That will make JTR drool

[CougTek]

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=19268

For all those years when he smashed our ears with this concept, it will finally materialize somewhere. Will it be enough to make you leave New York for China?

 

[MaxBurn]

Amazing.

I want to see how they solve the airlock problem with all the doors necessary to get people on and off.

 

[jtr1962]

All I can think to say for now is WOW! Seriously, I knew this concept was the future, but I honestly didn't expect to see a system built for at least another 50 years. If China can pull off a successful demo, then this idea can pretty much obsolete air travel. I'm obviously going to be following this very closely.

And yes, I may well leave NYC for China. I've said many times if NYC goes, there's really nowhere else in the US I would care to live, so I'll be looking to move out of the country. Since my neighborhood is already probably 50% Asian ( mostly Chinese with some Koreans ), I would probably feel pretty much at home in China. I love the cuisine but of course must learn the language.

 

[flagreen]

"The speed can be reached by making vacuum pipelines for maglev trains to run through, with no air resistance."

Boy, building that would be on a par with building the Great Wall. That's assuming such a thing could be even engineered to work. The whole thing is very questionable.

 

[sdbardwick]

Amazing.

I want to see how they solve the airlock problem with all the doors necessary to get people on and off.

I'd imagine that the loading/unloading of passengers would happen at atmospheric pressure stations. Airlocks would seal the transport tubes - having tight clearances between the train and the airlock tube walls would minimize vacuum loss.

I'm more interested in how they would deal with heat dissipation without air; radiation is not as efficient as convection.

 

[flagreen]

The train cars would have to be pressurized if the passengers are to breathe. How would you evacuate passengers if a train broke down between stations?

 

[jtr1962]

How would you evacuate passengers if a train broke down between stations?

The only possible modes of failure are loss of vacuum in the tube, or loss of magnetic field. Both are exceedingly unlikely. In fact, given the volume of the tube, it would take literally hours or longer to lose the vacuum even from a large leak, so plenty of time to get to the next station. Loss of magnetic field can be prevented with backup batteries and/or redundant suspension systems. The safest place to be in the event of a breakdown is to just remain in the train and wait to be rescued. Chances are good even in the event of power failure that the train could coast into the next station. That's the whole point of the system-to reduce friction. High-speed trains operating in the open air can coast a few dozen miles without power from top speed. A train like this could likely coast hundreds to thousands of miles by virtue of its higher speed and near-zero drag.

 

[ddrueding]

I am a big fan of this technology. Who was it that wanted to go from NYC to London in a semi-floating vacuum tunnel?

 

[sechs]

The only possible modes of failure are loss of vacuum in the tube, or loss of magnetic field.

Is it really a good idea to keep moving towards the next station if the train catches on fire?

And, by, "on fire," I mean "is quickly consuming the precious breathable air inside the train."

 

[ddrueding]

You bet. All else being equal, dealing with an emergency at a station is best for any subway accident.

 

[blakerwry]

I assume that the train cabin would be similar to a plane cabin. There are usually a minimum of 4 doors on any airliner cabin. If they solved the vacuum problem there, they can do it on the ground. Building train tunnels underground would probably be the best bet for keeping vacuum in the tunnel.

As with planes, crashes/catastrophic failure at speed are not a concern - as no one is expected to survive. If for some reason a train brakes down in the tunnel, just open the air locks at the nearest stations (or dedicated air lock/maintenance accesses) to let in fresh air. This will allow air for passengers as well as repairmen to access the train without special equipment/suits. The train can likely get a tow or move slowly under its own power with a non-vacuum tunnel. Even better, perhaps try to use the vacuum in the tunnel to pull the train in one direction or the other via deliberate opening of air locks.

 

[sechs]

You bet. All else being equal, dealing with an emergency at a station is best for any subway accident.

I guess, as blakerwry, it's not a concern....

 

[LunarMist]

The only possible modes of failure are loss of vacuum in the tube, or loss of magnetic field.

What would happen if the rail collapsed or were dislocated? How well does the train handle earthquakes?

 

[flagreen]

...Even better, perhaps try to use the vacuum in the tunnel to pull the train in one direction or the other via deliberate opening of air locks.

Seems someone else had the same idea. Check this out; http://www.daytonaelevator.com/Pneumatic Vacuum Elevator Main Page.htm

 

[ddrueding]

Seems someone else had the same idea. Check this out; http://www.daytonaelevator.com/Pneumatic Vacuum Elevator Main Page.htm

That is really cool. I have no idea what I would do with one, but I want to build one

 

[sechs]

History, people. History.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_Pneumatic_Transit