Jim

This is really something. You would have to have your wits about you so you were on the right car.

Read how it works below, before viewing the video link.

A brilliant new Chinese train innovation - get on & off the bullet train without the train stopping.

No time is wasted. The bullet train is moving all the time. If there are 30 stations between Beijing and Guangzhou , just stopping and accelerating again at each station will waste both energy and time.

A mere 5 min stop per station (elderly passengers cannot be hurried) will result in a total loss of 5 min x 30 stations or 2.5 hours of train journey time!

How it works (read then view the movie - (the commentary is in mandarin):

1 . For those who are boarding the train: The passengers at a station embark onto to a connector cabin way before the train even arrives at the station. When the train arrives, it will not stop. It just slows down to pick up the connector cabin which will move with the train on the roof of the train.While the train is still moving away from the station, those passengers will board the train from the connector cabin mounted on the train's roof. After fully unloading all its passengers, the connector cabin will be moved to the back of the train so that the next batch of outgoing passengers who want to alight at the next station will board the connector cabin at the rear of the train roof.

2. For those who are getting off: As stated, after fully unloading all its passengers, the connector cabin will be moved to the back of the train so that the next batch of outgoing passengers who want to alight at the next station will board the connector cabin at the rear of the train roof. When the train arrives at the next station, it will simply drop the whole connector cabin at the station itself and leave it behind at the station. The outgoing passengers can take their own time to disembark at the station while the train has already left. At the same time, the train will pick up the incoming embarking passengers on another connector cabin in the front part of the train's roof. So the train will always drop one connector cabin at the rear of its roof and pick up a new connector cabin in the front part of the train's roof at each station.

3. This is called Innovative thinking: Any wonder that all the jobs are going East?

Code:

TheTrainThatNeverStops.wmv

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Jim

TheSidewinder

That's a great idea!

Effective deployment might be a hurdle, though.

I can just imagine the carnage if anything goes wrong at a transfer point.

Bentes

Now that's a fenomenal idea!

But what if there's 200 people to get out in a given station and there's only room for 100 in the connector cabin?

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freonchill

awesome

though, it does remind me of a video i saw once
they had found that if they were able to control cars with radios, that they could have a 16 lane intersection (4 lanes of traffic each direction, 4 directions) where the cars would keep going 50mph and have 0% accident rate. they said it would be helpful b/c sometimes it just costs too much to create a bridge/tunnel

i was awed that they could do that (but knowing that it would be 10+ years before we saw anything remotely significant) then i saw a comment that made perfect sense...

in the simulation, everyone was going straight
no lefts
no rights
just straight

kind of kills the point of the intersection now doesnt it?

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Jim

Well not really. Although it would take a considerable chunk of real estate you could put in a clover leaf design for those who want to change direction.

If they could really automate and avoid accidents at the intersection that would be cool! I bet traffic flow would be incredible.

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Jim

freonchill

jim,

no, i said no grade change (e.g. no cloverleaf)

like this

where there are 16 lanes in each side of the intersection
using computer controlled cars, there is no user control
though the problem that the commenter noticed:
there is no turning left/right/etc

Attached Images

 

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Jim

I understand but here's a simple solution using a cloverleaf at grade (no overpass required). I've only drawn one direction but you can see it offers an option for both Left & Right turns. The same is done for all directions.

Attached Images

 

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Jim

freonchill

true
but that would be inefficient
as you would have everyone piling-up in the right lane to either turn or to cycle
...
ironically, as that is the way that the interstate fails in Atlanta.
there are 4 lanes (up to 8) on the interstate
but half of the right lanes slow down due to ppl trying to get over to get off
either at exits, interchanges, or just being a-holes.
and then the rest of the interstate goes from 55-65 down to 35 to get off the exit (or "slide in")

but then again, the entire theory of the internal combustion engine is in-efficient
(compared to external combustion engine - e.g. the turbine)
so i guess we are all screwed in terms of efficiency.

there is also the issue that everything could be simple
such as Oklahoma, there is a 1mi grid
works great, its simple, its organized, its logical (except the naming scheme)
verses cities such as Atlanta (which grew from 5 different grids - and become a CLUSTER-FUXK when it all comes together. not to mention the sprawl of suburbia and the back and forth of rivers and streams).
or knoxville, which has I40 going through it WEST/EAST; I75 through it NORTH/SOUTH (though, disconnected and goes through I40 WEST/EAST through the city) and how there are 2 main WEST/EAST roads that get backed-up horribly if something is going on (e.g. the last day of college and the majority of 20k college kids try to get on I40/I75 all within a 4hr period)

guess im just down on traffic and inefficiency all together
nevermind me

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Jim

freon,

If the traffic were that heavy then 2 or more exit lanes would be required.

As for driving on the freeways in Atlanta, especially in rush hour, I agree it's a real pain. I've done it 2 or 3 times and never enjoyed a minute of it.

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Jim

freonchill

yea - the main problem is that they created the interstate in atlanta without regard for the surface streets... the exit that i live on, there are 2 left and 1 right lanes going south from 400, the problem is - there is too much traffic going west on the surface street, so its backed-up 4 miles east of 400. so everyone turning left (which ironically turns out onto the surface street into a lane that must turn right (into 3 apartment complexes and an office building - and a wafflehouse - go figure)

so the exit backs up to to next exit/entrance b/c they need 2 right lanes, that both would go NOWHERE!

the sad thing is, last summer when gas was $4 a gallon, traffic got WORSE, not better. after a month for $4 a gallon it started to get better, but not much.

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