Design class looks up
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LAFAYETTE — At first glance, the conceptual design for a new rail transit system in Lafayette might bring to mind the futuristic television cartoon “The Jetsons.”
The vision of commuters zipping around in driverless pods above city streets takes a while to set in, especially in a state not known for innovations in public transportation.
But a group of industrial design students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has developed the rudiments of an automated, elevated railway system that they hope will be the future of mass transit in the city.
“I think we have reached the point of having a valid design for the population of Lafayette,” ULL industrial design professor Jerry Malinowski said.
He has led students the past five years in developing the system through the Transit Design Studio, which works with municipal planning groups across the state on improving public transportation.
The basic idea is a small passenger pod that attaches at its side to an elevated rail system with a mechanical arm that raises and lowers the pod to allow passengers to get on and off.
The design is influenced in part by existing rail systems, including the more than century-old monorail in Wuppertal, Germany, in which passenger cars travel under a suspended track.
“Since 1903, they have had one accident, and that was a crane falling on it,” said Andrew Rudolph, a ULL industrial design student who has been working on the project.
He said the advantage of an elevated rail system is the ability to develop the land beneath the track, possibly for parks, walkways or bike paths.
Malinowski said the design team also looked to existing automated railways for guidance on how to keep the system flowing without drivers.
In search of materials that were both strong and light, the design team drew from the aviation and aerospace industries.
The lightweight design is cheaper to manufacture, does not require a massive support structure and requires less energy to move the cars along the track, Malinowski said.
The students found an unlikely influence in the carnival industry when researching the rail and how to attach the pod to it.
“Basically, what we’re talking about is a roller-coasterlike structure,” Rudolph said.
Malinowski said he has always been impressed with carnival rides that can be quickly assembled yet provide strength and stability under high stress.
Perhaps the most novel aspect of the design is a large mechanical arm that would raise and lower the rail cars for passengers to load and unload.
The arm allows the car to touch down anywhere for pick-ups or drop-offs, whether there is a rail station or not, said ULL industrial design student Matt Curtis.
“I think it’s a great concept,” said ULL mechanical engineering professor William Emblom. “… A cross between the concept of a cable car and some of the amusement rides and a very light rail system.”
The design team’s work has been limited to extensive research and small models of how the system might work.
Malinowski said he is hoping to secure about $5 million for a five-year study to build a working prototype.
He said the prototype would run only a short distance but would allow engineers and designers to work out the kinks while building public interest in the project.
Malinowski said the long-term plan is to develop a rail system that could be adapted for other cities in the state.
Lafayette City-Parish Planning Manager Mike Hollier said he plans to shop the idea around for government funding after detailed cost estimates are worked out.
“We could keep playing around with it, but we need serious research and development,” Hollier said.
He said the system could probably be built for about $10 million a mile and could be more economical than the bus system, considering the recurring cost of buying and maintaining buses and the damage the massive vehicles do to roads, not to mention expenses for personnel and fuel.
“The fuel and the driver are really the most costly aspect of a transit system,” Hollier said.
As the team seeks funding for a prototype, work continues on the details, including the name.
A few ideas have been considered: skyway, sky pod, lift line, light ride, lift metro.
“The last thing we want is a bad name,” said ULL industrial design student Joey Benoit, who is also researching signs and logos.
The name and the look of the rail system are crucial to winning over a population that has traditionally avoided public transportation, Malinowski said.
“It’s always difficult to get people to change,” he said.
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