News

CyberTran’s Ultra Light Rail Transit Will Pay for Itself

Published

8 years ago

August 2, 2016

Special to the Post

Imagine public transit that costs a quarter of the cost of light rail to buy, paid for itself out of the fare box and was able to transport as many people per hour as a BART system, moved from point to point in half the time of conventional rail, and was totally powered by solar energy generated on the canopy over the right of way.

BART, one of the most cost efficient rail operations in the United States, with 64 percent of its operating and maintenance costs derived from earnings (fares etc.), could become even more cost effective if end-of-line feeder services provided fare-paying passengers to load otherwise empty vehicles.

CyberTran’s 20-passenger vehicles will take passengers direct to their destinations, load and offload at offline stations so the main lines are not slowed by slowing and stopped vehicles, and thus maintain an average speed nearly twice that of conventional rail.

The vehicles will need only lightweight (and therefore inexpensive) structures that can be blended into the urban environment, where stations can be outside –or even inside the second- or third-floor of buildings.

Because a fresh start can be made, the rail can be at the center of Transit Oriented Development instead of being at the fringe (imagine Disney World Hotels for example).

Because the capital cost is under $25 million per mile (compared to typical Light Rail at $100 million and heavy rail in the range of $200 million to $400 million), the capital costs of Ultra-Light Rail can be paid out of land value increases caused by the developments around the stations, and not fall on federal, state and local tax payers, as is the current model of rail transit.

In addition to these benefits to taxpayers, there is also a significant gain in good paying jobs. Though the system will be driverless, the extensive unsubsidized systems will require more maintenance personnel per mile than conventional transit that requires drivers and maintenance staff to service the high tech systems at the core of the railway.

Since CyberTran intends to build its vehicles in Richmond for systems in the United States, there will be full time and long standing production jobs.

As the Ultra-Light Rail System grows organically, it will solve the three problems besetting conventional transit:

Taxpayers will not have to subsidize the operation; taxpayers will not have to subsidize the capital acquisitions: and it will go where people need it to go.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Oakland Chinatown Residents Demand Community Benefits from Market Rate Housing Development

Don't Miss

West County Transportation Officials Abandon Discussion of BART Extension

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

22 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

California Black Media

Yahushua’s Law: Senate Advances Bill to Protect Students from Extreme Weather

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3. The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Nyerere Robinson (Courtesy Photo)

By California Black Media

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3.

The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) and co-authored by Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. (D-La Mesa), SB 1248 directs the California Department of Education to develop comprehensive guidelines for schools regarding student activity during all extreme weather conditions.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Hurtado said after introducing SB 1248.

The bill stipulates that schools must implement safety measures which include monitoring weather forecasts, postponing or relocating outdoor activities during hazardous conditions, and ensuring students have proper hydration and access to shade. It also requires schools to establish clear communication plans to keep parents, teachers, and students informed about potential weather hazards.

Supporters of the bill include the Robinson family, advocate Christina Laster, Bold Enterprises LLC, California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, Familias Empoderadas del Valle Central National Action Network, The Black Student Advocate, and the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Thanking Hurtado for introducing this crucial legislation, Weber said, “The story of Yahushua Robinson last year was heartbreaking. We have protections for farm workers and other industries in the case of extreme weather, now climate change is forcing us to also extend similar protections to students at school.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

3 days ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.