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Vision
Two businessmen arrive at a suburban FasTran terminal. One is dropped off by his wife and the second
arrives from a transit minibus that feeds the high capacity FasTran system. Both greet each other and take the escalator to
the second level. Also arriving at the terminal are two bicycle
riders. This transit authority uses the 21' cabin width to board riders, with their bikes, through the aft passenger door
and transport them to a terminal near their work. For these riders, this closes the home-to-work travel loop. Looking north, a sleek, wide-bodied vehicle is nearing the terminal. The appearance
of the vehicle and guideway is futuristic. FasTran's frequent schedule is measured in minutes during rush hours and the worry
to catch a "specific train" at a "specific time" is not a concern for these commuters. The two businessmen enter the vehicle
by one of two wide entry doors on the right side, while exiting passengers leave using the two large doors on the left side.
This dedicated flow pattern creates orderly, non-hassle, entry and exit. The two passengers are now in the super-wide vehicle
that is equivalent to the cabin width of a MD-11, L-1011 or B-747 aircraft. They walk on 1 of 2 entry/exit aisles that bisect
the cabin from the right to left. From the cabin's front to the rear are 3 wide aisles. Each seat is entered/exited directly
from/to an aisle (no climbing over another passenger to reach your seat). All seats are wide with premium comfort. A cup holder
is installed with each seat. The cup holder is feasible because of the FasTran's positive, lateral sway control. Direct lighting
highlights the passenger's seat area and indirect lightning provides a soft, aesthetic background. The doors close. The vehicle rapidly gains speed. One of the commuters scans the plasma TV sets located
near the ceiling in 3 of the 4 corners of the cabin. One TV reports the news; the second, financial returns; and the third,
provides general entertainment (closed caption). The other commuter opens his PDA and accesses the internet via the vehicle's
WiFi. He looks up briefly to see the digital reader...72,73,74,75 MPH, he mentally notes, cruise speed. Outside, the vehicle
is traveling 25' above bumper to bumper freeway traffic in its "can't be missed" multi-colored advertising wrap (premium advertising
income for the transit agency). The vehicle appears to be flying as a large portion of the vehicle's cabin "flies" in the
"free air space" away from the guideway. The two most significant sensations the commuters discover are the lack of cabin
noise (quiet) and the absence of any side-to-side roll experienced on other transit types. The Central Business District comes
into view. The second commuter logs off his email as the vehicle slows. A sharp right turn is negotiated with ease by the
vehicle's 2 independent "trucks". The vehicle's elevated stop is "inside" an office tower's 3rd story level. The left side
doors open into a spacious terminal. Coming in to view are pedestrian walkway "tubes", which connect the adjacent office towers.
The first passenger states as they walk away, "wow we've on time, didn't cost much, had a great seat...great view...hey, not
bad". Nodding in agreement the passengers make their way to their offices.
FasTran will impact the city by significantly
increasing population density and in turn it should reduce suburban sprawl. Further impact from the FasTran deployment will
be urban revitalization. The multiple yields from $1 invested in light rail transit, by most accounts, yields an $18
return in urban revitalization. With FasTran, we expect a $30 return in urban revitalization invested for every "FasTran
dollar".
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