Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit
| Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Morgantown PRT vehicle near Beechurst Avenue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Morgantown, West Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transit type | Personal rapid transit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of lines | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of stations | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daily ridership | 16,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Began operation | 1975 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | West Virginia University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System length | 3.6 mi (5.8 km): 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | concrete guideway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (WVU PRT) is a personal rapid transit (PRT) system in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The system connects the three Morgantown campuses of West Virginia University (WVU) and the city's downtown area.
Developed from the Alden staRRcar and built by a consortium led by Boeing Vertol, the driverless system was a government-funded experiment in PRT systems. Upon its opening in 1975 with three stations, it had a fitful start, being three years behind schedule and costing 3–4 times more than estimated. It was expanded in 1978 to its current five stations, two maintenance depots, and over 70 vehicles. Like all PRT systems, stations are built on sidings, which allows vehicles to bypass stations and permits express trips between any two stations.
While the system achieved reliability upwards of 98% for most of its life, its reliability declined in the 2000s – dipping to 90% by 2015 – and it gained a reputation for unreliability. In response, a renewal project was approved in 2012, which has so far replaced the vehicle control and propulsion systems, replaced parts of the power supply, and repaired other infrastructure. A new vehicle control system was commissioned in 2018, and the vehicle fleet is also being replaced.
The system has operated reliably, and is in full operational service as of 2021, transporting students and staff daily.