Editing Personal rapid transit (section)

{{short description|Public transport mode}}
{{Update|date=February 2024|reason=There are many references throughout to what 'will', 'may', or 'should' happen when implemented; there are several PRT systems operational}}
[[File:ULTra 001.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|An [[ULTra (rapid transit)|Ultra PRT]] vehicle on a test track at [[London Heathrow Airport|Heathrow Airport]], [[London]]]]
[[File:Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A vehicle on [[West Virginia University]]'s [[Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit|PRT system]], [[Morgantown, West Virginia]]]]
{{Automated track-bound traffic}}
'''Personal rapid transit''' ('''PRT'''), also referred to as '''podcars''' or '''guided/railed taxis''', is a [[public transport]] mode featuring a network of specially built guideways on which ride small automated vehicles that carry few (generally less than 6) passengers per vehicle. PRT is a type of [[automated guideway transit]] (AGT), a class of system which also includes larger vehicles all the way to small subway systems.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McDonald |first1=Shannon S. |title=Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology |date=2012 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4419-0851-3 |pages=7777–7797 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_671 |language=en |chapter=Personal Rapid Transitpersonal rapid transit (PRT) systemand Its Developmentpersonal rapid transit (PRT) systemdevelopment|doi=10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_671 }}</ref> In terms of routing, it tends towards [[personal public transport]] systems.

PRT vehicles are sized for individual or small group travel, typically carrying no more than three to six [[passenger load factor|passengers per vehicle]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gilbert|first=Richard|author2=Perl, Anthony|title=Grid-connected vehicles as the core of future land-based transport systems|journal=Energy Policy|volume=35|issue=5|pages=3053–3060|doi=10.1016/j.enpol.2006.11.002|year=2007|bibcode=2007EnPol..35.3053G |citeseerx=10.1.1.661.3769}}</ref> Guideways are arranged in a network topology, with all stations located on [[Siding (rail)|sidings]], and with frequent merge/diverge points. This allows for nonstop, point-to-point travel, bypassing all intermediate stations. The point-to-point service has been compared to a [[taxicab|taxi]] or a horizontal lift (elevator).

Numerous PRT systems have been proposed but most have not been implemented. {{Asof|November 2016}}, only a handful of PRT systems are operational: [[Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit]] (the oldest and most extensive), in [[Morgantown, West Virginia]], has been in continuous operation since 1975. Since 2010 a 10-vehicle 2getthere system has operated at [[Masdar City]], UAE, and since 2011 a 21-vehicle [[Ultra (rapid transit)|Ultra PRT]] system has run at [[London Heathrow Airport]]. A 40-vehicle Vectus system with in-line stations officially opened in [[Suncheon]],<ref>{{cite news|title=PRT System to Open for Suncheon Bay Garden Expo|url=http://kojects.com/2013/02/13/prt-system-to-open-in-april-for-suncheon-bay-garden-expo/#more-1411}}</ref> South Korea, in April 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Suncheon Bay Project, South Korea|url=http://www.vectusprt.com/EN/first-project/|access-date=2013-06-22|archive-date=2013-06-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611220553/http://www.vectusprt.com/EN/first-project|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Masdar City and Suncheon have only two passenger stations while at Heathrow the two stations at the carpark are very close to one another. Masdar also has three freight stations.</ref> A PRT system connecting the terminals and parking has been built at the new [[Chengdu Tianfu International Airport]], which opened in 2021.<ref name="jqknews.com">{{cite web |title=Just now! Its in Beijing! Chengdu Tianfu International Airports first public appearance |url=https://www.jqknews.com/news/206726-Just_now!_Its_in_Beijing!_Chengdu_Tianfu_International_Airports_first_public_appearance.html |access-date=10 June 2021 |archive-date=10 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610080711/https://www.jqknews.com/news/206726-Just_now!_Its_in_Beijing!_Chengdu_Tianfu_International_Airports_first_public_appearance.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New airport opens to flights in China's Chengdu |url=https://www.shine.cn/news/nation/2106271175/ |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=SHINE |language=en}}</ref>