London, United Kingdom
“Cities are changing like never before – populations are exploding but the way we move people around hasn’t changed in over a century, states Kevin O’Grady, CEO Urban.MASS.
“Victorian-era rail and road technologies weren’t designed for the demands of modern life and yet worldwide we continue to rely on the same basic, expensive, and carbon-intensive system.”
“We should be using solutions of the 21st-Century, to serve the new breed of cities we see today – cities that are built for people, not polluting vehicles.”
British startup Urban.MASS has unveiled what it describes as the world’s first self-driving mass transit transport system with the help of Grimshaw.
The technology is named Floc and comprises a series of electric pods which can travel on both roads and elevated rail platforms.
Urban.MASS chose Shildon for its first site due to its historic record of pioneering mass transit, having hosted the world’s first steam-powered public railway in 1825.
If the Shildon project proves successful, Urban.MASS hopes to expand to several UK cities by 2030, including Bristol, Liverpool, Cambridge, Oxford, and Cardiff.
Mass.Urban is working with architects Grimshaw on the systems’ expansion, having already signed partnership agreements and with WSP – one of the world’s largest engineering professional services consultancies which acted as engineers on the new London Bridge Station in the UK.
The company also has plans to launch in Kampala, the capital of Uganda by 2030 and is in discussions with 10 other cities around the world.
The autonomous pods can carry around 16 passengers at once, and measure approximately 2.2m in width, 2.8m in height, and 4m in length.
They can be booked via an Uber-style app, while a travel card system would be used for people without smartphones. Powered by electric batteries and motors, the pods can reach 80kph at maximum speed.
According to O’Grady, the technology costs 50% less than conventional urban rail systems, he explains, while it can be deployed in half the time. The mechanics are pre-made in a factory.
To install the elevated system, the railway pile can be implemented with the components built around it. This would reduce the lead-time for installation, according to O’Grady.
On the ground level, the pods could run on a track or be routed along a pre-designated journey, he explains.
“A lot of the problem with the construction of railways or connectors is that they go on so long and they disrupt the current infrastructure when they’re going in.”
On the ground level, the pods could run on a track or be routed along a pre-designated journey, he goes on.
One benefit is flexibility, O’Grady says. If the system was changed or removed, it just needs to be “unbolted” from the ground, leaving “no scar where the old rail system was installed”, he asserts.
It would also be possible to have a hybrid system, starting with a ground railway and then later upgrading to the elevated network if there’s higher demand.”
Another advantage of the elevated system is that the ground level is opened up for cycleways or ‘green corridors’ (urban walkways that are populated with greenery).
The vehicles can be powered by solar canopies at the stops, which the company bills as “environmentally responsive.” In areas of warmer or colder climates, they can be adapted to provide shelter for passengers as they wait.
Urban.MASS’s launch date for the Shildon system is 2025 when it will be installed at the National Railway Museum.
The North East England location will be Urban. Mass’s first working prototype for the system, consisting of three stations at ground-level and above-ground.
“Local people might be skeptical but everyone was skeptical about Stephenson’s engine back in 1825 as well. People thought that traveling at 30mph would make your body parts fall off!”
“It’s almost 200 years since the UK invented passenger rail – it’s time to once again set a new global precedent and upend the status quo of transport,” adds O’Grady.
Project: The Floc
Designers: Urban.Mass
Architects/Engineers: Grimshaw and WSP
Manufacturer: Urban.Mass
