Personal Rapid Transit: A Feasibility Analysis In

Lucknow
ISSN 2319-9725
Shumank Srivastava
Department of Civil Engineering, Bundelkhand Institute of
Engineering & Technology, Jhansi
Ruchin Agrawal
Department of Civil Engineering, Kamla Nehru Institute of
Technology, Sultanpur
Dr. A.K Nigam
Department of Civil Engineering, Bundelkhand Institute of
Engineering & Technology, Jhansi

Abstract: An ever-increasing growth in the urban areas have put up a new challenge in the domain
of Urban transportation. The complexity of the problem is enhanced by the limitations in the option
available, space available, their inter-relationships and also the ease with which these options serve
to cater to the present requirements. Meanwhile as the world is becoming smaller and smaller, the
urgency to communicate, travel and transport faster is growing by leaps and bounds. Technology on
one hand is acting as a catalyst in this process and on the other hand is providing with solutions to
cater to this process. Urban transportation with all its complexities and challenges has attracted the
interest of planners and engineers to seek solutions. One such solution is PRT (i.e. Personal Rapid
Transit) which has proved promising as a solution to the problem stated above. This paper discusses
PRT with respect to technology, its prospect in a developing nation like India and also the feasibility
to provide it, if possible, in Lucknow. The paper covers extensively all the aspects of this new means
of Urban Transportation and also maps the transportation requirements of Lucknow with a
prospective solution with the help of this technology.
Keywords: Urban transportation, Personal Rapid Transit, Tramways, Urban Transportation Policy,
Ambient Air Quality, Podcar, Guideways.

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1. Introduction:
India is poised for rapid economic growth propelled by the industrial and service sectors.
Since economic activities in these sectors primarily take place in urban areas, the state of our
towns and cities is crucial to Indias future growth. Further, Indias urban population is
currently around 30% of its total population. Experience across the world has been that as
economies grow, rapid urbanization takes this proportion to over 60% before it begins to
stabilize. As such, it is projected that Indias urban population would grow to about 473
million in 2021 and 820 million by 2051, as against only 285 million in 2001. Hence, cities
must not only meet the mobility needs of the current population but also provide for the needs
of those yet to join the urban population which is possible only after implementation of
Automated People Movers. APM concepts take the implications of automation a step further.
They put stations off-line so that a very dense flow of vehicles is possible and so that each
trip can be scheduled in real time without stops at intermediary stations. Known as Personal
Rapid Transit (PRT), the service is more like automated taxis than driverless trains. Contrary
to light or heavy rail APMs, PRTs could run feasibility over 3 or 4 passengers. The service
potential of PRT is significantly more attractive than most APMs - high enough that it can be
expected to significantly affect the car ownership decisions and mode split patterns. Guide
ways are arranged in a network topology, with all stations located on sidings, and with
frequent merge/diverge points. This approach allows for nonstop, point-to-point travel,
bypassing all intermediate stations. The point-to-point service has been compared to a taxi or
a horizontal lift (elevator). PRT has the following features that differentiate it from APMs
and other forms of traditional transit:
1. Non-stop direct service
2. Small vehicles: one (1) to six (6) passengers
3. Small dedicated guideway

2. Urban Transportation Policy In India:

Indias urban population is currently around 30% of its total population. Experience across
the world has been that as economies grow, rapid urbanization takes this proportion to over
60% before it begins to stabilize. As such, it is projected that Indias urban population would
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grow to about 473 million in 2021 and 820 million by 2051, as against only 285 million in
2001. Hence, cities must not only meet the mobility needs of the current population but also
provide for the needs of those yet to join the urban population. In this context, the
Government of India has launched the National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM) that seeks
to bring about comprehensive improvements in urban infrastructure, committing substantial
funds for this purpose and requiring a series of reforms that would make the investments
sustainable. For urban areas to be able to support the required level of economic activity, they
must provide for the easy and sustainable flow of goods and people. Unfortunately, however,
such flow of goods and people has been facing several problems. Most prominent among
them have been the following:
1. Accessing jobs, education, recreation and similar activities is becoming increasingly
time-consuming. Billions of man hours are lost with people stuck in traffic. The
primary reason for this has been the explosive growth in the number of motor
vehicles, coupled with limitations on the amount of road space that can be provided.
2. The cost of travel, especially for the middle income group people, has increased
considerably. This is largely because the use of cheaper non- motorised modes like
cycling and walking has become extremely risky, since these modes have to share the
same right of way with motorized modes.
3. Increased use of personal vehicles has led to increased air pollution. A policy is,
therefore, needed on the approach to dealing with this rapidly growing problem as
also offer a clear direction and a framework for future action.
2.1. Objectives:
The policy is aimed to ensure safe, affordable, quick, comfortable, reliable and sustainable
access for consistently increasing volume of city residents. This is sought to be achieved by:
1. Incorporating urban transportation as an important parameter at the urban planning
stage rather than being a consequential requirement
2. Encouraging integrated land use and transport planning in all cities so that travel
distances are minimized and access to livelihoods, education, and other social needs,
especially for the marginal segments of the urban population is improved

