Plans for world`s first mass ‘pod’ system unveiled
Baku, December 17 (AZERTAC). FUTURISTIC driverless pods will overhaul mass transportation in India, with plans in place for the rest of the world too, the creators of the technology say.
ULTra Global PRT, which rolled out the first driverless ULTra pods at Heathrow airport in September, has announced it will bring the pods to Amritsar, the home to Sikh holy shrine the Golden Temple.
Up to 500,000 people visit the temple during important religious festivals and the scheme plans to carry 35 per cent of the traffic in the area.
The plan involves building a system capable of transporting up to 100,000 passengers per day using 200 fully-automated “ULTra pod cars” on 3.3km elevated track.
This should remove 2.2 million car trips per year, as well as having the potential to cut travel time by one hour in peak times to about seven minutes.
The pods are computer driven and powered by electricity and batteries for zero-emissions. They can carry between four and six people per vehicle.
Construction on the pod system is due to start next year with the service set to go live in late 2014.
The UK invention is the culmination of more than 60 years of development.
The first ULTra pods received worldwide attention when they were rolled out at Heathrow airport in September.
The company says it will announce more pod projects soon.
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