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.

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

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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...
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 5:18pm

Re:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Aug 2011 @ 11:21pm

Truck drivers do, the article said there it was not aimed at travel but cargo transport.
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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?
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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.
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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?
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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.
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