Shweeb is a proposed

personal rapid transit Personal rapid transit (PRT), also referred to as podcars or guided/railed taxis, is a public transport mode featuring small low-capacity automated vehicles operating on a network of specially built guideways. PRT is a type of automated guideway ...

network in New Zealand, based on human-powered

monorail A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and "rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, ...

cars. The project prototype was originally designed and implemented in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

, New Zealand, as a leisure attraction. The proposed Shweeb transit network relies on

recumbent bicycle A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed comfortably over a larger area, supported by ba ...

technology to power pods suspended from monorails. According to Shweeb Monorail Technology, the intent of their proposal is to "create a solution which provided the user with the same flexibility and comfort offered by the car but without the consequential costs - both direct financial and indirect health and environmental costs." The proposal envisions networks of monorail track providing point to point and commuter transit for urban areas.

Proposals

In September 2010, a proposal for development of an expanded network was chosen to receive funding from

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as part of project 10¹⁰⁰. As of August 2017, there were no active proposals to utilise the system for public transportation although a "sport resort" in the United States is considering it. In January 2021 a proposal was made for a Shweeb track be built as an attraction in a planned stadium in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand. The monorail would be suspended out from main frame of the stadium. The original track in New Zealand is open to the public.

Technical

Track

The track is built in folded galvanised steel. Its external height and width is . Support piles are also in galvanised steel.

Pods

Pods are covered with transparent plastic sheets, with ventilation holes. Front and rear long dampers are provided to limit the impact acceleration in case of pods collision and to ease the association of pods to build 'pod trains' which could significantly improve overall aerodynamic efficiency.

External power boost

To help climb ramps, an electrically powered chain installed on a track section could push the pods for a limited distance, in a way similar to the Trampe bicycle lift. This could also help entering stations built at a higher elevation than the track. The purpose of this elevation is to help a pod gaining momentum while descending from station track to the main line track.

References

External links

* Including pictures and videos of the Shweeb attraction device * North American website, includes CG images of Shweeb PRT network * Rotorua system's website
Film of Rotorua systemAgroventures - Rotorua Adrenaline Attractions
Rotorua shweeb
Skyride
A similar system, used for leisure rides {{Automated trains and fixed-guideway transit Personal rapid transit Community bicycle programs Public transport Utility cycling Human-powered vehicles Cycle types Proposed monorails Monorails in New Zealand New Zealand inventions New Zealand design