The Denver transitway vehicle system — A preliminary design

The Transitway/Mall is a major transportation project designed for the central business district of metropolitan Denver. Its goals are threefold: 1. To lessen traffic congestion in the downtown area 2. To provide more efficient bus service to city and suburban neighborhoods 3. To create a new pedestrian environment in the downtown area -- a place for people. The project will transform 16th Street between Broadway and Larimer into a tree-lined pedestrian precinct. Electric battery-powered shuttle vehicles will carry passengers to and from transportation transfer facilities located at each end. Express computer buses will enter the transfer facilities at a below-street concourse where riders will transfer to transitway vehicles waiting at ground level. Shuttles will leave the terminals every 70 seconds stopping at each block along 16th Street. By intercepting express buses at the edges of the retail-office core, there will be fewer buses on downtown streets and therefore substantially less traffic congestion. Also commuter buses will be able to get in and out of downtown much faster, enabling them to make additional productive trips during rush hour. The vehicle system is being designed to meet some unique requirements of the Denver Transitway/Mall. The preliminary vehicle system design consists of performance requirements, an operations profile, fleet sizing, maintenance program, and maintenance facility requirements, in addition to vehicle specifications. Specified features of the battery-powered vehicle include a lateral guidance system, a low floor, wide doors, a large expanse of glass, a capability of operating in tandem, and a rear-mounted dc traction motor.