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The idea you can bore tunnels and seal them with vacuum for cheaper than high speed rail is totally bonkers. I assume hyperloop involves flinging vehicles throu
by Tloewald 13y ago
The idea you can bore tunnels and seal them with vacuum for cheaper than high speed rail is totally bonkers. I assume hyperloop involves flinging vehicles through the air and thus avoiding the biggest expenditure.
- shabble 13y agoHow much do (surface level) large-bore oil/gas pipelines cost? There's not necessarily a requirement to place it underground. The biggest saving over rail is probably the much lighter weight of the capsules, which should require much less ground prep and foundations than laying rail that can support tens/hundreds of tons.
- dasmoth 13y agoOne problem with rail is that there are established companies (often with highly-unionized workforces) that build them. And, at least in some juristictions, lots and lots of rules and safety standards, some of them dating back a long time. Building something that doesn't have to fit within railway rules, and which you can build yourself using workers you've hired and trained de novo might well end up looking quite attractive on paper, even if the resulting system isn't fundamentally better than a "normal" railway. The political feasibility of such a project is another matter.
- joezydeco 13y agoCorrection: bore tunnels through earthquake territory. I took one look at this ET3 picture and I thought "C'mon, Musk is smarter than this."