Östersund considers PRT

City politicians in Östersund and the Åre ski resort consider backing rail-bound cabin-cars for mass transit.

The idea has developed with the Institute for Sustainable Transportation in Uppsala.

"Östersund and Åre are to be congratulated," said Magnus Hunhammar, an institute transportation researcher.

The system will have elevated rails. Small vehicles seating a handful of passengers will run on the rails, and passengers will choose where to go by pushing a button, like an elevator, writes the County Daily in Östersund.

"We will seriously prove the idea here. So gradually we can build out a whole system in the city," said Ann Sofie Andersson, Östersund city councillor.

Åre city councillor Eva Hellstrand believes strongly in the idea.

"I think the rails will fit in perfectly here in Åre, and help the traffic situation. We could build rail from the train station to the different hotels, for example," she said.

TT

Podcar test track planned in Åre

(Östersund) The project to introduce personal rapid transit in Östersund and Åre have reached the next phase. Dr. Lee, president of Vectus Ltd., is just now visiting to look at opportunities to build a test track in Åre.

But financing is still not clear.

"Dr. Lee from Vectus is here to look at our conditions for PRT, but it is a huge investment and therefore feels it necessary that the government step in and finance," said Eva Hellstrand, president of the Åre city council.

The planning for introduction of PRT is slowly going forward. Now planned is a test track in Åre, and a network there and in Östersund. The reason why a test track is planned just in Åre is that the track must be tested in snow and ice conditions.

The test track in Uppsala has worked well, but now the technology must be verified under snow and ice conditions," says Jürgen Gustafsson, responsible for the test facility in Uppsala.

Sofi Tagesson
Friday 27 June 2008, 12:29