTRY SURVEY
" 2getthere has been out there for a
while, " Edwards said. " I don't want to be
cutting my teeth with someone new in
the industry that doesn't have the experience
going through not only the technology
side, but the operational side. "
The companies held a December
demonstration in a partially operationor
videos of operating systems, there's
nothing better than touching it, feeling
it, riding it and seeing how it operates, "
Edwards said.
Edwards said leaders are now in discussion
of a preliminary development
agreement with the stakeholders, with
hopes of bringing a recommendation of
moving forward on the project to the
airport board later this year.
Alignments, station locations and
configurations and funding will be
determined within a year after that.
" In reality, we're probably still three
years away from an operational system
if everything goes as planned, " Edwards
said.
The system will run in a mostly
at-grade dedicated lane at GSP. Some
elevated roadway will be necessary
going over existing roadway to reach
the terminal building.
" We want to make this as convenient
as possible for the end user, " he said.
" We don't want to ask them to escalate
up or elevate up or ramp up or do anything
that tends or be inconvenient and
frankly cause additional maintenance. "
32 \ AIRPORT BUSINESS / MARCH/APRIL 2022
An Underused Tool
Peter Mul ler, president of PRT
Consulting, said moving people in small
pods around an airport can revolutionize
operations and have a stronger impact
than an Automated People Mover
(APM).
GSP and Aus t i n-Berg s tom
International Airport (AUS) are exploring
the option while another major
airport is also starting to study it.
A PRT system runs approximately
50% to 70% of the operating costs of a
traditional shuttle bus. They're smaller
than a traditional shuttle bus, but they
do twice as many round trips.
The average wait time for a PRT is
less than 30 seconds at LHR, Muller said.
" Think about like a horizontal elevator, "
he said. " You go to the station,
you push a button and either there's a
vehicle waiting for you or one comes. "
Muller said a new PRT system going
online in Mexico has a capacity of more
than 8,000 passengers per hour, which
exceeds APMs at 25% of the cost. The
column load of a PRT guideway is 10%
of that of an APM. The columns are also
2-3 feet in diameter compared to 6-9
feet for an APM.
" The standard for an APM is at least
99.5% reliability and modern PRT
systems in operation today are doing
99.7%, " he said. " In 10 years of operation,
the Heathrow system has had one
vehicle get stuck on the guideway. And
no accidents. " 
March-April_2022

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