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Automated People Mover (APM)   [ 18 cities presented here ]  (most recent entries: Feb, 19th, 2017)
The recent tendency in dedicated urban transports (e.g. airport connections, amusement parks internal connections, etc) is going towards the so-called "automated people movers" (APM), characterized by short rolling stock (and, consequently, short stations), high frequencies and driverless operations.
These systems don't require any driver on board, an, generally, any permanent workers at the stations (except, in certain cases, for security and hospitality services) or along the track. The system supervision is managed by a central control place, often located in the maintenance area.
The automation system is based on the classical ATO, ATP, ATS architecture managed automatically by a specific software that works on the information provided by a signaling system located along the track (track circuits, transponders); this allows the train detection on the track and the speed control in order to warrant the safety conditions and the precise respect of the planned timetables.
As previously said, generally no permanent workers operate in the stations or along the line; safety and communications (on board and at the stops) are provided by video and audio systems that allow to exchange information between passengers and the central control place at all times. Platform doors are one of the peculiar elements of most of the APM systems; platform doors are opened only during the boarding phases, segregating passengers from the track.

Driverless monorails are a particular type of APM. The monorail is a transport system based on a single track (mostly on viaduct, with possible ground level or underground applications), which supports straddle or suspended vehicles, wider than the monorail beam. These systems offer remarkable cinematic performances (low horizontal radius, high vertical gradient) with low environmental impacts, thanks to the adoption of light infrastructures: for all these reasons monorails have many applications in amusement centers, parks, zoo and tertiary high tech districts. In the latest years, thanks to the success of some applications and to the continuous technological improvement, monorails have been often used also as urban transport systems.

Driverless cable-system are another particular kind of APM. The track of the modern cable systems is constituted by a series of stations, each one connected the to next one by a cable ring. These systems have many analogies with the classical funiculars; they are constituted by the following main elements: cable, motorized station, return station, tensioning station, vehicles.
The cable is moved by an electric winch and it's set from a return to a tensioning station; intermediate stations are located between these terminals, along a route that allows different types of sections (straight, curved, inclined), thanks to specific mechanical rollers (straight rollers for straight or vertically convex segments, inclined rollers for horizontal curved segments, other rollers for vertically concave segments). The winch generates the cable motion, which is transmitted to the vehicles by some pliers which lock them to the cable. In the return station (mostly coinciding with the motorized station), a pulley keeps the cable in the correct configuration. The possible imbalances of the cable in the tensioning station at the opposite side of the track are recovered by an hydraulic system.
The vehicles are linked to the cable by a fixed or temporary grip, and they are guided by horizontal wheels which runs along horizontal guide beams, on each side of the running platform; thanks to the absence of on-board engines, vehicles have low noise emissions and a low weigth. The latter factor, combined with the cable traction, allows to overtake strong vertical gradients (in same cases more than 15%). In "temporary grip" cable systems a turning platform allows the vehicle inversion at the terminals, so that they can return in the opposite direction with the doors located in the external part of the track. Single track option (if adopted) needs some vehicle crossing sections (double track by-passes).
