Morgantown

Morgantown 

By: Lucas Shubert

Morgantown is a small West Virginia City with a population of about 30,000, according to the 2010 census, which is similar to that of Carbondale. The student population at West Virginia University (WVU 2013), located within Morgantown, is almost twice that of SIUC. Another similarity between Morgantown and Carbondale is that both are the economic centers of their respective regions due to the related universities. Morgantown and Carbondale also share similar demographic income levels, with as much as fifteen percent of the population living below the poverty line (City Data 2013).

WVU has been employing an operational personal rapid transit (PRT) system since 1975; it is currently in a period of continual operation that has lasted for over 30 years (Wright 2005). It is difficult to derive the effects on economic and population growth, and usage rates of other transportation systems a functioning PRT system has had on the area. WVU’s initial demand for a new kind of reliable public transportation was spurred by its expansion, which was complicated by the topography of the mountainous region around Morgantown (Anderson 1996). Like Morgantown, Carbondale will be challenged by space limitations in developing new transportation systems. However, Carbondale’s limitations are caused by the existence of previous development instead of topography.

The electric vehicles within the PRT system are pods which are about 15 feet long, with a designed capacity of 20 people (Wolfe 2005). A fleet of 73 vehicles, which can travel up to 30 miles per hour, carry approximately 15,000 passengers per typical school day (WVU 2013). While the system is completely automated, the vehicles operate on rails set into separated pathways (WVU 2013). The system is free for Mountaineers (WVU students and personnel), and costs 50 cents per ride for the public (WVU 2013). The system includes only 8.2 miles of track that connect five stations throughout Morgantown and the WVU campuses (WVU 2013). The system outlined above can potentially lend its principle design characteristics to Carbondale and SIUC. A new system of PRT tracks and stations suggest a considerable capital cost. However, operational cost in Carbondale should be lower than that of the Morgantown PRT because of the flatter topography and more temperate weather of the Southern Illinois region. Another way to reduce operational cost would be to eliminate the electrified rail within the tracks in lieu of guided navigational systems that have advanced with PRT technology.

References

Anderson, Edward J. 1996. “Some lessons from the history of personal rapid transit.” Last modified September 21, 2009. Accessed January 15, 2013. http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/history.htm.

City Data. 2013. “Crime in Carbondale, Illinois.” Accessed January 15.

            http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Carbondale-Illinois.html.

West Virginia University. 2013. “Facts about the PRT.” Last modified February 16, 2012. Accessed January 15. http://transportation.wvu.edu/prt/facts_about_the_prt.

Wolfe, Billy. 2005. “PRT Cram” The Daily Athenaeum. November 10.

Wright, Jeff. 2005. “PRT Sets Trends across the Globe, Transports Thousands at WVU.” The Daily Athenaeum, November 10.