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3. Encourage greater use of public transport and non-motorized modes by offering

Central financial assistance for this purpose
4. Enabling the establishment of quality focused multi-modal public transport systems
that are well integrated, providing seamless travel across modes
5. Establishing effective regulatory and enforcement mechanisms that allow a level
playing field for all operators of transport services and enhanced safety for the
transport system users
6. Establishing institutional mechanisms for enhanced coordination in the planning and
management of transport systems
7. Introducing Intelligent Transport Systems for traffic management
8. Reducing pollution levels through changes in travelling practices, better enforcement,
stricter norms, technological improvements, etc.
2.2. Advanced Transportation Means In India:
Cities in India vary considerably in terms of their population, area, urban form, topography,
economic activities, income levels, growth constraints, etc. The design of the transportation
system will have to depend on features of that particular City, thus, an integrated master plan
needs to internalize the features of sustainable transport systems. Though the country has
made a lot of progress in transportation systems i.e. introduction of metro rails and monorails,
expressways and dedicated freight corridor yet a lot work is yet needed to be done for
implementation of advanced transportation in India. The first ever people mover system
employed in India is the tramways a persistent service for mass transit used in the urban
centres of Kolkata, West Bengal. Tramcars stand out in comparison to other vehicular modes
within the transport system of Kolkata for its uniqueness. However the situation in Kolkata is
quite different, inspite of constant rise in passenger demand the proportion met by
tramways system has been decreasing over the years, peculiarly because of latest
technologies of that have been implemented to felicitate rapid transportation i.e. Metro and
public transportation system like buses and auto rickshaws. Experts therefore are considering
to, do away with tramcars from the transport system of Kolkata. Hence Personal Rapid
Transit Systems are an important mode of transportation that can be applied and would be a
right answer to the large scale growing transport requirement. Therefore one such work has
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been planned at Amritsar, Punjab. The project has been initiated by M/s Fairwood Green
Transport, project details are
1. Total Length 22 K.M. with 35 stations
2. Business Model: BOT for 35 years concession.
3. Initial phase of the project : 7 KM PRT Route from Rail station- Hall Bazar-Bus
Stand-MLP-Golden Temple
Also f this system can be used as a feeder service for the Metro in metropolitan cities.

Fig3: route map of Amritsar PRT

3. System Components For Personal Rapid Transit:

3.1. Guideway:
The guideway is structured as a network, unlike the line haul system of traditional transit.
The network configuration allows vehicles to select the most direct route between stations.
PRT guideways are smaller than traditional transit requiring less right-of-way and capital
expenditure and reducing visual impacts. PRT guideways are generally classified as one of
the following:

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3.1.1. Open Guideway:

