West Virginia University’s Personal Rapid Transit system will be undergoing some modernization improvements this summer.
In an effort to achieve PRT system upgrades, it will be necessary to shut down operations beginning May 5 with normal operations resuming Monday, August 11. This shutdown is needed for a variety of capital and maintenance projects. The capital projects include the repair of the tunnel near the Health Sciences Center and the retrofitting of the PRT vehicles with a new propulsion system.
Arlie Forman, associate director for transportation, sees this as an opportunity to make improvements to the system that has moved millions of passengers since opening in 1975.
“WVU is committed to a multi-phase plan that will cover a four-year span,” he said. “It is a $108-million project that will revitalize the PRT system and help with the system’s reliability and operational standards. We look forward to improving our ridership experience with these upgrades.”
During this shutdown period, the University will offer free bus shuttle service starting the week of May 12 that connects all campuses and provides pick-up and drop-off at current PRT stops. The shuttle service will operate Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Stops for the PRT Shuttle will be Mountaineer Station (Health Sciences stop) on Van Voorhis Road; Student Recreation Center (Towers stop), Engineering Loop (Engineering stop), Mountainlair (inbound towards downtown), Walnut Street at Chestnut Street, and Beechurst Station Loop (outbound towards Evansdale). A schedule for the shuttle route can be found at http://transportation.wvu.edu.
In addition to the PRT bus shuttle during the period, WVU students and employees are reminded that there is free access to the Mountain Line bus service with a valid WVU ID. For more information on Mountain Line routes and services, please go to their website at www.busride.org.
For more information regarding the PRT shutdown or the available shuttle services, please contact the Department of Transportation and Parking at (304) 293-5502.
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CONTACT: Department of Transportation and Parking
(304) 293-5502
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