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Cutbacks in Heathrow Airport's 5 year plan mean the airport's innovative driverless transit pods, currently serving Terminal 5, will not be extended to Terminal 2 under current plans.

Ultra's Richard Isles told the NewsCenter today that the Terminal 2 extension, which actually was to be a separate PRT system, was part of the 2014-19 capital plan submitted by Heathrow to both the airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK government regulator. CAA rejected the five year plan because it would increase costs to the airlines, which would be passed on to their customers. CAA told Heathrow to revise its costs downward, so cuts were made.

"The capital plan [has] been settled on and unfortunately it looks as though the second PRT system will not be included," Isles said. He said Ultra is exploring all-private funding for Terminal 2 pods.

In other Heathrow Pod news, Isles said the Terminal 5 Pod is now available for use by guests of The Thistle, a hotel near pod station B. Starting last fall, guests needing to go to Terminal 5 can do so for a £5 fare. About 1,000 Thistle guests are estimated to have used the pods so far.
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Martin V. Lowson passed away June 14 due to a stroke. He was 75.

Professor Lowson founded personal rapid transit maker Advanced Transport Systems Ltd., later renamed Ultra Global, in 1995, after a distinguished career that included the Apollo space program, where he led a team of over 50 staff. He served as Director of Corporate Development for the helicopter maker Westland, responsible for marketing the EH101 in Canada and for establishing two systems companies. Mr. Lowson was Chief Scientist at Westland, where he established and led the Westland Technology Demonstrator program. This generated the advanced rotor system, for which he is a patentee, now used on both Lynx and EH101 helicopters.

He became a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Logistics and Transport in 2003, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1991, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1986, and an overseas Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1993.

He was the Sir George White Professor of aerospace engineering at Bristol University when he conceived and developed Ultra. On May 8, 2013, the second anniversary of the launch of Ultra's Heathrow Pod transit system, Professor Lowson commented, "It is extremely satisfying, and testimony to the dedicated work of the whole Ultra team, to reach one million miles, fully driverless and two years full passenger service. Most satisfying of all is that the pod continues to delight its users."

• Bristol University

• Times Higher Education (subscription)

• Notice in The Times

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