Pains and Gains of implementing a new transportation system
Pains:
- There is a lot of pollution in major cities
- Sustainable products are extremely costly
- Public transportation is very inconvenient
Gains:
- A new solution would create no need for a car.
- A new solution would make public transportation both time-saving and money-saving
- A new solution would allow for an increase in the use of sustainable products
Track Requirements:
| Requirement | Range | Ideal |
| The model system must be designed to travel on a straight track. (Track) | The range of miles the system could cover is a track from Fenway Rd & N High St to E Main St & S High St that is 8.1 miles long. This must be emulated in our new design of an underground rail system to support the track needed for Columbus citizens to be useful. Stops could be every half mile to mile, depending on the area. For the model track 8 miles will equal 28 inches. | Ideally it will have about a stop every mile, so that users can conveniently enter and exit on a stop close to them. A mile will equal every 4 inches on our track. |
| The underground system must fit enough users in order for it to be convenient and cost efficient. (Load) | The range of users that could fit on 1-2 cart would fit 25-75 people on each at a time. | Ideally 50 people would be using each train car, and there would be 2 cars attached for a maximum of 100 people utilizing the system at a time. |
| The stop time for each system must be time efficient for users. (loading) | Anywhere from 1-3 minutes per loading time would be ideal to fit users on and to allow for time to not be wasted. This in the model system would be about 1 to 3 seconds to stop. | Ideally about 2 minutes per time for users to load on and off per stop would work.
In the model this would be about 2 seconds, ideally. |
| Users would have to have a short waiting time for the next cart to come around to load on to. (time) | Users would not want to wait very long until the next cart came, but it would also have to be cost efficient for the city. Around 5 to 11 minutes would be the range for waiting time.
In the model this would be about 5 to 11 seconds to get to the next stop. |
If users have to wait any longer than 11 minutes, it would be quicker for them to make the half mile walk or so to the next station. Ideally, during rush hour, a 6 minute wait for the next cart would be reasonable for both users and city resources. In the model this would be about 6 seconds for the next cart to arrive. |
| The energy use of the train car must be efficient in cost in order to keep prices reasonable for the user and city. (Energy Use) | Due to the fact that we will be using foot traffic to create energy to power our system. This must be less than that of a bus, which is around 72 kW per hour. Eco Friendly busses run on around 54 kWh. So, anywhere from 54 to 72 kW per hour.
In the model this would be about 50 to 70 percent power. |
Ideally, an ecofriendly amount would be 54 kilowatts per hour. The less energy used the more ideal. Around 54 kWh would be good due to it being the standard for an eco-friendly bus currently. In the model this would ideally be 50 percent power. |
| The stop precision for a railways system would need to be pretty accurate in order for the doors to open at a good location for users to load. (Stopping Precision) | A stop precision within a platform that is about anywhere from 1 to 3 feet would be ideal. It would allow for users to safely step off of the platform to load the cart.
This would be 1 to 3 inches in the model of how close it is supposed to stop. |
The closest stop of the doors to the same location would be ideal, so within 1 foot. Consistency would be easier for passengers to line up around the doors for an easier load on and load off each time. This would be 1 inch in the model of what it would ideally stop at. |