$68M in ULTra Funding! - March 12, 2002

Back to ULTra: Test track, AVI clip, images, press coverage

From Cardiff City to the Welsh National Assembly to the Parliment of United Kingdom to the European Union, the depth of support for the ULTra project is quite thorough:

1. 1km Test Track

Completion of this $5M track program with 3 vehicles is funded by the U.K. central government.

NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) funds business development. DETR (Department of the Transport, Environment and the Regions) funds the test track and vehicles. DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) funded the prototype vehicle. The city / county of Cardiff has provided land for the project. Test and system validation work is ongoing at the site. Deputy Mayor Priday's January 17, 2002, speech is now available and underscores the level of commitment the government is providing.

2. Stage 0 - see 237KB map

The National Assembly of Wales (NAW) has authorized into law $30M for a fully operational passenger system with 2 to 3 km of guideway and approximately 30 vehicles. See the Cardiff Capital Times article. 5 or more stations are planned, including the NAW building, Cardiff County Hall, Cardiff Bay rail station, and the new Millenium Center. First passenger date is projected in 2 to 3 years.

3. The European Union Research Directorate has committed $3M funding for academic research and planning studies in Sweden, Holland, Italy and Cardiff. See these two speeches.

4. Stage 1 - see 237KB map

NAW has stated their support for approximately 5 km more of guideway to connect to Cardiff Central rail station and Cardiff city center. Stage 1 adds more stations and more vehicles. The cost is $30MM, keeping to the important PRT cost target of $10M per mile.