PRT - Hermes
Cost issues
How much will it cost to cosntruct a network?
How much will it cost to operate it?
Are there any additional income sources?
How much will it cost to cosntruct a network?
It is very hard to make a credible cost prediction for a system which is still in conceptual stage. We can only mention the major factors that affect the cost and show some estimations about similar systems.
Comparing PRT/Hermes with other conventional rail systems we note that:
-Civil engineering related costs are the majority of expenses when building such a system.
Hermes with its small guideway and stations has a clear advantage.
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Construction site of an underground parking lot near a subway station in Athens:
Planning for metro needs public works of this scale and of course the according costs. |
For surface rail systems it is also important to minimise the rights-of-way costs.
Hermes , being small and flexible , should invade private property in very few occasions.
In general Hermes'philosophy , like most PRT systems , is "many and small":
Many but small vahicles, guideway segments , electronic devices. This reduces cost (economy of scale)
Hermes makes extensive use of electronics. However progress on this field has been rapid and most of the needed subsystems are available in the market (commercial off the self). Costs have been reduced substantially.
Power supply systems are expected to have similar costs to that of conventional systems.
For similar systems there are various estimations that put the cost in the range of
4-6 million euros / km system.
For example this page
, hosted at Innovative Transportation Technologies site
has info on estimated PRT system costs. Additional info
How much will it cost to operate it?
Similarly , estimating operating costs is difficult
However it should be relatively low because:
- Hermes will have very low energy consumption (see at Environment)
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It will have small maintenance requirements:
- It has very few moving parts
- Vehicles are so light and wearing will be so small that guideway rails will never need replacement
- Hermes will require a limited number of employees , due to automation.
- Simulation shows that more than 80% of vehicle kilometers are travelled by loaded vehicles. Since a loaded vehicle has at least 1 passenger (=50% full) , that means that Hermes average occupancy will be above 40% , a very good value , much higher than that achieved by Mass Transit.
That depends on policy.
Today many people use Mass Transit believing that it is cheap and that it is
"the right thing to do" to help economy.
The truth is that ticket revenue pays for a small fraction of the cost of Mass Transit .
The government doesn't dare to increase fares substantially because that would devastate
Mass Transit usage.
Hence heavy subsidies are needed which of course come from taxes.
So how much will a trip with Hermes cost? That depends on the height (if any) of the subsidy. However one thing is certain: If there is no subsidy for any system then Hermes will have no problem in eradicating Mass Transit and severely limiting car usage since it will provide similar to car service with comparable (or less) cost.
Are there any additional income sources?
PRT may benefit from
- Advertisements at stations
- Provision of communication services e.g. internet or cable tv. That is because the guideway network will be an ideal carrier for cables and/or optic fibers.
A city wide network would provide many benefits to the city:
- Faster commuting means that lost labor hours due to commuting are minimized
- Less environmental impact , less recovery expenses
- Improved safety , less accident-related expenses
- Consumption of localy produced electricity instead of imported fuel
I 'll mention a story that occured some years ago.
Some years ago the Hellenic Army decided to improve its antitank capabilities by buying attack helicopters.
So it did a market research.
Among the various offers , 2 were promoted:
1)The light attack helicopter Agusta A109
2)The heavy attack helicopter AH64 APACHE.
A109's main advantage was the low costs as well as the fact that many of its parts could be produced by the local aviation industry. Available funds could provide a significant number of these. Therefore A109's promoters published advertisements stating: "Adequate defence in reasonable price"
On the other hand AH64-APACHE was much more expensive and difficult to maintain. Its advanced electronics however allowed it to fight during night. APACHE's moto was "THERE IS NO MORE EXPENSIVE WEAPON THAN THE ONE WHICH DOESN'T WORK AT NIGHT"
And that was the truth! If you have 50 day-only helicopters , the enemy is not a fool to attack by day! He'll choose the BEST FOR HIM time - night! The 50 helis may be cheaper but, since they can't fight , they're just a waste of money.
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Today the Hellenic Army deploys a considerable deterrent force of APACHE attack helicopters. |
Let's come to transportation now:
What is the point of investing in Mass Transit? People are not fools! They 'll choose
the FASTER FOR THEM way to go where they want.And each day they see that , if there is a single parking space left,
this fastest way is the car.
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Desperate moves: During the «Public Mass Transit day » Mass Transit moves people for free. An effort to get the public acquainted with Mass Transit? People are unaware of buses...!? They're going to find tou now...!? |
Boy:"They told them to leave their cars - they didn't. Their little asses went for it!" Woman:"Not so little anymore! Sitting all these hours in traffic they've become fat..." |
Guilt: The new trend is to make people feel guilty for using their automobiles: But car's superiority cannot be hidden: If there is available parking space , the car is always the first choice. |
Therefore , similar to APACHE's moto we could say: "THERE IS NO MORE EXPENSIVE MEANS OF TRANSIT THAN THE ONE WHICH CANNOT COMPETE WITH THE CAR"
