And it’s shutting down (mostly) Oct. 15. The Personal Rapid Transit system, established in the 1980s, connects Duke’s hospital and outpatient clinics, via a single-car, electro-magnetic “magic carpet ride.” Portions of the track are underground, making it the only underground transportation system in North Carolina.
The N&O has the obit:
The tram system has been Mathews’ life for three decades. When he describes how the system works — by electric current and a magnetic field he likens to a “magic carpet ride,” his voice swells with the sort of pride usually reserved for a proud parent on a child’s graduation day. He expects a bit of melancholy to set in next month, because he and Burke have seen the system through from cradle to grave.
