Gravitator
Half the Cost
Twice the speed
In a Nutshell
Gravitator is a high speed, underground mass transit shuttle, traveling up to 2 miles, in less time than an elevator ride.
Faster than any existing mode of urban travel.
So quick, there’s no need to bother sitting down.
It makes new and developed sites vastly more accessible—and valuable.
Construction costs are less than half those of a conventional subway
Featured Gravitators
Construction Cost: $1.88 Billion
Fare: $20
Daily Ridership: 25,000
Internal Rate of Return: 9%
This is a high-speed shuttle to connect an airport (LaGuardia Airport, New York City) with two intersecting subway stations (74th Street-Broadway and Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights), to reduce travel times to and from the airport, especially to and from the central business district (Lower and Midtown Manhattan). The combined subway-connector trip to midtown would be faster (and less expensive) than a cab at most times of day and 30 to 50 minutes faster than transit today (via bus and subway).
Gravitator Construction Cost: $335 million
Value Added to Office Rent: $15 per square foot
New Office Space Supported by Gravitator: 3 million square feet
Internal Rate of Return: 10%
A high-speed shuttle effectively makes this large waterfront site adjacent to a major subway and railroad station, and thereby enables a large, high-value office development. The lobby and main entrance would be on a site adjoining Grand Central Terminal (such as 175 Park Ave). The shuttle would be shorter than an elevator ride, making the additional travel time virtually unnoticeable to most workers and visitors.
Construction Cost: $640 million
Fares: $10 peak, $5 off-peak
Daily Ridership: 50,000
Internal Rate of Return: 17%
This is a high-speed shuttle to connect two large, independent train stations that serve different parts of the New York City region (Penn Station serving New Jersey and Long Island and Grand Central Terminal serving Connecticut and the northern suburbs) and to connect the two large and growing business hubs surrounding each station. It replaces a 5-15 minute cab ride or a 10-15 minute subway trip with a reliable 60 second ride.
