Aerobus

The invented by the Swiss Gerhard Müller Aerobus public transport system, which is now marketed by Aerobus International, Inc., is a monorail, which operate electrically powered vehicles like the Wuppertal monorail hanging. In contrast to the local design is at the driveways but not to rigid steel rails, but aluminum rails, which are suspended by Hängebrückenart of cable constructions.

Principle

A major advantage of the Aero bus is the long distances between two carriers ( pylons ), which can be up to 600 feet and thereby reduce the cost of construction work on the ground and on the road to a minimum. Unlike traditional transport in public transport such as tram or bus in the Aerobus leaves unimpeded by other traffic participants and largely quiet.

As main disadvantages comparatively complicated structure of curves and switches as well as the arduous evacuation of passengers in an emergency apply.

History

In 1970 in Switzerland, the first trial installation of an Aerobus system, she was in Schmerikon on Lake Zurich. 1975 sold you this to Ste. Anne in Canada, where she still stood until 1992 in operation.

In 1974 built a second test track in the Swiss Dietlikon.

At the Federal Garden Show 1975 in Mannheim, a 2.8 km long route was built between the two parts of the exhibition Luis Park and Herzogenriedpark. In one of the first test runs, the then Mayor of Mannheim Ludwig Ratzel had to be laboriously removed with a turntable ladder from a stopped train due to a technical defect. However, the operation while the Federal Garden Show went smoothly after that, not least because of daily tests before the operation starts. The eight cars transported in the period from 18 April until October 19, 1975 a total of 2.2 million visitors. Longest cantilever section was the Neckar crossing just east of Kurpfalzbrücke. The track is frequented only during this exhibition and dismantled after the end of 1976 to approval on a 600 meter section. The remaining portion was used at that study society " elevated railway Mannheim " at the Mannheim-based transport company MVV were involved as single-lane test track. To this end, the route for about 1.2 million German Mark (now approximately 1,486,000 euros ) rebuilt. The suspension cable was replaced by aluminum rails, which should ensure a smoother running. If potential funding and a probation system, the development of other parts of the city with this improved Aerobus system was planned. As the hopes were dashed, however, the non-public test operation was set in 1979 and the rest of the route in 1987 completely dismantled and scrapped.

2000 was signed with the city of Chongqing in the People's Republic of China signed an agreement on a 2.6 km long installation. To a realization did not happen so far, however.

2004 was followed by an agreement with the Chinese city of Weihai also a 4.2 km long installation. This performs mostly on water and should be suspended from nine up to 100 meter high pylons. The car itself should operate at a height of 50 meters to allow for large marine vessels the passage. The financing of the project in Weihai is secured since 2006, commissioning was originally planned for 2008.