3 ms·

Air travel is nearing capacity and will soon reach its peak. High-speed rail and tubes are the future of transport.

jug6ernaut 14y ago
For smaller high density countries i would agree yes. For larger more spread out countries high-speed rail systems(assuming your referring to maglev) are simply to expensive at the current time. I have no idea what you are referring to by tubes though.
- snogglethorpe 14y ago
  > I have no idea what you are referring to by tubes though. Probably a reference to Elon Musk's recent claim that he had come up with some secret technology that could dramatically improve long distance transportation, with much (much) higher speed, lower energy usage, and (much) lower cost than conventional HSR. Unfortunately the only detail Musk would give was a very hand-wavy reference to "tubes," and a subsequent clarification that he didn't mean the usual sort of "evacuated tube transport" people have talked about for ages and ages. Based on all the discussion I've seen, though, it seems pretty likely it's just a vague idea Musk had that he didn't bother to think through, and it will fall apart when he tries to fill in the details...
- yk 14y ago
  Unfortunately I do not find the link, but there was the proposal to build (at least partially) evacuated tunnels between cities. This would reduce air drag and therefore energy consumed, particularly at high speeds. ( This is of course 1950 SF tech.)
- smacktoward 14y ago
  You're assuming the network has to cover the whole of the low-density country. The United States is an overall low-density country with high-density regions within it. The average density is pushed down by huge swaths of effectively empty territory between those regions. Using HSR to facilitate movement within the high-density regions can make sense, even if using it to facilitate movement from one high-density region to another doesn't.
eroded 14y ago
Have fun making a train that does San Francisco to New York in 6 hours.
- debacle 14y ago
  I'm terrified if flying, but I'd be about a thousand times more terrified of riding that train.
- Radim 14y ago
  Hah! And how about... a big train?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agFWob0E7ns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agFWob0E7ns
mchusma 14y ago
High speed rail should be the first to go. Robotic, electric cars (coming in the very short term) allow for point to point travel at equal speeds. The efficiency may be somewhat lower by mass, but not to any extent that people will care. At least air travel is much faster than cars or rail. This makes for a funny* situation regarding things like CA high speed rail plan for SF to LA which is currently slated for completion in 2028. If this turns out to be 10 years after the first commercial robotic car, it will likely be obsolete prior to its first run. *Depends on your sense of humor.
- pilom 14y ago
  I don't really believe your "equal speeds" claim. No robotic electric car will be able to use today's infrastructure at 200+ MPH.

For smaller high density countries i would agree yes. For larger more spread out countries high-speed rail systems(assuming your referring to maglev) are simply to expensive at the current time. I have no idea what you are referring to by tubes though.

snogglethorpe 14y ago
> I have no idea what you are referring to by tubes though. Probably a reference to Elon Musk's recent claim that he had come up with some secret technology that could dramatically improve long distance transportation, with much (much) higher speed, lower energy usage, and (much) lower cost than conventional HSR. Unfortunately the only detail Musk would give was a very hand-wavy reference to "tubes," and a subsequent clarification that he didn't mean the usual sort of "evacuated tube transport" people have talked about for ages and ages. Based on all the discussion I've seen, though, it seems pretty likely it's just a vague idea Musk had that he didn't bother to think through, and it will fall apart when he tries to fill in the details...
yk 14y ago
Unfortunately I do not find the link, but there was the proposal to build (at least partially) evacuated tunnels between cities. This would reduce air drag and therefore energy consumed, particularly at high speeds. ( This is of course 1950 SF tech.)
smacktoward 14y ago
You're assuming the network has to cover the whole of the low-density country. The United States is an overall low-density country with high-density regions within it. The average density is pushed down by huge swaths of effectively empty territory between those regions. Using HSR to facilitate movement within the high-density regions can make sense, even if using it to facilitate movement from one high-density region to another doesn't.

eroded 14y ago

Have fun making a train that does San Francisco to New York in 6 hours.

debacle 14y ago
I'm terrified if flying, but I'd be about a thousand times more terrified of riding that train.
Radim 14y ago
Hah! And how about... a big train?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agFWob0E7ns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agFWob0E7ns

mchusma 14y ago

High speed rail should be the first to go. Robotic, electric cars (coming in the very short term) allow for point to point travel at equal speeds. The efficiency may be somewhat lower by mass, but not to any extent that people will care. At least air travel is much faster than cars or rail. This makes for a funny* situation regarding things like CA high speed rail plan for SF to LA which is currently slated for completion in 2028. If this turns out to be 10 years after the first commercial robotic car, it will likely be obsolete prior to its first run. *Depends on your sense of humor.

pilom 14y ago
I don't really believe your "equal speeds" claim. No robotic electric car will be able to use today's infrastructure at 200+ MPH.