In the 23rd Century, you can use these in the domed city, if you are under 30.
Posted on 02/04/2015 6:02:52 AM PST by smokingfrog
“Other than than there’s nothing bizarre here, just another coastal urbanite mass transit scheme that might be a good idea to build in a region with sufficient population density to support it, but would be delusional to build anywhere else.”
The interstate and intercontinental designs have real promise, technologically speaking and with respect to economics. A trucker-cargo version could drastically lower delivery times with cargoes moving at up to six times the speed of sound. Travel time between Los Angeles and New York City for a cargo truck load dropping to an hour and less. The cost of energy/fuel drops to a fraction of current costs. The cost of the infrastructure is a problem, but surface construction under an overfill may address some of those problems. Intercontinental transport times can be reduced from weeks to hours. So, the use of such systems for the transport of cargo could become more important than the transport of passengers.
I think that the tube stays evacuated and there are locks at both ends. The train stays in one lock which gets evacuated. The train speeds to the other end and is in a lock which gets re-pressurized.
The trick is building a tunnel that long that does not gain pressure somewhere. Even tunnels under rivers and bays leak a little.
Compressing air generates quite a bit of heat too. Factor in the cost of some type of cooling system, unless they have a way to capture it and use it.
Yes, but this uses Flux Capacitors so it’s really wicked cool!!
Been discussed years ago.
Not bad idea, as it goes, but would you really want to be in an underground tube in California?
Come to think of it, would you want to be in California?
For some odd reason "high speed rail' proposals always pass through state capitals?
After navigating a crazy quilt route, the cargo may not make it.
I.G.Y- Donald Fagen
Standing tough under stars and stripes
We can tell
This dream’s in sight
You’ve got to admit it
At this point in time that it’s clear
The future looks bright
On that train all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
Ninety minutes from New York to Paris
Well by seventy-six we’ll be A.O.K.
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
Get your ticket to that wheel in space
While there’s time
The fix is in
You’ll be a witness to that game of chance in the sky
You know we’ve got to win
Here at home we’ll play in the city
Powered by the sun
Perfect weather for a streamlined world
There’ll be spandex jackets one for everyone
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
On that train all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
Ninety minutes from New York to Paris
(More leisure for artists everywhere)
A just machine to make big decisions
Programmed by fellows with compassion and vision
We’ll be clean when their work is done
We’ll be eternally free yes and eternally young
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
Technical issues aside, it comes down to economics. It makes absolutely no sense to build something like this - even if it worked perfectly every time. An airliner (operated by a private for profit company) can get you to where you want to go at 535 miles per hour. Speed of sound = 768 mph ("Almost" lowers this to 700 maybe) so crossing the country 2700 miles is 3.85 hours at the tube, and 5.04 hours at airline speed or a savings of 1.189 hours.
Now cost. Commuter rail cost $70,000,000 per mile on average in 1999 dollars or $269 billion in 2014 dollars. This tunnel/tube would easily cost 5 times as much or over a trillion dollars just for the basic infrastructure to save 1 hour and 11 minutes. overall commuter rail summary here Godd article on the real costs of public transport
Albany = capital of NY, Sacramento = cap of CA
Economics, really? Do the math before you make such a ridiculous statement.
Well, when there’s an incident, there won’t be any need of first responders since everyone will be liquified goo on impact.
And forget about a safe ride during an earthquake, severe storm, tornado or other natural event since the induced vibrations will be enough to disrupt the tube structure & cause an incident... see above for results.
Any mechanical, systemic, or local failure to the system will also lead to a goo brigade.
Thanks, I’ll pass says the aerospace engineer.
The first responders will be on the train and killed in the wreck to save time.
The $269 billion figure was for 2700 miles not per mile as might have been implied by the post.
The point of transportation is usually to get from one end of the trip to the other, not to spend any time hangin’ out in between.
Which recalls a quip...
“Bypasses are devices that allow some people to dash from point A to point B very fast while other people dash from point B to point A very fast. People living at point C, being a point directly in between, are often given to wonder what’s so great about point A that so many people from point B are so keen to get there, and what’s so great about point B that so many people from point A are so keen to get there. They often wish that people would just once and for all work out where the hell they wanted to be.” - Douglas Adams, H2G2
You’ve stated a very basic problem. In essence there would be little difference between a vehicle traveling in a tube and a piston traveling in a cylinder.
Traveling in a vacuum may solve the problem, but maintaining a vacuum creates problems others here have discussed, not to mention the fact the passenger vehicle would have to be pressurized.
Imagine an accident where the vehicle breaks open exposing the passengers to the vacuum? I see the probability of the passengers exploding.
I am guessing 2 tubes are needed for 2 way traffic.
How many bullets can travel in this tube at once?
Don’t need a vacuum. Just blow at one end and suck at the other.
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