The system consists of a flat surface that supports the vehicle. Vehicles typically have rubber
wheels and steer themselves, sensing their position relative to side walls or other fixed
objects.
3.1.2. Captive Bogey:
In this system, the vehicle is supported by the chassis it rides on. The vehicles typically have
horizontal wheels that run along and are held captive by side elements. The guideway steers
the vehicle.
3.1.3. Suspended:
Vehicles in this system are suspended (hanged) from the guideway.
3.2. Vehicle:
The vehicle design is dependent on guideway type and will vary by manufacturer. The ideal
vehicle size is in the range of two to six passengers to provide suitable, demand-based service
with maximized energy efficiency.
3.3. Propulsion:
The PRT industry has initially worked with electric propulsion, within electric propulsion
there are two concepts to consider power source and propulsion method. Power source can
be provided by batteries within vehicles or a lineside conductor (power rail). The propulsion
method is typically provided by traditional rotary motors that drive wheels or linear electric
motors that propel the vehicle via electromagnetic resistance.
3.4. Switching:
There are two general types of switching used in transportation systems- mechanical and
electromagnetic. Mechanical systems require a moving physical component, while
electromagnetic methods simply guide the vehicle via magnetic attraction and no moving
parts. Mechanical switching is typically a vehicle mounted mechanism that deploys well in
advance of the diverging point on the guideway and maintains control specific to each
vehicle. In the event that a vehicle-mounted mechanical switch fails the problem is isolated

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to the vehicle. The use of electromagnetic switching is becoming more popular as the PRT
technology has developed.
3.5. Stations:
A primary feature of PRT stations is that they are situated on off-line side tracks so that
through-traffic can bypass vehicles picking up or dropping off passengers. This allows the
system to provide direct, non-stop service to each vehicle. Unlike traditional heavy and light
rail stations that need to accommodate the full length of the train, PRT stations are sized to
meet the local demand at peak times.
3.6. Maintenance And Storage Facilities:
A depot is needed to service vehicles to maintain reliability, clean vehicles, and store vehicles
not used during off-peak periods. Depending on the overall configuration of the PRT system
the number and dispersion of depots will vary.
3.7. System Characteristics:
3.7.1. Headway:
Headway refers to the spacing between vehicles and can be defined in terms of time or
distance. From a safety standpoint headways are usually determined by the stopping distance
required to prevent a lead vehicle that is stopped from being struck by the vehicle behind it.
The spacing of pods on the guide-way influences the overall maximum passenger capacity of
the entire network, so designers prefer to achieve smaller headway distances. Testing has
shown that headways of one to two seconds are achievable.
3.7.2. Travel Speed:
PRT systems have been simulated to operate with a speed in the range of 25 to 45 MPH,
which often results in an average speed of 20 to 25 MPH. These simulations factor in the
impacts of system congestion on switches and potential reduced speeds under times of heavy
system loads. In comparison buses average 12 MPH and light rail averages 15 MPH.
3.7.3. Capacity:
Capacity of PRT systems can be altered by increasing the number of vehicles or pods in the
system and reducing the headways between vehicles.
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Studies have estimated that the

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capacity of a PRT system can range from a capacity similar to the auto (1,800 passengers per
hour) to a capacity comparable to light or commuter rail (14,400 passengers per hour).

4. Requirement Of Personal Rapid Transit Systems:

Lucknow is popularly known for its cultural and intellectual traditions as well as, its current
status as a nucleus of service industry, education & research. Lucknow is the capital of Uttar
Pradesh & administrative headquarters of Lucknow district & division. It is located 500 km
south east of New Delhi at an average height of 110m above the mean sea level. With its 2.2
million (COI, 2001 Estimates) residents Lucknow has currently over 3million population in
urban areas. The master plan has envisaged that a population of about 3.2 million and 4.0
million by years 2011 & 2021 respectively. The rapid growth of the city and the associated
urban region has accentuated the demand supply mismatch amidst the constrained transport
infrastructure resulting in economic and social externalities. The inadequate public
transportation system in Lucknow is overwhelmed by upsurge of private automobiles. Private
vehicles constitute 90 percent of total vehicles registered in Lucknow City. The supply of city
buses being only 6 per lakhs population is inadequate for city. The benchmark is between 70
to 80 buses per lakhs residents in an urban area in India.
4.1. Traffic Scenario In Lucknow:
A travel demand modal and future origin destination based on the projected population and
employment were prepared in the detailed survey conducted by the DMRC for preparation of
the DPR of Lucknow metro project. In the DPR entire study area has been divided into 127
zones among them 119 are internal zones and remaining are external.
Description

2001

2011

2021

2031

Population

22.45 lakhs

29.08 lakhs

44.41 lakhs

54.61 lakhs

Employment

6.17 lakhs

9.19 lakhs

13.50 lakhs

17.47 lakhs

(Source: Lucknow Master Plan 2021, 2031* WSA Analysis)

