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[OT] Video: Boarding a Train That Never Stops

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

Monday, June 23, 2008
15 years ago3,759 views

An interersting invention/ proposal for a train that won't stop in the station but still manages to take on board passengers. You can see the idea at about 40 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DfDOlUXEBo

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

That is unbelievably cool.

David Hetfield [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

This idea is really interesting..
But you really think it's practical?
I mean, the train won't stop.. like.. forever..?
Someone needs to fill her up right?
And if it'll work on power, well that's a damn waste of electricity..

I dunno..
This idea is really great, though it's not something we couldn't live without it..

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

David, the train doesn't stop during boarding, for stops during travel. That doesn't mean it won't ever stop I suppose...

David Hetfield [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

I see..

Reto Meier [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

[put at-character here]David, most modern trains in Europe / Japan are electic rather than diesel, so 'filling it up' is a non-issue. The big advantage in not stopping is tha massive efficiency gain you get from not having to slow down and speed up at every station. If you just keep going you get to take advantage of inertia rather than fight against it.

Plus it'll get people to their destinations much quicker, so that's a nice bonus.

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

Big problem.

The train needs to be long, to allow for acceleration and deceleration of the boarding capsule. But EVERY passenger must walk from the very back of the train through to the very front of the train during their journey, so that they will be able to get off.

It ain't gonna happen, because it won't work for older passengers or where people are carrying luggage.

Reto Meier [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

[put at-character here]Roger: I don't see that. After it gets 'picked up' every boarding capsule ends up in the same place. So you could make the train carriage under the 'rest' position of the capsule priority seating for older passengers and they wouldn't have to move.

Thinking a little more laterally, once it's attached there's no reason the boarding capsule can't move along the train under its own power, 'stopping' at each carriage and lettting people on and off before it finally detaches at the next station.

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

Second showstopper: every bridge along the route needs to be raised, making the project economically impractical. Heck, the UK can't even afford the engineering work needed to increase the width clearances so that standard shipping containers can be carried by train – and that work would be tiny compared to the rebuilding needed for this project.

It would be much cheaper to go to something even better like very frequent driverless single carriages being "packet-switched" to their destinations instead of being "driven".

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

Third showstopper: with only one capsule, it puts a severe limit on how many people can get on or off at any one station.

Sometimes there are popular stations where more people want to get off, or perhaps a big event like a football match means that most of the train wants to get off at the same place.

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