CABTRACK: COMMUNICATIONS AND CONTROL INSTRUMENTATION FOR A ONE-FIFTH SCALE TEST TRACK

Cabtrack is a proposed high-density urban transport system in which four seat electrically powered vehicles run on a network of segregated tracks under automatic control. A principle of position-lag slot control is discussed whereby vehicles would operate in synchronism with each other on main tracks, but change to asynchronous operation after diverting into a station loop. A one-fifth scale model cabway was constructed to develop and test the methods of control. The communication and control instrumentation which was developed to enable up to 14 cabs to operate under the control of a small digital computer is described. The model cabway was successfully operated with 6 cabs of length 66 cm running at 2 m/s with headways of 54 cm (equivalent to a flow of 4000 cabs per hour on a track which is 70% occupied) thereby demonstrating a viable system of control which could be developed for use with various types of vehicle on segregated tracks. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Royal Aircraft Establishment

  Farnborough,   England 
• Authors:
  • Gibbs, E W
  • Leedham, H C
• Publication Date: 1974-3

Media Info

• Pagination: 45 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automatic control; Cabs (Vehicle compartments); Communication and control; Control systems; Electric vehicles; Energy; Headways; Personal rapid transit; Railroad tracks; Scale models; Technological innovations; Test tracks; Urban transportation
• Old TRIS Terms: Cabtrack; New systems
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Energy; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00082997
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: RAE-TR-73169
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 26 1981 12:00AM