Table 2
There were 1010226 registered vehicles in Lucknow till March 2009 with a growth rate of
7% in fiscal 2008-2009. Private transportation providers constitute a very sizeable portion of
public transport.
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Goods Vehicles
Heavy

Light

Wheelers

goods

goods

goods

vehicle

vehicle

vehicles

2004-05

5303

4780

2005-06

5541

2006-07

Year

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Passenger Vehicles
Total

Growth

Auto

Two

Four

Tempo

rickshaw

wheelers

wheelers

taxi

4602

1544

601745

97317

7381

728617

3831

5080

2228

660332

106874

7475

799161

10%

3197

3914

6283

4762

720158

105447

8233

863670

8%

6783

3576

3842

7083

5008

771846

129316

8216

941691

9%

7657

3776

3741

7399

5015

825088

142861

8447

1010226

7%

Buses

Taxi

2392

3553

5018

2782

5893

5783

2007-08

6066

2008-09

6242

Table 3: vehicle registration Data (2004-2008) Source Regional Transport Office Lucknow
Considering the above surging volume of traffic in the city an alternative transportation
solution is required in order to fulfil the needs of Lucknow. Besides this in old Lucknow area
there a frequent traffic jam caused due to heavy traffic and low availability of a mass transit
system.
4.2. Population Density Of Lucknow:
As described in the Census of India 2011, Lucknow had population of 6,000,455. There was
change of 35.79 % in the population compared to that as per 2001 census. In the previous
census of India 2001, Lucknow District recorded increase of 32.03 percent to its population
as compared to 1991 census. Between 1991 and 2001 the population registered a growth of
32.03 percent which was much less than the 37.14 percent which was registered between
1981 and 1991 decade. The initial provisional data suggest a density of 1,815 in 2011
compared to 1,443 of 2001.Total area under Lucknow district is of about 2,528 square
kilometres (976 sq mi). However, the density of population was much above that obtained at
the state level (690 persons per km2.). A very high percentage of the total population (36.37
percent) resides in rural areas which means that barely around 63.3 percent is urban in nature.
Thus on the basis of these figures Lucknow can be divide in two parts namely
1. Lucknow rural area
2. Lucknow Urban Agglomeration

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Figure 2
4.2.1. Urban Region Overview:
As per data released by Govt. of India for Census 2011, Lucknow is an Urban Agglomeration
coming under category of Million plus Urban Agglomeration or City. Lucknow city is
governed by Municipal Corporation and is situated in Lucknow Urban Region. The total
population of Lucknow Urban Agglomeration or Metropolitan region is 2,901,474. Yet
Lucknow city has population of 2,815,601, this comprises of old city area and those that fall
under the governance of Lucknow Municipal Corporation.
4.3. Ambient Air Quality Of Lucknow:
With reference to Assessment of ambient air quality of lucknow city during premonsoon, 2011 conducted by Indian institute of toxicological research, Lucknow the
observations given in table 1, were presented. The survey was done along the major traffic
routes of the city and the following observation were made from the data collected:
1. The Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) (PM10) level at all monitoring
locations of residential, commercial and industrial areas were higher than the
NAAQS.
2. Fine Particle (PM2.5) level at all the monitoring locations of residential, commercial
and industrial areas were higher than the NAAQS (60 g/m3)
3. The concentration of gaseous pollutants, SO2 and NOx were well below the
prescribed NAAQS (80 g/m3) at all the locations.
4. Decreasing trend for the RSPM was found at all the locations over the 2006 data till
2010 except at Vikas Nagar, Hussainganj, Charbagh and Aminabad. The findings of

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2011 survey showed higher level in most of locations, which can be a result of
construction activities is progress in that locations.
And after considering the above findings it made the following recommendations:
1. Public mass transport must be strengthened to minimize use of personal vehicle.
2. Improvement in the traffic management.
3. Encroachment should be removed for smooth flow of traffic.
4. Public awareness programme for automobile pollution.
5. Pressure horns to be removed from all vehicles and avoid use of horn.
6. Government should increase the parking charges on hourly basis to discourage the
use of personal vehicle.
7. Congestions charges for certain area for peak hours.

