Otis Hovair Transit Systems is a type of

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''. The concept aims to eliminate ...

used in low-speed

people mover A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks. ...

applications. Traditional people mover systems used wheeled vehicles propelled by electric motors or cable traction, the Hovair replaces the wheels with a

hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...

lift pad. The aim is to reduce guideway complexity and vehicle maintenance. Another benefit is the system's ability to move in all directions, including sideways. The Hovair is the only hovertrain system to be used in commercial service.

History

Originally developed at

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

as an

automated guideway transit An automated guideway transit (AGT) or automated fixed-guideway transit or automatic guideway transit system is a type of fixed guideway transit infrastructure with a riding or suspension track that supports and physically guides one or more dr ...

system, GM was forced to divest the design as part of an anti-trust ruling. The design eventually ended up at

Otis Elevator Otis Worldwide Corporation ( branded as the Otis Elevator Company, its former legal name) is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and related equipment. Based in Farmington, Connec ...

who replaced its

linear motor A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled", thus, instead of producing a torque (rotation), it produces a linear force along its length. However, linear motors are not necessarily straight. Characteristicall ...

with a cable pull and sold the resulting design for people mover installations all over the world. The first installation was the Duke Hospital PRT in 1979, followed by the Harbour Island People Mover opened in 1985. Otis successfully marketed the system through the 1980s and into the 1990s, but faced increasing competition from conventional systems. In 1996, Otis formed a joint venture called Poma-Otis Transportation Systems with the French company

Poma Poma, incorporated as Pomagalski S.A., and sometimes referred to as the Poma Group, is a French company which manufactures cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, people ...

to promote these products. The partnership has since been dissolved, and it appears Otis is no longer involved in promoting the technology. However it is still marketed as one of the

Minimetro MiniMetro is a family of cable propelled automated people mover systems built by HTI Group. The vehicles either run on rails or an air cushion and have either a detachable grip (to the cable) or a fixed grip. Leitner has a test track for the v ...

products sold by Poma & Leitner Group. The latest installation, the

Cairo Airport Cairo International Airport (; ''Maṭār El Qāhira El Dawly'') is the principal international airport of Cairo and the largest and busiest airport in Egypt. It serves as the primary hub for Egyptair and Nile Air as well as several other a ...

People Mover, opened on May 15, 2012.

Current operators

Cincinnati Airport People Mover The Cincinnati Airport People Mover or Underground Train is an automated people mover that serves travelers of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. It opened in 1994 to connect Terminal 3, now the Main Terminal, with Concourses ...

U-Bahn Serfaus The U-Bahn Serfaus (until 2019 ''Dorfbahn Serfaus'' for "Village Railway Serfaus") is an underground air cushion funicular people mover system in the Tyrolian village of Serfaus in Austria. Overview Serfaus is a busy ski resort, and during the ...

* ExpressTram at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport *

Getty Center Tram The Getty Center Tram is a people mover system that serves the Getty Center in Los Angeles. It runs two cable-driven hovertrains each consisting of three Otis Hovair vehicles. History The tram line, already planned in 1988, was opened at t ...

* Huntsville Hospital Tram System * Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Trams * Zurich Airport Skymetro *

Cairo International Airport Cairo International Airport (; ''Maṭār El Qāhira El Dawly'') is the principal international airport of Cairo and the largest and busiest airport in Egypt. It serves as the primary hub for Egyptair and Nile Air as well as several other ...

Sun City (South Africa) Sun City is a luxury resort and casino, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg, about 140 km northwest of Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borde ...

"Skytrain" (opened 1986), single track with bypass ramp, two stations, two trains of three vehicles

Former operators

Duke University Medical Center Patient Rapid Transit Duke University Medical Center Patient Rapid Transit or Personnel Rapid Transit (PRT) 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 19 ...

* Harbour Island People Mover *

Narita Airport Terminal 2 Shuttle System The was an automated people mover used in Narita International Airport, Narita, Chiba Japan. The system operated between December 6, 1992 and 2013. History The Shuttle System opened in 1992 with the opening of Terminal 2 of Narita International ...

References

External links

Metro TramNarita International Airport official websiteSkymetro de Poma otis.
Airport people mover systems {{PAGENAME

History

Current operators

Former operators

See also

References

External links