Personal Rapid Transit in New Zealand - Future Transit Now

A complete list of publications on PRT by JE Anderson Ph.D., P.E.

This set of rules are regarded by Dr Anderson as the most fundamental in the search he has conducted for a truly optimum PRT design. It came out of many years of design practice, research, and teaching. When PRT projects have gone sour Dr Anderson has found that the root cause has been violation of one or more of these rules. The contents of this paper is included in Dr Anderson's key paper "The Future of HCPRT,"

A table of contents of papers by Dr JE Anderson on PRTNZ.com

The author was invited to speak at North Park College as the 1994 Distinguished Alumnus Lecturer on his role in the development of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), the first genu­inely new urban transportation system to ap­pear in a century.  This Chapel Lecture de­scribes his relevant technical experience, his search for meaning, his need for interdisciplin­ary project work, and the extraordinary circum­stances and timing that led him to PRT as a new career and that carried this work to the point where it has been taken over by a major corporation and a major urban transportation authority.  The lecture ends with a challenge to young people to aim high and seek a noble cause of fundamental importance to mankind.

The paper reviews the evolution of the PRT concept from its modern beginning in 1953.  The early inventors, the projects, and the response of government are discussed.  PRT activity diminished to almost nothing by 1980, but then revived strongly as a result of activity by the Northeastern Illinois Regional Transportation Authority.  Their interest ignited enthusiastic activity on a growing front to the point that today one can truly say that the concept is coming of age