China tests 3,000-kph ‘super-Maglev’ train concept

[batmanbad]

wtf??? looks dangerous its like a mini toy train.

[Trashbat]

wtf??? looks dangerous its like a mini toy train.

I'm not sure that picture is going to be it lol.

[TaunSew]

http://news.msn.com/science-technology/ny-to-la-in-45-minutes-teslas-elon-musk-has-a-plan

This idea has been theorized in the United States for several years.  Although I think the Chinese will be the first ones to implement this new technology.

[KonstantinosM]

It would be awesome for trains like that to connect every country. I could go to Greece from the US in about 3 hours. Even if it went through Russia it would still be faster than the airplane. It's also insanely fuel efficient in comparison, and safer.

[bryant.coleman]

How fast are high-speed rail lines though?

Normal High-speed trains in China are having maximum speeds of 300 kmph to 350 kmph. For example, for travelling from Shanghai to Beijing (1,320 km), you will have to spend 4 hours 55 mins in a High Speed Train.

[DeathAndTaxes]

Also even 300 kph is the exception rather than the rule.  Most high speed trains are a lot slower than that.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-fastest-trains-in-the-world-2012-11?op=1

[TaunSew]

It would be awesome for trains like that to connect every country. I could go to Greece from the US in about 3 hours. Even if it went through Russia it would still be faster than the airplane. It's also insanely fuel efficient in comparison, and safer.

That's the assumption this will be cheaper than the airlines.  Fixed infrastructure routes, with a single company / entity with a monopoly, results in price gouging.  They may even charge a higher rate than an airplane since they could market it as being more convenient than taking an airplane to a foreign designation.

Monopolies have never benefited anyone - it's the reason why the train network in the USA feels a century old compared to China and Europe.

[Sindelar1938]

The first Maglev was to be birmingham London if memory serves but was discarded because of costs
Technology is pretty old

[TaunSew]

The first Maglev was to be birmingham London if memory serves but was discarded because of costs
Technology is pretty old

Money is king.  We've progressed as a society where we can cheaply get a person from A to B, for little cost.  Why exactly are we halving travel time by a small fraction over a tremendous cost, again?

[MrTeal]

The issue with acceleration won't be speeding up or slowing down, it would be cornering at 3000kph. Modern high speed trains use a tilting track or active tilting mechanism so that the acceleration around a corner pushes you down as opposed to the side, but even then the radius of a corner going 300kph is on the order of kilometers. Going 10 times that fast would require a corner radius 10 times larger to maintain the same sensation in the train.

You'd likely spend some time at 3000kph, and a lot of time slowing down for even small corners and then getting back up to speed.

[dree12]

I really think that as a society, we should move goods and not people. People can be "virtually present" (e.g. Skype) and this suffices for most circumstances. It seems so wasteful to invest in moving people when we have phone lines that can do it faster and better...

[deisik]

When reading similar news and talking about G's, something like this inevitably comes to mind...



Gravity train

[hilariousandco]

I really think that as a society, we should move goods and not people. People can be "virtually present" (e.g. Skype) and this suffices for most circumstances. It seems so wasteful to invest in moving people when we have phone lines that can do it faster and better...

Yeah, why travel the world and try out new cultures and smells and sounds and sights and sensations when you can sit at home and see it on Skype or watch it on YouTube!  Jesus, we need to get out and travel more as a society and get away from just relying on digital communications.

[CADguy]

dammmn thats exciting, i can't wait for north america to have more trains, it just makes so much more sence then the current , trucking and bussing system we have going

[cbeast]

dammmn thats exciting, i can't wait for north america to have more trains, it just makes so much more sence then the current , trucking and bussing system we have going

[kuroman]

What about the G force when travelling at 3000 kph? This is insane and yet amazing. I hate when I have to sit in a train/bus for hours just to get somewhere and then go back home. So much time is being wasted like that.

The only G force you would feel are during acceleration and deceleration and of course cornering and all of these will be designed in a way that so that they'll never exceed let's say the level of a plane take off at most, for me the challenges at such speed are related to air friction and all the effects that it will cause especially at ground level, so one way to reduce or solve this is by making a depressured tube and trying to achieve near vacuum conditions)

[bryant.coleman]

The first Maglev was to be birmingham London if memory serves but was discarded because of costs
Technology is pretty old

That time there were less people who were willing to pay for high-speed travel. Also, there were safety concerns. But that is not the case anymore. Time has taken precedence over money.

[dree12]

I really think that as a society, we should move goods and not people. People can be "virtually present" (e.g. Skype) and this suffices for most circumstances. It seems so wasteful to invest in moving people when we have phone lines that can do it faster and better...

Yeah, why travel the world and try out new cultures and smells and sounds and sights and sensations when you can sit at home and see it on Skype or watch it on YouTube!  Jesus, we need to get out and travel more as a society and get away from just relying on digital communications.

You misunderstand. I am not saying we should stay at home all the time, but I do believe the modern world is too travel-heavy. Our cars put a massive strain on the environment incomparable to the minute disturbances caused by telephone or Skype. Shouldn't we focus on what's important? Is physical presence such a big deal that we must compromise efficiency and environmental responsibility just to be physically present at a business meeting?

[Kluge]

I would be surprised if the g-force "problem" weren't solved prior to a hard launch. It's possible to convert the impact felt on humans by converting that energy into something else. For example, you may be able to get the chairs to convert SOME of the "impact" into some type of gyration, which could allow for the trains to even recoup some of that energy. Alternately, and this is clearly too cool to be practical, chairs could ride their own in-train rails, where the seats all roll back which slopes upward (and has chair locks and must have brakes) while accelerating -- you could even make it into a roller coaster. When done accelerating, the track uses a hydraulic mechanism to flatten the ramp which is raised the reversed way when it's time for deceleration.

So anyway.... you go on a 1850mph train, and you have inclined, gyrating seats falling backwards at maybe 5mph on a rollercoaster-type track where your seats also slowly swivel around to face the rear. I bet we could get used to that after only... Idunno, 20 rides?

You don't have to waste the space needed for the "seat tracks," either. Instead, you use the overhead storage for collapsible equipment necessary to run, for example, the dining car, which is set up once the train's mostly finished accelerating. -Or, get really fancy/lazy and have four seat tracks per aisle side -- two seat tracks for normal sitting, and two powered tracks (one for "incoming" traffic and one for "outgoing") which move seats to the "dining car" or piss pots at the button-press of a passenger. Dining becomes more convenient, so people are more likely to purchase $10 microwave hot dogs.

I guess once you've gone that far into extravagance, though, the train may's well just fuckin' fly and have two pneumatic tubes per seat with a little bill changer for the eating and excretion.

[GospodinDD]

Wow that is seriously fast.
Impressive.
But I am not so sure how safe that travel can be.