NEW SYSTEM OF TRANSPORT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21715, 24 February 1936, Page 4

NEW SYSTEM OF TRANSPORT

MOVING PLATFORMS J • -■ *< * P&AK :w& Jog- - Qinm, <. ; *; The increasing' heights of buildings in large cities has so increased the number of people a square mile in these cities that to-day the major problem is the transportation of the occupants of the skyscrapers, from and to their homes, states an article in ah American engineering magazine. This problem is daily becoming more difficult and more important. Every new building that is taller than the one it replaces and each extension of the "business" area in a city make . the problem more difficult of solution. Jf the cities of the future are to consist of skyscrapers it is impossible to escape the conclusion either that radical changes will have to be made in the present, methods of short haul passenger transport, or that to a large 4 extent area will have to become, partly residential. This last, is not likely to occur, as' no doubt radical improvements , will be made in the methods of transport of city passengers. Neither trams, buses, nor underground or elevated trains appear to offer a solution oi the problem. There has recently, appeared in thenechnical press a description of a proposed new system for city passenger transport, The system in essence consists of three platforms, a stationary • one,' a slow-moving one, and a fast-moving one. The passengers step from.the statipnary platform on to the sloW- : moving one, and thence on to the fastmoving one. -Such an idea has been -tried out previously.

Previous Trials Itt M the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893 such a system 4500 feet long,was built on'a pidr running out.into Lake Michigan The sloyr platform ran at three miles an hour, arid the fast one at six miles an hour. Similar systems were used at an industrial exhi-* bition m Berlin in 1896, and at the 1 Paris Exposition of 1900.' This latter one earned move than #,000,000 pas* sengers. > - j; "- The above systems were hot practical ones for Use in large cities asf,*the speed of six miles an hour oh the last' platform was not fast enough and the changing at speed differences of three miles an hour not satisfactory.

i New Scheme Explained 1 The new biway system enables an average speed of transport of about 15 miles an hour to be obtained. There ■ are two endless electric platforms on parallel tracks with a stationary platform extending the whole length. The moving platform called the. slow one « next to theatationary platform. This, slow platform goes through a regular cycle of standing still, speeding up, running at a constant speed and slowing down every 42 seconds. While this platform is standing still or moving slowly, gates on it next to the station-' ary platform would be open and pa I **, sengers could either get on or off it/ When running at a constant speed; the] slow" platform has a speed of 12\~ miles an hour.. The.fast-moving,.plat-form does not run at a but jts apeed varies, m miles an hour. It has 124 miles an hour platform has a .speed of 124 riJiles an hour, s# that during also when the spe*dU* rnm,jm forma, are neatfy the same, passengers can get from the^slow-moymß'pia# form to the fast platform and vice versa-While the alow platform is meVv

.tog slowly; the gates between the fast be 6n thfe fast one ItrtVel at aaPifipl|p speed,ot&bout 15 inlles an hftreffJEwraßl a* cdnaiderably faster thfia any alte&jjll; tive systems in sight td*jH)fflß 2 be electric motors.: BymeaxaM*n&M&B known as i "regenerative 'bhHOMßJ|||| when one of the platforms is «ftwjw9«l down it actually: drives a- infatOf.-WaHM! generator; in other: Words thei|xrainNK9E is used to, generate drives the, ptber; platform.'->' *B»' tb&ppi means a,great economy .made; in Wet the aystem of< twp>raOTsg|Sffi| platforms wfcett . ohee njnmrig schedule requires only thg.ppwlfiiflSßi keep it going."; In theccarw r and electric trains the power, w jWIMi and reach lull speed .is that required to maintain full-speed is, therefore, elear thai 'as r&#jifai energy .comumption vtfie posed has a great advantage.-" ... Jffl : It is estimated that viith * JajtlplftjM form sft wideband' a -Blow. vJkwmSm 4ft wide that upTo 900,000 an hour could be carried. TOiare *i£||H| therefore, hp, question of the carryijonH capacity of! the-blw&y. It K jfoy*}flHHf Biway to be rinancl£ls BScilWHi continue "to grow, a system WwrgS characteristics and/'AiMyH biway wlFsoon^e-'W%mW^p«S™ Conditions in New Zealand »ci»aWMa!|| not as yet call for anything- MfflffßllMl nature but if the ' increaae.' in aM«BpW carar continues it may Tte"-fta6eiil»BWi get the trams off- the streets .andaiailWi the alternative of the biway insjal»|Hn underground may be investigated,fJ^Mßll