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LATEST UPDATES TO THIS SITE
apm19-02-2017
lrt-tram27-06-2018
metro26-06-2018
funicular20-02-2017
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News 2015
  • Dec 15
  • - Palermo: tram Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4 opened on 30-12-2015
  • - Moscow: metro M2 Tekknopark stop added on 28-12-2015
  • - Cologne: Line 17 extension Severinstrasse-Schonhauser Strasse opened on 13-12-2015
  • - Freiburg: tram Line 4extension Robert Koch Strasse-Technische Fakultat opened on 11-12-2015
  • - Bielefeld: tram Line 2 extension Milse-Altenhagen opened on 06-12-2015
  • - Birmingham: Midland Metro Snow Hill-Bull Street extension opened on 06-12-2015
  • - Manchester: Metrolink extension Victoria-Ezchange Square opened on 06-12-2015
  • Nov 15
  • - Milan: driverless metro M5 Tre Torri stop added on 14-11-2015
  • Oct 15
  • - Lodtz: tram Lines 3/10 extension Augustow-Olechow opened on 31-10-2015
  • - Milan: driverless metro M5 Monumentale stop added on 11-10-2015
  • Sept 15
  • - Milan: driverless metro M5 Gerusalemme stop added on 26-09-2015
  • - Moscow: metro M7 Zhulebino-Kotelniki extension opened on 21-09-2015
  • - Venice: tram T1 extension Mestre Centro-Venezia Piazzale Roma opened on 16-09-2015
  • Aug 15
  • - Gdansk: tram Lines 10/12 extension Siedlce-Bretowo/Migowo opened on 31-08-2015
  • - Krakow: tram Lines 9/11/50 extension Dworcowa-Dw. Plaszow-Lipska opened on 31-08-2015
  • - Szczecin: tram Line 2/8 extension Basen Gorniczy-Turkusowa opened on 29-08-2015
  • - Nottingham: Nottingham Express Transit (NET) extension Nottingham Station-Clifton South/Toton Lane opened on 25-08-2015
  • - Gothenburg: LRT Lines 1/9 extension Jarntorget-Brunsparken (via Stenpiren) opened on 16-08-2015
  • Jul 15
  • - Grenoble: tram Line E extension Saint Martin le Vinoux Hotel de Ville- Fontanil Cornillon Palluel opened on 13-07-2015
  • Jun 15
  • - Rome: driverless metro Line C extension Parco di Centocelle-Lodi opened on 29-06-2015
  • - Bordeaux: tram Line B extension Bougnard-France Alouette opened on 22-06-2015
  • - Milan: driverless metro M5 Cenisio stop added on 20-06-2015
  • - Milan: driverless metro M5 Portello stop added on 06-06-2015
  • - Naples: metro Line 1 Municipio stop added on 02-06-2015
  • May 15
  • - Marseille: tram T3 Belsunce/Alcazar-Castellane opened on 30-05-2015
  • - Sofia: metro M1 extension Mladost 1-Business Park Sofia opened on 08-05-2015
  • Apr 15
  • - Milan: drivereless metro M5 Graribaldi-Stadio S. Siro opened on 29-04-2015
  • - Rome: metro Line B1 extension Conca d'Oro-Jonio opened on 21-04-2015
  • - Istanbul: metro M6 Levent-Bogazici Üniversitesi opened on 19-04-2015
  • - Antwerpen: Line 8 premetro tunnel section Astrid-Muggenberglei and tram section Florent Pauwels-Rondpunt Wommelgem opened on 18-04-2015
  • - Toulouse: tram T2 extension Ancely-Aeroport opened on 11-04-2015
  • - Prague: metro Line A extension Dejvicka-Nemocnice Motol opened on 06-04-2015
  • -Sofia: metro M1 extension Tsarigradsko Shosse-Sofia Letishte/Airport opened on 02-04-2015
  • Mar 15
  • - Madrid: metro Line 9 extension Mirasierra-Paco de Lucía opened on 25-03-2015
  • - Budapest: tram Line 1 extension Kozvagohid-Etele ut/Fehervari ut opened on 20-03-2015
  • - Bordeaux: tram Line C extension Begles Terres Neuves-Lycee V. Havel opened on 16-03-2015
  • - Warsaw: metro M2 Rondo Daszynskiego-Dworzec Wilenski opened on 08-03-2015
  • - Valencia: metro Line L9 extension Rosas-Riba roja de Turia opened on 06-03-2015
  • Feb 15
  • - Cagliari: tram extension Monserrato Gottardo-Policlinico opened on 14-02-2015
  • - Warsaw: tram Line 11 extension Bemowo Ratusz - Radiowa opened on 14-02-2015
  • - Samara: metro M1 extension Rossiyskaya-Alabinskaya opened on 24-01-2015
  • Jan 15
  • - Bordeaux: tram Line A extension Merignac Centre-Le Hallain Rostand and tram Line C extension Berges du Lac-Parc des Expositions opened on 24-01-2015
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