Guided bus
Guided bus: an advanced bus technology for the Research Triangle
A feasibility study to determine
the most suitable of three transit alternatives to link the city
of Raleigh,
North Carolina, with the Research Triangle Park. The three
systems were:
Evaluation criteria were the technical feasibility, costs, security and the flexibility of the system.
Since guided bus and light rail
would have to share an existing right of way with heavy rail, the
study included
a thorough analysis of the technical feasibility of a joint
operation. This required an extensive review of existing
and planned guided bus systems.
The cost analysis involved an
in-depth review of operating costs of transit systems in cities
of comparable size.
Based on the findings of this review numbers for the Research
Triangle area were assessed. In a similar way the
investment both into rolling stock and into infrastructure were
determined. Annualized costs were computed for
cost comparison.
The assessment of the benefit-cost
ratio of each of the alternatives took into account the
flexibility of the system,
i.e. the degree of ease with which routings could be changed and
new services be added.
The study has been conducted in close cooperation with the state of North Carolina's department of Transportation.
