DailyDirt: Trains, Trains, Trains. I've Got a Thing About Trains...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Wed, Aug 31st 2011 5:00pm — Michael Ho

Trains are an often over-looked form of transportation in the US. But trains are actually one of the most fuel-efficient ways to travel -- able to move a ton of freight over 400 miles on just one gallon of fuel. Here are just a few quick links on some cool train projects.

German trains will be powered by renewable energy (and no cheating by using nuclear power...!) by 2050. "That�s not just a declaration of intent. It�s a concrete business target." [url]
This video demonstrates the 'Moving Platforms' concept -- which lets train riders get on/off a moving train via a small transfer train. Prior art from the movies: riding up on a horse and jumping onto a moving train. [url]
Russia is seriously thinking about building an underground rail line between Siberia and Alaska. If completed, this $65 billion project would create the longest underwater tunnel in the world. [url]
To discover other interesting transportation-related content, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: alaska, moving platforms, renewable energy, russia, trains

10 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Jay (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 5:09pm

Older article:

San Diego is using Mag Levs.

I just wish I knew what as the main hold up to better technology in trains, in the US, in this day and age...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 5:18pm
  
  Re:
  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Beta (profile), 31 Aug 2011 @ 5:21pm

Heinlein did it (of course)
The "moving platform" is a neat theory, but there just seem to be too many things that can go wrong. On an ordinary train platform, if a passenger has trouble with the door (trips and falls, gets a sleeve caught on something, whatever) the crew notice and the train doesn't move until things are sorted out. If something goes wrong on this tandem train, the only thing to do is bring both trains to a stop-- if there's enough time before the tracks diverge. And don't even think about pranksters (or worse) with, say, some stout nylon rope.

Anyway, Heinlein wrote "The Roads Must Roll" in 1940. Think of a subway with no trains, just several wide conveyor belts running side-by-side at different speeds. Step from the platform to the slowest belt, then walk across to the next faster one, then the next. Get going as fast as you want, and when you approach your destination stop (or city), reverse the process. Partitions mounted on some belts keep the wind from getting too severe. Oh, and the point of the story was that anyone who can shut down your transportation network has a dangerous amount of power over society.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Mudlock, 31 Aug 2011 @ 5:26pm

Yeah, great idea; build a train tunnel to Nome. Only one problem: There are no train tracks (or roads) that come out of Nome.

Oh, and no train tracks from Alaska to the rest of the US (and only one road).

I thought this crazy scheme had died five years ago; why is it surging in popularity again all of a sudden?

Following sources back...
http://inhabitat.com/russia-green-lights-65-billion-siberia-alaska-rail-and-tunnel-to-bridg e-the-bering-strait/2/

...and back again...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1680121.ece

By line: 2007! It DID die five years ago!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
6, 31 Aug 2011 @ 8:31pm

What is the point between the bridge to alaska? Once they're in Alaska they still pretty much have to take a plane down to the states. I mean... you can do it by vehicle, but come on, who does that?

From all of Russia's recent words it seems like they just want to encourage some illegal immigration from their country to ours lol.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 11:21pm

Truck drivers do, the article said there it was not aimed at travel but cargo transport.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 11:21pm

How will people board that train?
It is fine if you are already travelling but at some point one train must stop to get new people from the stations no?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Martin, 1 Sep 2011 @ 3:45am

German trains will be powered by renewable energy (and no cheating by using nuclear power...!) by 2050.

The Swiss Federal Railways have similar plans. As of today, Swiss trains are powered by 75% renewable energy.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
btrussell (profile), 1 Sep 2011 @ 5:06am

"But trains are actually one of the most fuel-efficient ways to travel -- able to move a ton of freight over 400 miles on just one gallon of fuel."

What are planes? 40 ft?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
last minute flights, 2 Sep 2011 @ 12:00am

Good Information Shared
Train is the best travel medium in terms of luxury, economic and comfort. I always prefer to travel in the train rather than buses or other medium. I gather some good aspect about the train regarding news from this post. Under water train from Siberia to Alaska sound really strange and impressive. Thanks for this post.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]