{"id":3856,"date":"2008-12-18T10:00:22","date_gmt":"2008-12-18T15:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/2008\/12\/18\/road-trip-morgantown-west-virginia\/"},"modified":"2013-01-21T15:08:35","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T20:08:35","slug":"road-trip-morgantown-west-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2008\/12\/18\/road-trip-morgantown-west-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"Road Trip: Morgantown, West Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

Beechurst PRT Station with WVU Downtown Campus behind<\/em><\/p>\n

On a recent road trip to Pittsburgh, I decided to drive an hour south and a bit to cross the Mason-Dixon Line and into West Virginia. The reason: to visit Morgantown and ride the only operating personal rapid transit (PRT) system in the world.<\/p>\n

Morgantown, the home of West Virginia University, is only about 5 minutes south of the Mason-Dixon Line on Interstate 79. As a major university town, it is probably not all that representative of the state in general<\/a>, much like Austin, Texas or Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Morgantown has a lovely downtown with many restaurants, bars and clubs and independent stores, and much more ethnically diverse than the state as a whole.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Downtown Morgantown <\/em><\/p>\n

Besides the novelty of being able to check West Virginia off of my list of states I’ve visited (now up to 21), riding on the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system<\/a> was worth the diversion. The PRT, built in the 1970s with federal funding specifically for transit research projects, connects Morgantown’s downtown core with the two nearby West Virginia University campuses. When WVU (with a current enrollment of about 20,000) outgrew its city campus in the 1960s, it built a new one well to the north of town, and looks similar to those built during Ontario’s university boom of the 1960s such as Brock or Waterloo. Linking the various campuses with the downtown presented a challenge.<\/p>\n

Construction on the PRT began in 1974, and the first phase was opened the next year. Work was finally compete in 1979, resulting in a 5 station, 13-kilometre system (though a single trip end-to-end is about 5 kilometres) that runs as intended to this day. In fact, according to the New York Times<\/a>, there may be future expansions.<\/p>\n

The PRT is certainly what many in the transit industry and advocacy would call a gadgetbahn<\/a>: an orphan or ridiculous transit technology. Indeed, it felt like a system that only Lyle Lanley could have sold<\/a>. However, the automated system is popular, attracting 2.2 million riders a year. No other PRT system has ever been opened in the world.<\/p>\n

The PRT is personal rapid transit because, when in full operation, the van-sized rail cars will shuttle users directly to their requested destination without stopping.\u00a0 At the fare gates, the passenger simply deposits their fare (students and WVU staff have swipe cards) and presses a button on the turnstile to select the station he or she wishes to go to. After a short wait, a car arrives with a LED sign indicating the station it is going to. The cars themselves seat 8, but can handle 12 standees. The ride from Walnut, the downtown station, to Medical, the farthest station in the system, takes about 10 minutes to complete. A YouTube video of the entire ride can be viewed here<\/a>. During off-peak (evenings, weekends and summers) the line reverts to a all-stops shuttle.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

PRT stations, while small, are complex. All stations feature multiple platforms where vehicles await being ordered to specific destinations. All non-terminus stations also feature by-pass tracks. The majority of the track is elevated, the rest at ground level with a few underpasses. The system uses rubber tires on a heated concrete guideway, much like the Montreal Metro, with electronic loops used for signaling.<\/p>\n

PRT, in its purist form, has been touted as an ideal way of combining the benefits of rapid transit with those of private, auto-based travel. However, a pure PRT system has yet to be built. Morgantown is as close as they come, but cost US $130 million (in 1970s dollars) to build. As I see it, the only remotely practical applications are at\u00a0airports and university campuses. I could not see such a concept working in an urban context.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Passing under Engineering Station <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Heading downtown from the outer campus. <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Following the Monongahela River <\/em><\/p>\n

On the way back to Pennsylvania, I drove through a tiny sliver of the Maryland Panhandle. Crossing back into Pennsylvania, I caught a picture of a Maryland welcome sign. Two things amused me: the “Please drive gently” message (now being phased out on state welcome signs) and that there was heavy snow at the Mason-Dixon Line.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beechurst PRT Station with WVU Downtown Campus behind On a recent road trip to Pittsburgh, I decided to drive an hour south and a bit to cross the Mason-Dixon Line and into West Virginia. The reason: to visit Morgantown and ride the only operating personal rapid transit (PRT) system in the world. Morgantown, the homeContinue reading “Road Trip: Morgantown, West Virginia”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4030,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69,21759,8],"tags":[1394,11079,11086,11081,3854,11082,8146,636,21,1284,4714,1287,11080,60,11078,1224,1245,391,8786,11083,11084,11085],"class_list":["post-3856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-curiosities","category-features","category-transit","tag-austin","tag-auto-based-travel","tag-chapel-hill","tag-lyle-lanley","tag-maryland","tag-morgantown","tag-north-carolina","tag-ontario","tag-other-cities","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pittsburgh","tag-representative","tag-ridiculous-transit-technology","tag-road-trip","tag-rubber-tires","tag-texas","tag-the-new-york-times","tag-usd","tag-west-virginia","tag-west-virginia-beechurst-prt-station","tag-west-virginia-university","tag-wvu-downtown-campus"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRoad Trip: Morgantown, West Virginia - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2008\/12\/18\/road-trip-morgantown-west-virginia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Road Trip: Morgantown, West Virginia - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beechurst PRT Station with WVU Downtown Campus behind On a recent road trip to Pittsburgh, I decided to drive an hour south and a bit to cross the Mason-Dixon Line and into West Virginia. 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