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RSPM

Location

PM2.5

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NOx

SO2

CO

Min

Max

Avg

Min

Max

Avg

Min

Max

Avg

Min

Max

Avg

Min

Max

Avg

Aliganj

107.3

158.1

136.8

53.4

71.3

63.0

10.7

14.5

12.2

20.5

32.1

26.1

198.0

803.8

477.6

Vikas Nagar

140.2

168.7

158.9

62.4

77.3

69.5

11.4

13.2

12.5

23.6

30.1

27.0

128.2

733.9

349.5

Indira Nagar

140.5

342.5

244.8

68.5

85.3

78.9

15.4

22.4

19.2

27.4

34.2

30.1

454.4

1339.7

978.6

Gomti Nagar

136.7

276.0

186.4

58.8

79.3

67.1

11.9

22.4

15.8

22.9

27.5

24.9

326.2

932.0

466.0

Hussainganj

169.3

224.2

187.6

66.2

78.4

73.1

15.3

19.2

17.2

33.1

38.9

37.4

466.0

1328.1

1130.0

Charbagh

177.1

288.9

214.1

82.9

108.9

95.0

11.7

18.5

14.5

30.1

39.7

34.8

349.5

1770.8

1001.9

Alambagh

189.7

291.4

250.4

78.4

89.3

83.4

13.7

20.4

18.6

30.4

38.3

35.1

337.8

1374.7

1071.8

Aminabad

138.2

224.4

183.9

66.8

83.1

75.8

12.6

20.6

17.4

27.2

32.0

29.6

244.6

1316.5

862.1

Chowk

149.8

303.7

252.9

78.6

90.4

81.3

14.0

19.9

16.8

31.2

41.6

36.9

267.0

1339.7

1025.2

129.3

217.4

163.0

64.7

71.5

67.6

11.9

17.5

14.3

26.5

31.0

29.0

233.0

1165.0

803.8

Residential Area

Commercial Area

Industrial Area
Amausi
NAAQS

100

60

80

80

4000

WHO
Guidelines

50

25

20

40*

-----

RSPM, SO2, NOx (N=6), PM2.5 (N=4), CO and O3 = One hour Average, *= Annual
Average, **= 8 Hours Average, NAAQS=National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Table 4: findings of Indian institute of toxicological research, Lucknow for its survey of
ambient air quality ( source: IITR)

5. Benefits Of Personal Rapid Transit:

5.1. Environmental Impacts:
The PRT project does not include any major construction work, widening of roads or other
activities which contribute towards negative environmental impacts such as air pollution,
water pollution, noise pollution, community severance and impacts on vegetation/land
degradation by the implementation of proposed PRT project.

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5.2. Social Impacts:

The implementation of the PRT project has several social benefits as described below:
1. Safety improvements
2. Effective capacity improvements,
3. Greater commuter satisfaction
4. Energy and environment-positive and negative impacts:
5. Use of public transport by people instead of using own private vehicles.
6. Reduction in traffic congestion

6. Conclusion:
From the above study it is significantly remarkable that there is a requirement of an
alternative transportation medium that can meet the increasing population trends. The
technical specifications of Personal Rapid Transit Systems make it clearly visible that these
systems can prove to be an efficient transportation model for Lucknow city that too without
affecting the environment. These systems can be an effective and strong public mass transit
that can function not only as a major means of transportation in dense areas as well as it can
be employed as a feeder network for the proposed metro service for the city of Lucknow.

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References:
1. Detailed Project report of Lucknow Metro Railway project
2. Assessment of ambient air quality of lucknow city during pre-monsoon, 2011,
findings of a random survey, Presented on world environment day, 2011, by Indian
institute of toxicological research, Lucknow
3. Census 2011, population of Lucknow Urban agglomeration, Government of India
4. A Report on Urban Transportation Policies, Ministry of Urban Transportation, Govt
of India
5. Amritsar Personal Rapid Transit System Detailed Project report by M/s Fairwood
Green Transport
6. Tramways an eco friendly mode of mass transportation: a case of Kolkata by Eshita
Boral
7. Chapter 18, handbook of transportation engineering, by Myer Kutz, volume 2

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