Atomic Systems

http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/05/china- ... -make.html

Non-stop - trains.

I don't see this ever being built.

The Chinese academics seem to regularly put out these press releases, where they unveil some ridiculous new public transport concept. I think it might either be their local version of April Fools, or else a way of saying "we thought of it first" in the (very unlikely) event that one of them actually gets implemented.

The West isn't entirely immune to this syndrome either, but it tends to be either lone crackpots (who are usually easily recognised as such), or outright criminals who are operating a pump-and-dump scheme (and are also easily recognised as such by anyone with an ounce of sense - note the Holman Horror). Or serious science fiction authors, who tend to have made a name for themselves already and are thereby excused their fantasies.

Now to the impracticalities: you can bet your left nipple that one day, a passenger will be too slow getting through the doorway when it becomes time to disconnect the cabin fom either the train or the platform. Assuming the door is held open and the latches closed in this circumstance, does everyone in the cabin now miss their stop or their train? I don't see an alternative, unless the train slows down so early that it could completely stop at the station. (And that's assuming the technology can be made to work safely in the first place.)

Finally, this isn't actually all that much of a new idea. Half of it was already done by the GWR in the form of slip coaches. The problem I just mentioned was avoided by not having corridors across the gap that would be uncoupled (or, alternately, by closing the corridors well in advance).

Is the real world ready for such a concept?

Imagine the crush if 50% of the passengers all wanted to get off at the same stop.

Not forgetting the logistics of ensuring there's alway a shuttle carriage available at any one stop!!

I think a high speed moving walkway stands a better chance....

I'll never fit in the british loading gauge

Accelerating from standing still to 300kph in the length of a train would kill you.

Wouldn't the power used by the shuttle cancel out any saving made by the main train not stoping?

Accelerating from standing still to 300kph in the length of a train would kill you.

Depends if you're at the back of the carriage or not!

ianmacmillan wrote:Accelerating from standing still to 300kph in the length of a train would kill you.

For a train of 150 m it would only be about 2.4 g acceleration. Strong but perfectly survivable.

You can always make the train longer (200 m gives 1.8 g) or slow the train down a bit for pick ups/drop offs.

deadly wrote:

ianmacmillan wrote:Accelerating from standing still to 300kph in the length of a train would kill you.

For a train of 150 m it would only be about 2.4 g acceleration. Strong but perfectly survivable.

Yes, but you'd definitely want to be strapped in properly first, astronaut style. And that's not considering the elderly, disabled and very young.

Who'd have thought slip coaches would come back in to fashion.

Tim

Kromaatikse wrote:

deadly wrote:For a train of 150 m it would only be about 2.4 g acceleration. Strong but perfectly survivable.

Yes, but you'd definitely want to be strapped in properly first, astronaut style. And that's not considering the elderly, disabled and very young.

You'd only need to be strapped in roller-coaster style; They do up to 4 g and you've got nothing like the same vibration environment as as rocket.

I'm not saying it isn't a ridiculously impractical idea, but I am saying it's quite possible with the right set up.