Zodiac Light Rail System

The Zodiac Light Rail System (LRS) is the primary method of rapidly transferring personnel on Zodiac-Class Star Fortresses. The system consists of the following components.

• LRS Carriage
• LRS Station
• LRS Rail
• LRS Carriage Maintenance
• LRS Control

The LRS Carriage is what the occupants of the station ride in. The frame is made of Durandium Alloy and the windows and doors are constructed out of Transparent Durandium. There is an entrance on either side of the carriage. The original concept was for the the LRS Carriage to use Mag-lev propulsion to move within the station, however the decision was made instead to use a conventional rail system due to concerns about system operation when the station gravity system was damaged. The carriages hold onto the top and bottom of the rail to keep them secure. They have a max speed of 105 kph (65 mph) but typically run at 50 kph (31.25 mph). The higher speed is normally reserved for when the station goes on alert to expedite personnel movement. There are four sideways facing bench seats 2.5 meters long, two additional benches at the front and back of the carriage and 6 vertical poles that can be used by personnel wishing to stand. There are also four lamp fixtures in the ceiling which can light up the interior.

Overall:

• Length: 8 meters (26.24 feet)
• Height: 3.25 meters (10.66 feet)
• Width: 3.25 meters (10.66 feet)

Passenger area:

• Length: 7.75 meters (25.42 feet)
• Height: 2.25 meters (7.38 feet)
• Width: 3. meters (9.84 feet)

• Isolated Computer Pad were added to the LRS Carriages to improve operation and efficiency.
• Voice Interface
• STATCOM Network terminal
• Passenger compartment camera

The exact layout of the LRS stations is determined by the particular Star Fortress it is operating in. However, they all feature these common traits. Each station has a platform on either side of the rails. The outer platform allows passengers to exit the rail system and head towards the bays. The inner platform allows passengers to exit and proceed to the shops.

The LRS Rails run along the outer edge of the concourse behind the shops and businesses. At the middle of each arm there are crossover points that allow carriages to cross to the other side of the arm. There are also pullout points to allow a carriage to pull over and let a priority carriage to pass.

This is where the LRS Carriages are serviced and repaired. The LRS operates continuous, so the carriages must be maintained on a regular basis. Carriage Maintenance is located in the core. It is directly below the switching area.

LRS Control is located on the Star Fortress Command Center. From here traffic patterns can be analyzed and carriage speed and numbers can be adjusted.

The LRS Switching Area is located in the core above the maintenance area. This is where carriages from the arms can be routed to other arms. This is also how additional carriages are added to the system, and carriages removed due to low traffic or damage.

Authored by Nashoba and approved by Wes on Jul 8, 2010 ¹⁾