[PRCo] Re: For Ed Lybarger

[John Swindler]

Hi Bob

Skybus (Transit Expressway Revenue Line) was/is appropriate for a controlled 
environment.  The proposed Skybus alignment in the South Hills was/is not a 
controlled environment.

Yes, switches are a problem, particularly adding cars to revenue trains.  
It's the dealing with the peak hours.  There was also the claim that Skybus 
could climb a 6 percent grade, but rail vehicles were limited to max. of 3 
percent.  This resulted in more tunneling for a rail alignment in south 
hills in report comparing cost of Skybus vs. rail.  The feds still play this 
sort of game in alternative analysis studies to stack the deck against rail. 
  (there's a good story of UMTA going ballistic when the alternative 
analysis for Portland's Banfield line used Tri-met streetcar operator wage 
rates still in the unior contract inherited from former private operator.  
UMTA's policy was to use average of top rail rates and schedule practices on 
east coast to forecast light rail operating costs)

The original proposal was for a fully automated system which would have 
eliminated the cost of the last operator.  And that is a significant cost.  
But the computer system was similar, if not the same as that used on the 
BART system.  And there would be an operator on board.  That eliminated a 
lot of the claimed advantage for Skybus.

In this case, you can thank a PennDOT Deputy Secretary that Pittsburgh ended 
up with light rail, and not a rubber tired people mover.  He refused to sign 
the funding agreement, and the Allegheny County commissioners were adament 
about Skybus, as long as it was someone else's money.

Strange.  Some things never change.

John


>From: "Bob Dietrich" <bdietrich at comcast.net>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: For Ed Lybarger
>Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:55:26 -0400
>
>I believe that the only time Sky-Bus was open for the public was during the
>fair and the lines were too long for all but the die-hard thrill seekers.
>Somewhere during my 16 years of attending Pitt I discussed Sky-Bus in a
>public speaking class (ugh).  I did a little research and based my premise
>that it would not succeed on the switches, or as they should be called
>turnouts.  There was too much hanging below the "rails" to make a 
>reasonable
>switch.  A stub switch was required and I believe it weighed a couple tons.
>I think the Sky-Buss concept is used at a couple airports and the Miami
>"people mover" where the routes don't converge.
>
>Bob Dietrich
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
>[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of Mark
>McGuire
>Sent: Friday, June 15, 2007 11:11 PM
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: For Ed Lybarger
>
>When I went to WVU, I was reminded of the Sky Bus. Now I can't recall
>if the PRT(as WVU called it)was rubberized or not, but I rode it many
>times. Students got a PRT card to ride from the main campus to/from
>the engineering and medical facilities. When I left WVU, I had to
>turn in my PRT card.
>  Now I do remember seeing the Sky Bus in South Park, although I don't
>recall riding on it. The Allegheny County Fair was still at South
>Park when I was a kid. Is it still there today?
>
>-- Ken & Tracie <ktjosephson at earthlink.net> wrote:
>Let's remind some of the younger folks what was once a threat to the
>remaining South Hills car lines.
>
>My oldest brother saw these and called them "suitcases on wheels."
>
>
>But the airline connection would be that these evolved into airport
>people movers.
>
>The railfan in me says they were not worthy successors to the PCCs.
>
>K.
>
>-- Attached file removed by Ecartis and put at URL below --
>-- Type: image/pjpeg
>-- Size: 55k (57291 bytes)
>-- URL : http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-
>railways/skybus001.jpg
>
>
>
>
>
>

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