The transportation within the venue of the Expo in Aichi surely has left deep impressions on visitors for its humanity, environment-consciousness and modernization.

convenient walkway system

One of the key goals of the Expo was to create a link between the exhibits and the visitors. The Global Loop, built within Nagakute, the main site, and connecting the six large pavilions , was surely a unique feature of the Expo. The loop was constructed in the hilly area where the Youth Park was originally located. The main frame was built with steel, while the surface and railing utilized 3R (reduce, recycle and reuse) materials donated by the people of Aichi. The careful design blended in with the natural surroundings harmoniously, to facilitate the removal and restoration work on the one hand, and take full advantage of natural resources on the other hand. The Global Loop linked the main entrances, exits and exhibits within the venue. Guiding maps and clear signage were provided at each entrance and exit as well as along the loop, which helped visitors arrange their tours accordingly.

comfortable transportation facilities

The host of the Expo established a comfortable transportation system within the venue: elevators and escalators were installed at the entrances to each pavilion and in the loop, as well as at the conjunction of the west gate and the loop. There were even parallel escalators installed from the group parking lot to the entrance.

Each of the loop trams running along the Global loop were composed of 3 cars. Low floors were adopted for the convenience of the disabled, elderly and children. 4 pedicab stops were set along the loop. With so many“man-powered taxis”of different colors and forms running on the streets, it was really quite a scene.

In addition, there was still another kind of vehicle for sightseeing operating in the venue—a telpher, one line of which connected the south pavilion and the north pavilion with the main site, and another that ran between Nagakute, the main site, and Seto, the division site.

The environment-friendly transportation system

An observant visitor might notice that all transport vehicles in the venue were environmental friendly. Besides the above-mentioned transport facilities driven by man power and electricity, there were other modern environmental friendly transportation systems in the venue. One of them was the Intelligent Multimode Transportation System (IMTS), which depended on an unmanned automatic operation and used clean, compressed natural gas as fuel. Applying the most advanced technology, three buses operated in line automatically under the control of an electronic system. The buses operated on a dedicated route connecting the North Gate Station, West Gate Station, and the EXPO Dome Station. At every other meter along the dedicate route, there was an electronic device used to guide the the bus. Another system was a fuel cell hybrid bus. Except for a higher roof, the bus looked just like an ordinary bus.But this bus was equipped with a fuel cell of high-pressure hydrogen gas and secondary (hydrogen-nickel) batteries that drove the motor, which only produced harmless exhaust(just water, no harmful gases like CO2). Anohter remarkable feature of the bus was how quiet it was. Except for the sound resulting from friction between the wheels and the ground, it made no noise like ordinary buses. The bus travelled between Nagakute, the main site, and the Seto site, with a maximum speed of 80 km per hour.

Specialized transit system

Within the venue, there were paths specially designed for transit. Major traffic and transportation lines were constructed under the Global Loop. Additionally, a few dedicated lines were placed in the exhibit areas, far away from the loop. Paths for vehicles and for pedestrians were clearly separated, which prevented any cases of vehicles and pedestrians walking on the same path.

At the same time, the transport of goods was conducted mostly when the Expo was closed in the evening and night, which accounted for the sparse traffic running on the roads. These designs and measures not only guaranteed regular transit within the venue, but also gave visitors a sense of peace and being within nature, which fully demonstrated the theme of the Expo----Nature’s Wisdom.

Notes on the pictures:

1、The Global Loop---the main walkway system connecting the six global commons.

2、parallel escalators installed from the group parking area to the entrance.

3、elevators at the entrance and exit to the loop.

4、trams running along the loop.

5、parking lot outside the exhibit site for private cars, motorcycles and bicycles.

6、The telphers

7、The Intelligent Multimode Transportation System (IMTS), which was automatic used and clean compressed natural gas as fuel.