ExpressTram is an automated person-driver system operating at Detroit Wayne County Airport, Detroit, in Romulus, Michigan, USA. The unlicensed system transports passengers along Concourse A from Edward H. McNamara terminal at the airport, which is the second longest airport concourse in the world. Detroit Metro Airport serves as the second largest hub for Delta Air Lines, after Atlanta. ExpressTram entered service when the McNamara Terminal opened on February 24, 2002.
Video ExpressTram
Technology
The system was specially designed by Poma-Otis Transportation Systems, a joint venture between Otis Elevator Company and Poma that has been dissolved. Installation is done by Otis, who currently operates and maintains the system.
The system operates 21 feet (6.4 m) above the main floor, and consists of two cable-driven trams that ride above the air bearing, similar to hovercraft. (The same "Hovair" technology used in Tram Hubs at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and Cincinnati Airport People's Movers at Cincinnati International Airport.) Each tram consists of two cars and can carry up to 208 passengers at a time. The track, called the guideway in the APM industry, has a length of more than 3,700 feet (1,100 m).
The system also has an information screen located at the station and throughout the concert area. This information board includes an LED track display showing the location of two trams, and the amount of time until the next tram departs from the nearest station. Displays the LEDs at the station itself, and on the streetcar, provides additional information, like upcoming stops, equipped with a pre-recorded male voice that provides audio and alert information.
Maps ExpressTram
Route
The three-station ExpressTram service along Concourse A. The station at the end of the concourse is exactly North Station (which serves the A56-A78 gate) and South Station (which serves the A1-A28 gate). The central station serves the A29-A55 gates, Baggage Claims, Land Transportation, and Concourse B and C. The central station is officially known as the Terminal Station, based on its proximity to the main terminal building, which accommodates baggage claims, flight checks - In counters, and transport facilities land. A maintenance garage is outside the North Station.
The system's main infrastructure consists of a single guide path with shortcuts. As it approached the Central Station, one tram swerved from the main road to the shortcut, allowing two trams to cross each other. The passer connects back to the main part of the guideway outside the central station. The operating software tries to create a synchronized tram, so the tram arrives at Center Station simultaneously, but this is not important. In the case of tram losses synchronization, as is often the case with delays caused by passengers, the first tram arriving at the central station will be held until the opposite tram enters the cutting area, providing a clear path to the waiting tram.
Gallery
See also
- Transport in metropolitan Detroit
References
- Overhead Ferry Tram (Detroit News)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Chronological History
- Detroit's McNamara Terminal Opens For Business (Associated Press)
- [1] Wayne County Airport Authority
External links
- ExpressTram Video # 1 (YouTube)
- ExpressTram Video # 2 (YouTube)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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