Thaths wrote:
I am not convinced that such cable cars are scalable, desirable or efficient for mass public transit. Take the biggest cities in the world: Shanghai, Lagos, Beijing, Moscow, Delhi, Istanbul, Tokyo, New York, etc. The megacities that are not nightmares to commute in are ones which have a well-functioning metro rail system.
I concur. I also agree with Rajesh that a Von Roll system with a single cable clamp support is also unacceptable. (Disney took theirs out despite not having a single failure in over 40 years.)
But I am unable to refute those who say that Mumbai cannot at present afford an underground. That requires a stable and substantial tax base and a sufficient population to purchase fares ... and the matching political will. I leave this question to those who know the city and its politics.
So we're talking about a system that is, by definition, sub-optimal engineering. But as engineering is the art of the possible, this is properly considered one more constraint on the design.
The big question I haven't heard an answer to yet is the THRC for the system: Theoretical Hourly Ride Capacity. If this is small and the cycle time (from one station to the other and back, including boarding) is short, a single or double car system could be enough. If the capacity needed is large and the cycle time long, then the problem gets interesting.
So, anyone care to guess what the peak usage might be if it were priced at a premium over surface transit?
Cheers, / Bruce /
