Heathrow Airport in London is one of the busiest airports in the world with over 67 million passengers stopping by annually. The Terminal 5 complex in Heathrow which was opened in 2008 by Her Royal Highness is the largest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom which took 19 years to complete @ the cost of £4 billion.It can handle 35 million passengers annually and it is used exclusively by British Airways.
However, the most unique attraction of Terminal 5 or Heathrow for that matter, is going to be the Personal Rapid Transit or PRT’s.
PRT’s are driverless cabs which look like space pods , will be used for carrying passengers within the Airport
The PRT in Heathrow is called the ULTra ("Urban Light Transport") designed by company called Advanced Transport Systems (ATS) .
The pods can accommodate 4 passengers 
along with their luggage and carry them to Terminal 5 in just 5 minutes from the business car park @ the speed of 25 mph.
along with their luggage and carry them to Terminal 5 in just 5 minutes from the business car park @ the speed of 25 mph.The ULTra system is the brainchild of Professor Martin Lowson who had spent 15 years in developing the system.
Recently test drives have been conducted along the Terminal 5 track. However the ULTra will be fully deployed only by spring of 2010.
While Britain is leading us to the future ,our Indian Airports are still not even “present”able. Read below a excerpt from Rajiv Desai’s article in TOI.“Within seconds of landing, the harsh reality hits you between the eyes. The airport is shoddy, grimy and smelly. To exit is to confront a menacing crowd of people, straining at the barricades: vast numbers of drivers pushing and shoving, swarms of noisy families come to receive their near and dear ones, and various other categories teeming around the crumbling arrival terminal. True, such crowds gather at arrival terminals everywhere in the world but at Indian airports it adds another dimension to the chaos that reigns supreme. “
I don't even want to start about Bangalore International Airport BIA. Read The Joint House committee views about how international BIA really is
I wonder when we will get PRT’s in India…2020?? hey wait ..that was Namma Metro :P
hmm... sounds interesting but i think even if they come to india....theyll smhow equip it with drivers because just look at the number of jobs it will create :P:P...and im sure if its driverless there'll be mass protests and boycotts by airport employees and the government will concede :P...and soon therell be reservation on driver jobs too ;)....
ReplyDelete@ruchi lolzzz....well said :)
ReplyDeleteHmm and it is easy to hizak too and one more reason why we can be late :)
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