Tunnel Boring Machine in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Port Authority is extending the city's subway system with the help of a German made tunnel boring machine. The machine costs $10 million and requires significant worker support. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports significant setup time:

Yesterday, the 500-ton machine made by Herrenknecht AG was taking a breather as workers installed giant rings behind it, which its 20 hydraulic arms will push against to keep moving through the soil...

[Later], it will start churning again and spend the next three to four weeks moving about 100 yards forward and slightly downward ...

[Then], drilling will halt for another three weeks or so while workers finish installing the trailing gear that extends from the rear of the machine -- the control cab, the hydraulic and electrical lines that power the machine, and pipes that pump a water-and-clay mixture to the front of the cutting heads to help them slice through the earth, and then transport earth and stone back to the surface.

I found a Video on YouTube which explains how the machine works:

NOTE: Those of you reading this post in a feed reader may need to click through to the website to view the video. Sorry for the inconvenience.

When I watched this video all I could think about is Bebop and Rocksteady boring to the Technodrome in core of the earth to escape the Ninja Turtles.

This machine is pretty amazing as it is, but hopefully it will continue to get better and we'll be able to build tunnels without spending half a billion dollars. With ubiquitous tunnels, Manhattan could be green, even outside Central Park. Mountain routes could be flat and straight. Sounds good to me.

Links: Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Bus Rapid Transit Video

StreetsBlog has an interesting video on Bus Rapid Transit in Bogotá, Columbia:

NOTE: Those of you reading this post in a feed reader may need to click through to the website to view the video. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I read an article in IEEE Spectrum over the summer about a similar system in São Paulo, Brazil. I wonder if there's anything unique about the city structure, culture, government, or weather of South America that encourages the adoption of Bus Rapid Transit. What do you think about Bus Rapid Transit? I'm on the fence, but this video certainly makes the Bogotá systems look much better than any bus system I've ever used.

Links: StreetsBlog Post | Spectrum Article on São Paulo Buses | Bus Rapid Transit Policy Center

Personal Rapid Transit in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council will focus tomorrow on the city's transportation crisis. Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, Chair of the Transportation committee, requested feedback on the city's "transportation vision." Roy Reynolds, Managing Director of PRT Strategies, responded in a letter published in CityWatch:

Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) technology has matured from its first implementa-tions in the 1970s and is ready for wider deploy-ment, possibly as early as 2010. We can best introduce this technology to you via the attached treatment we’d done last month in response to MTA’s request for comments re. the downtown Connector Study. PRT is a reasonable elevated solution for this application, and many others in the City.

It’s time to consider a high-tech solution to LA’s traffic problems. The first phase of your project seeks goals and objectives and it’s time for a new approach – that is, unconventional but achievable solutions, utilization of all available RoWs, computerization and dealing with freight cartage where PRT can be applied.

The first initial impression of PRT is that it cannot deal with heavy passenger volumes. With study and understanding, and simple mathematical projections, PRT can readily match standard bus and rail capacities given 1) that hundreds of vehicles can operate on its trackways with VERY short “headways” – perhaps as minimal as one second separations, and 2) that PRT is NOT a linearly-oriented system – it’s infrastructure is far more useful and flexible if multiple networked paths are built between stations.

PRT stations can also be built INTO structures, acting as second floor in-building portals. This leads us to the potential for public/private partnerships – a currently popular strategy in dealing with large civic expenditures. In this example, the property value of a structure is increased, and PRT becomes appealing to a middle-class demographic when it’s realized that a private and secure ride can be had on demand to/from home or office.

Links: Letter in CityWatch | PRT Strategies

Today's Irony

I worked for Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) in 2006 and found my time there to be thoroughly boring. So I was surprised today to find a PowerPoint deck by BAH employee Paul Hoffman about Personal Rapid Transit (PRT). He presents a a very good overview of the subject, including this table:

Need	Design Feature and Goal of PRT
Faster total travel times	14 – 65% faster overall travel speeds than rail
Lower operating costs	25 -50% lower than light rail Comparable or slightly higher than heavy rail Lower or comparable with automobile
Lower capital costs	25-50% lower than light rail 35-75% lower than monorail or heavy rail
Reduced energy use	Auto equivalent of 70-90 mpg Up to 50% less than rail
Capacity	Comparable to light rail and advanced bus systems Lower than heavy rail per corridor, higher on a capacity/cost basis One-way guideway equal to 2-3 highway lanes
Small right of way	3’-5’ wide guideway Able to be installed on curb or median Stations integrated into buildings

He doesn't site sources for any of the statistics he lists, so I would take them with a grain (or 5 lb. bag) of salt. Click the link below to read further.

Links: Paul Hoffman's PowerPoint Deck

Experts or Politicians?

Honolulu is planning a $3.8 billion mass transit system. The Honolulu Star Bulletin reports that the city council has decided to let a panel of experts decide which technologies to pursue:

The City Council passed a measure yesterday that authorizes a panel of experts to select the technology for the city's planned multibillion-dollar mass transit system, despite concerns by several councilmembers that this crucial decision would be made behind closed doors.
...

"We should never cede our decision to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to un-elected, unaccountable, largely mainland experts," said Councilman Charles Djou. "A closed-door secret meeting on how to spend billions of dollars is something that is utterly unacceptable and something the Council should never condone."
...

The technology panel will be deciding whether the planned $3.8 billion fixed guideway system going from Kapolei to Ala Moana should be steel on steel, on rubber tires or on a magnetic levitation system.

I do understand the concern that an unelected expert panel cannot be held accountable to voters if they make a poor decision. However, if I were a city councilman I would rather delegate this decision to experts than try to make it myself. What does the average city councilman know about magnetic levitation? I only wish other local governments were so wise.

Links: Star Bulletin, Full Article | Star Bulletin Editorial