History

The Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system was designed and developed in the early 1970s by Boeing. On Oct. 24, 1972, the first phase of the PRT was dedicated. Phase I included 45 vehicles operating between Walnut Street and Evansdale. President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia, was on board for one of the first demonstration rides.

Phase II extended the tracks to the Health Sciences Center and added 28 more vehicles by July 1979.

Samy Elias, a former industrial engineering professor, oversaw the development of the PRT concept in the 1970s. In June 2004, the WVU Board of Governors officially adopted a resolution to rename the Engineering PRT station after Elias.

Boeing provides a historical snapshot of the journey from conception to reality.