The non-stop train idea

[chuckywang]

Someone in China proposed this idea for a train that doesn't stop between stations. I find this a very interesting idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DfDOlUXEBo

Everything is in Chinese but the video itself is self-explanatory.

 

[crab]

CB radio is back!

 

[K1052]

Looks like more trouble than it's worth and not practical for the developed world where there are serious clearance issues due to existing infrastructure.

 

[her209]

Someone should do this for rollercoasters.

 

[chuckywang]

Looks like more trouble than it's worth and not practical for the developed world where there are serious clearance issues due to existing infrastructure.

It doesn't look like it will take that big of a space to me. It's much smaller than an airport.

 

[K1052]

It doesn't look like it will take that big of a space to me. It's much smaller than an airport.

Vertical clearances (utilities, viaducts, tunnels, etc).

 

[brxndxn]

Stupid idea.. riddled with flaws.. and I don't feel like offering solutions.

 

[palswim]

Stupid idea.. riddled with flaws.. and I don't feel like offering solutions.

Nice.

It would be quite an engineering challenge, but I like the idea! It's definitely one drawback to trains at the moment.

 

[WA261]

people are still having to get on and off a car. i don't see the point. how is it unlike what we do now. train stops you get on, train moves to destination. Seems like a waste.

 

[silverpig]

people are still having to get on and off a car. i don't see the point. how is it unlike what we do now. train stops you get on, train moves to destination. Seems like a waste.

Obviously to remove the start/stop delay...

 

[WA261]

Obviously to remove the start/stop delay...

Yeah, I get that, but is it really worth the effort and cost for a minute or 2?

 

[silverpig]

Yeah, I get that, but is it really worth the effort and cost for a minute or 2?

At some point it's worth the cost and effort to build a train as opposed to say, driving, so yeah, at some point it might be.

 

[Leros]

Yeah, I get that, but is it really worth the effort and cost for a minute or 2?

If you look at really crowded areas like Tokyo, where you are moving millions of people a day on trains, then yes it probably is.

 

[You could say]

It would have to be ridiculously slow to avoid injuries.

 

[coldmeat]

So the passenger car would be leaving whether people are fully on or not? What happens when the train is coming but the passenger car is not ready?

 

[Leros]

So the passenger car would be leaving whether people are fully on or not? What happens when the train is coming but the passenger car is not ready?

They would time it so it works....

 

[destrekor]

That's pretty neat.

I don't doubt in the coming decade or two, East-Asia and Europe both implement some seriously insane cross-continental train systems, and locally, have something like this.

Those regions are rapidly advancing in terms of transportation. It's just not feasible here, for reasons that I don't care to explain for the eleventybillionth time, because right now I don't feel like typing up a characteristic destrekor novel-length post. 😉

Now... where was I.
Oh yeah, loading up Dirt 2. ^_^

 

[sygyzy]

So the passenger car would be leaving whether people are fully on or not? What happens when the train is coming but the passenger car is not ready?

What do you mean "but the passenger car is not ready." What does that mean? Does ready mean full of cars? There are trains, planes, and automobiles that travel everyday that are not full. If you don't get on the train in time, you miss it. This is not difficult.

 

[You could say]

They would time it so it works....

By timing, im guessing you mean they would stop people from boarding moments before the train arrives?

 

[dighn]

So the passenger car would be leaving whether people are fully on or not? What happens when the train is coming but the passenger car is not ready?

PEOPLE DIE

i imagine the passenger car would have to signal ready long before the train arrives, or it'd do an auto stop. or some even more fancy mechanism to conditionally latch onto the train. actually that's probably needed anyway because this is too complicated to not use some kind of fine control.

it's a clever and interesting idea, though i don't know. trains accelerate pretty fast already. there's an upper bound to the acceleration dictated by comfort level and I imagine it's not too far off the current acceleration capabilities of trains. this seems overly complicated. priorities might shift so that efficiency would become a bigger factor, but I think acceleration capabilities of trains would increase as well.

 

[Leros]

By timing, im guessing you mean they would stop people from boarding moments before the train arrives?

In the same way that a train now closes the doors and drives away.

 

[coldmeat]

What do you mean "but the passenger car is not ready." What does that mean? Does ready mean full of cars? There are trains, planes, and automobiles that travel everyday that are not full. If you don't get on the train in time, you miss it. This is not difficult.

What if there is so many people trying to get on that the door can't shut?

Or another thing, what if someone is in the way, and the train is speeding towards the station?

I've never ridden a subway so maybe I'm completely off about how these things work.

 

[Leros]

What if there is so many people trying to get on that the door can't shut?

Or another thing, what if someone is in the way, and the train is speeding towards the station?

I've never ridden a subway so maybe I'm completely off about how these things work.

1) You add some time buffer

2) You have time to slow down the other train

This is not a complicated problem. Its probably already been solved by other train systems or some other network like system.

The trains would all be communicating with each other and dynamically changing their behavior.

 

[WA261]

Have you guys seen that video of some place in Asia where they are actually shoving/cramming people into the cars? Crazy shit.

 

[destrekor]

So the passenger car would be leaving whether people are fully on or not? What happens when the train is coming but the passenger car is not ready?

It isn't difficult to implement control systems, just like in every automatic train-style transport system, where... everything closes up in time prior to it being OH SHIT WE HAVE TO GO NOW time.

Doors automatically close at a certain point (where the train is a certain distance away, triggered systems removing human error from the equation). The doors are closed and locked for X amount of time, passengers sitting and giving time for the OH SHIT I MISSED IT people to clear the area. Then WHEEEEE! as the train-catching-car maneuver begins.

Same for the departing passengers from the moving train. Stairs for boarding open up basically LONG before reaching the next stage, basically right after that car is docked on the train. New passengers board main train, next stop passengers board the recently-docked car. Stair access locks after a certain point, a good X amount of time prior to the car detaching.

If people miss, people miss. The schedules and access times will be strictly controlled, and information made readily available, so mistakes in boarding/departure are strictly on the person making the mistake.
Just like at subway stations were idiots fall onto the tracks. It happens.