Otis Hovair
Encyclopedia
Otis Hovair Transit Systems is a type of Hovertrain
that replaces conventional steel wheels with hovercraft
lift pads, and the conventional railway bed with a paved road-like surface, known as the "track" or "guideway". The concept aims to eliminate rolling resistance
and allow very high performance, while also simplifying the infrastructure needed to lay new lines. Maglev trains attempt to meet the same basic goals, using magnets for levitation
rather than air cushions.
Otis Hovair system is the only hovertain concept seeing commercial service. Originally developed at General Motors
as an automated guideway transit
system, GM was forced to divest the design as part of an anti-trust ruling. The design eventually ended up at Otis Elevator who replaced its linear motor
with a cable pull and sold the resulting design for people mover
installations all over the world.
Hovertrain
A hovertrain is a type of high-speed train that replaces conventional steel wheels with hovercraft lift pads, and the conventional railway bed with a paved road-like surface, known as the "track" or "guideway"...
that replaces conventional steel wheels with hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
lift pads, and the conventional railway bed with a paved road-like surface, known as the "track" or "guideway". The concept aims to eliminate rolling resistance
Rolling resistance
Rolling resistance, sometimes called rolling friction or rolling drag, is the resistance that occurs when a round object such as a ball or tire rolls on a flat surface, in steady velocity straight line motion. It is caused mainly by the deformation of the object, the deformation of the surface, or...
and allow very high performance, while also simplifying the infrastructure needed to lay new lines. Maglev trains attempt to meet the same basic goals, using magnets for levitation
Levitation
Levitation is the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contact...
rather than air cushions.
Otis Hovair system is the only hovertain concept seeing commercial service. Originally developed at General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
as an automated guideway transit
Automated guideway transit
Automated guideway transit is a fully automated, driverless, grade-separated transit system in which vehicles are automatically guided along a "guideway". The vehicles are often rubber tired, but other systems including steel wheels, air cushion and maglev systems have also been used in experiments...
system, GM was forced to divest the design as part of an anti-trust ruling. The design eventually ended up at Otis Elevator who replaced its linear motor
Linear motor
A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled" so that instead of producing a torque it produces a linear force along its length...
with a cable pull and sold the resulting design for people mover
People mover
A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
installations all over the world.
Operators
- Cincinnati Airport People MoverCincinnati Airport People MoverThe Cincinnati Airport People Mover or Underground Train consists of an automated people mover that serves travelers of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport...
- Dorfbahn SerfausDorfbahn SerfausThe Dorfbahn Serfaus is an unusual underground air cushion funicular transit system in the Tyrolian village of Serfaus in Austria. The name literally translates as Serfaus Village Railway.-Overview:...
- Duke University Medical Center Patient Rapid TransitDuke University Medical Center Patient Rapid TransitDuke University Medical Center Patient Rapid Transit or Personnel Rapid Transit was an automated people mover system located at the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, in the United States. The system was in operation from 1979 to 2009, and service is now discontinued...
- Harbour Island People MoverHarbour Island People MoverThe Harbour Island People Mover was an automated guideway transit people mover service used to carry visitors between Downtown Tampa and Harbour Island across the Garrison Channel in Tampa, Florida, United States. Privately owned but operated by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority ,...
- Huntsville Hospital Tram SystemHuntsville Hospital Tram SystemThe Huntsville Hospital Tram System is an automated people mover system located as part of the Huntsville Hospital System complex in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. Operating on a concrete guideway, the trams serve to connect the Huntsville Hospital with the Huntsville Hospital for Women &...
- Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport TramsMinneapolis-St. Paul Airport TramsThe Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Trams consist of a pair of automated people movers that serve travelers of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The Hub Tram is the older of the two systems opening in 2001 with the 'C' Concourse People Mover opening in 2004...
- Narita Airport Terminal 2 Shuttle SystemNarita Airport Terminal 2 Shuttle SystemThe is an automated people mover used in Narita International Airport, Narita, Japan. This system started its operation on December 6, 1992.Narita International Airport, the international airport of the Greater Tokyo Area, opened the current Terminal 2 in 1992, as well as the shuttle system. The...
- SkymetroSkymetroSkymetro is an airport people mover at Zurich International Airport in Switzerland which opened in 2003.The 1.1-kilometre long system connects the airport's main Airside Center with Terminal E, taking just under three minutes to travel in each direction. Rather than on-board motors, it is...