World’s first Personal Rapid Transit System bursts onto scene at Heathrow
milestone this week as the system was officially handed over from construction
to operational testing on Tuesday.
parking itself in the dedicated bay.
the Terminal 5 business car park to celebrate the next step in the project as
it moves from construction to operational testing.
of Advanced Transport Systems, the company which designed the system, thanked
the teams for their hard work.
stations and select their chosen destination using a touch screen. The programmed
vehicle immediately takes them directly to their destination, at speeds up to
40kph, without the need for any stops in between. The journey time from the Terminal
5 business car park to Terminal 5 will be around five minutes.
quicker and reduce congestion on airport roads. Operational testing will now begin
on the system, ensuring that PRT is fully integrated into Heathrow’s infrastructure.
The vehicles will operate from the Terminal 5 business car park and transport
passengers to the main terminal building.
Transit at Heathrow and am proud of the dedicated work of staff to deliver this
pioneering project. Today marks a big step forward and the team will now focus
on operational testing, with vehicles becoming a familiar sight along the guideway
during this process.
friendly option for passengers travelling from the business car park to Terminal
5.”
to life, as operational testing starts. It is hard to overplay the significance
of reaching this stage in the project. It is the physical manifestation of many
years work for ATS and BAA, and represents the vision of the original individuals
involved.
alike, as well as our own staff, for the fantastic efforts they have made to make
this a reality.”
driverless vehicles capable of carrying around four passengers and their luggage,
travelling along a dedicated guideway.
than traditional buses. This will bring significant environmental improvements
and will help to reduce congestion on airport roads.