Step 7:
Add many more Mini Robot Kiddy Trains
(use the adaptive speed control radar to maintain a
controlled minimum 2 second spacing between vehicles)
5,280 feet/73.31 feet = 72 vehicles per mile of track
Thus, HOURLY CAPACITY
= (2 x 35 miles) x (2 passengers per vehicle) X (72 vehicles per mile) X (25
mph)
= 252,000 passenger-miles per hour.
Footnotes:
The proposed Valley Connections Light Rail hopes to carry 60,000 passengers per day. What is surprising here is that if the average trip distance was 10 miles that the Mini Robot Kiddy train system could carry (252,000 passenger-miles per hour)/(10 miles for the average trip) = 25,200 people PER HOUR on similar 10 mile trips. In a mere 2.4 hours of operation, the Kiddy Train system could carry the same number of passengers as the $1.35 billion Light Rail carries in a 24 hour period!
So far we can see we have:
1. 47% Faster travel speeds (10 miles in 24 minutes, instead of 35.3 minutes);
2. Non-scheduled, go anytime, on-demand convenience (no waiting for a scheduled machine);
3. More hourly passenger carrying capacity.The next question might logically be how much would this Mini Robot Kiddy Train set and all these extra stations and extra vehicles cost? The original idea was 70 one mile long sets of regular Kiddy Trains (not Mini Robot train cars that use the same little track). That original cost would be $70 million - a lot less than $1.35 billion.
Before we start analyzing probable costs in detail, we need to start thinking about a couple of other problems and the possible solutions.