SkyTran Public Transportation
THE VISION;
Inventor Doug Malewicki claims he's found a way to "totally remove all commuter congestion." His SkyTran concept would cost no more than an equivalent elevated light-rail system but move far more passengers more quickly. He envisions two-seat vehicles whizzing along an overhead track at 100 mph, propelled by passive maglev tech. www.skytran.net

THE VERDICT: "The problem is implementing it," says Jerry Schneider, professor emeritus of civil engineering at the University of Washington. Transportation systems are complicated, especially in urban areas where there's no room to add infrastructure. You also have to work with government agencies, deal with environmental concerns and fend off competition from rail, buses and cars. Most likely, SkyTran would end up as a private project, much like Disney's once-ballyhooed monorail.

Comments by SkyTran inventor Doug Malewicki:

#1. Their version of the VISION kind of implies that I am claiming to be able to "totally remove all commuter congestion" in any city with a SINGLE LINE of SkyTran that just moves more people per hour than light rail.  Nothing could be farther that the truth.  The key to this important SkyTran congestion elimination claim is all related to LOW COSTS!  Why?

Basically, the overhead guideway to safely support a continuous high speed flow of these extremely small SkyTran vehicles is also quite small and light.  Our cost analysis calculations show that a complete SkyTran system (guideway, vehicles, stations and electrification) would cost less than 1/19th of the cost of light rail per mile (approximately 5%).  What we want to do is spend the SAME proposed budget a city has raised for light rail and erect 19 times as many miles worth of guideway that crisscrosses all over the same city in a three dimensional overhead grid system. 

So, if a city was planning to build say 32 miles of light rail, we would for the same amount of money, build 32 miles times 19 =  608 miles of SkyTran instead and spread it out all over a city.  This is what makes SkyTran's hourly passenger-mile capacity overwhelmingly huge.  Analysis tells us such a full 3D SkyTran grid now gives a city the capacity to carry the combined morning and evening passenger-miles of traffic (approximately 7 hours total of ALL the automobile traffic congestion) in just 1.5 hours!  The 100 mph non-stop speed and automation to allow close vehicle following in safety are the two other key ingredients that create this huge capacity advantage.

#2. "propelled by passive maglev tech" is not correct.  The passive MagLev (note caps are used in that word by us techies) only provides the non-contact, non-wearing levitation float of the vehicles.  A linear synchronous electric motor or linear induction linear motor (or combination of both) will provide the PROPULSION power for accelerating, decelerating and cruising of all SkyTran vehicles.

#3. The page's title is based on a question: "3 RADICAL IDEAS, BUT ANY REAL SCIENCE?" Note that Professor Jerry Schneider DOES NOT even question the science behind SkyTran.  We like that!  He is an expert in innovative transportation and fully understands that SkyTran is basically just a unique combination of existing proven technologies - light weight, super strong, composite structures; low speed aerodynamics; structural analysis; computers; factory automation principals; electric control, sensing and drive systems; ergonomics; the patented Inductrack passive MagLev; and project management.   No scientific breakthroughs of any kind required.  As Professor Schneider acknowledges - the real problem is political and working with government agencies. 

#4. "Transportation systems are complicated, especially in urban areas where there's no room to add infrastructure."  Whoa - this is exactly what SkyTran solves!  Look at our SkyTran renderings and superimposed photos.  We have always planned something so small that we can install it:
        a). into existing sidewalks with minimum interference to the walking area available to pedestrians and
        b). directly to the side of buildings. 
There is no requirement for the wide swaths of land used by other forms of transportation such as light rail.  This also means we don't have to pay large sums to buy huge areas of land and then destroy buildings, schools or homes to install SkyTran. 

#5. "deal with environmental concerns".  The energy for SkyTran is clean electricity and very little of it - especially compared to the private automobile.  Performance analysis tells us that these aerodynamically streamlined small vehicles will obtain the equivalent of 200 miles per gallon energy efficiency WHILE moving along at a steady 100 MPH!  Try that with your SUV!  How many billion barrels of petroleum could that eliminate the need for - in America and the rest of the world?

#6. Their title calls it: "SkyTran Public Transportation".  We much prefer to call it "SkyTran Personal MagLev Transit".  It is used much more like today's most popular form of transportation - the private automobile.  You leave when you want to.  You never have to wait for a scheduled group carrying vehicle to arrive.  Furthermore, you go where you want to on the 3D grid and are not limited to traveling along a single linear path and having to "transfer" to move perpendicular to that path to get to your desired destination.  Better yet - never any red lights to slow you down and never, never wasting time at many intermediate stops because so many people are carried on board (the dreaded GROUP transit) meaning someone always has to get off at each and every station and others have to board.  Light rail's average speed is reduced to 15 to 17 mph because of all that GROUP necessitated stopping.  Ridiculous technology - especially for the huge capital costs and forever taxpayer subsidies involved.  I can get places faster on my bicycle!

Douglas J. Malewicki, February 10, 2003
(Doug's Invention Web Site: www.CanoSOARus.com)


to home page
If this is your first introduction to the SkyTran concept, we suggest you first read
the Home Page "Introduction"; the "Quick Photo Tour"; and the "Light Rail is Bogus!" sections.
 

Copyright©1999-2003, Douglas J. Malewicki, AeroVisions, Inc.