Innovative Rail Systems

Here is list of selected innovative rail technology available in the market place.

Aerobus123456

A self-propelled vehicle speeds silently through the sky carrying 300 passengers. Riding high above congested freeway or gliding over rivers and other impassable barriers, it is the last word in transit technology. Called Aerobus, this proven system is economical to install, environmentally friendly, and pollution-free.Site References: Installed in Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA.

Aeromovels123

AEROMOVEL® blowers propel air (under low pressure) through a duct built into the guideway. The pressurized air pushes a propulsion plate attached to the bottom of the vehicle. This propulsion plate acts like an upside down sail, propelling the vehicle forward and helping to stop it when the air flow is reversed.Site References: Installed and in operation in Brazil and Indonesia for more than 9 years.

Magplane12345

Magplanes are high speed vehicles that can be boarded at conveniently located magports which will enable passengers to commute short distances or travel 400 km and more.A Magplane System consists of an elevated aluminum guideway (magway) through which independent magnetically levitated vehicles (Magplanes) respond to "Dynamic Scheduling" to and from conveniently located magports. "Dynamic Scheduling" enables Magplanes to be available to passengers using real time analysis of ticket purchases. No passenger will have to wait more than fifteen minutes and yet most trips will be non-stop.Site References: Installed and in operation in Hong Kong since 2004.

PRT1234567890

Personal rapid transit is a generally unknown and undeveloped subset of a class of transit systems known as Automated People Movers (APMs). Typical APM (i.e., non-PRT) systems generally consist of vehicles having capacities between 12 to 100 people which run along dedicated guideways in a line-haul, fixed-schedule, configuration. Examples of this type of system can be found in airport people-movers in U.S. cities such as Seattle, Dallas-Ft. Worth and Miami. Although fairly successful in these applications, APM systems have not been widely accepted as realistic modes of urban transport for many reasons, particulary with respect to PRT-type APMs. For PRT systems, some of these reasons include inertia within traditional transit sectors to consider new modes of transportation and inadequate testing of early prototype systems which led to highly publicized failures (see History of PRT). Furthermore, the definition of what comprises a PRT system has been clouded over the past thirty years, a fact that has helped to prevent serious research from being conducted in this area. In an effort to standardize the terminology, the Advanced Transit Association adopted in 1988 a set of guidelines that define a true PRT system.Site References: Tested extensively in Germany in early 1990's. Under construction in the UK and USA.

Skytran1234567

Personalized vehicles: Two person vehicles with climate control, communication, web access and entertainment options. Small portals: Conveniently located every quarter mile. No massive stations or structures overwhelming the local environment. Been referred to as the iPod of Personal Transport System.

SmartSkyway12

SmartSkyways is a transit system of computer automated vehicles traveling on-demand between stations on a network of elevated guideways. The guideway for this six passenger configuration for a local loop is designed for ten-thousand pound max weight and dynamic loading from fifty mph speeds.Site References: Feasibility study in progress in the USA.

STU12345678901

Several unique aspects of the STU system result in a vehicle efficiency that is far greater than cars, monorail, planes, trains or virtually any other transport system. Firstly the steel wheel / track interface has been developed to be twice as efficient as that of a train wheel (and 10 times better than a car wheel on a concrete road).Secondly, the elevation above ground removes a major source of wind resistance (the gap between a vehicle and the ground). Thirdly, the aerodynamics of the vehicle have been refined to produce an incredibly low wind-drag vehicle. To illustrate, a Porsche on the road has a wind-drag coefficient of 0.26, whereas an elevated STU vehicle has a coefficient of less than 0.1.

System_211234

Derived from the technology's primary feature:2-direction traffic on 1 slender, triangular "monobeam". The system is a major breakthrough which should significantly influence the transit market in the 21st century.Site References: Feasibility study in progress in the USA.

Urban_Maglev1

General Atomics is developing Urban Maglev technology sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration and funded under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).The system is levitated, propelled, and guided by electromagnetic forces. Levitation is achieved by using simple, passive permanent magnets arranged in a “Halbach” array configuration. Propulsion and guidance are achieved by a linear synchronous motor mounted on the track. The uniqueness of the approach is its simplicity, ruggedness, and performance. It is designed to operate on a 7% grade, 50 meter (164 ft.) turn radius, and 25mm (1 in.) levitation gap, and offers quiet operation.Site References: Feasibility study in progress in the USA.

High Speed Bullet Train

Here is list of selected high speed bullet train technology available in the market place.

ICE123456789012

InterCity Express, the "ICE" name is also used for the vehicles used on the system, which were developed from the early 1980s in Germany and specifically designed for the system. There are currently three different versions of the ICE vehicles in use, named ICE 1 (deployed in 1991), ICE 2 (1996) and ICE 3 (1999). The ICE 3, including its variant models, is made both by Bombardier and Siemens. Site References: Installed and in operation in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, and Switzerland.

JR_Maglev12345

JR Maglev is a magnetic levitation train system developed by the Central Japan Railway Company and Railway Technical Research Institute (association of Japan Railways Group). JR-Maglev MLX01 (X means experimental) is one of the latest designs of a series of Maglev trains in development in Japan since the 1970s. It is composed of a maximum 5 cars to run on the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line. On December 2, 2003, a three-car train set attained a maximum speed of 581 km/h (361 mph) (world speed record for railed vehicles) in a manned vehicle run. Site References: Installed and in operation in Japan.

KTX123456789012

The Korea Train eXpress (KTX) is South Korea's high-speed rail system. It is operated by Korail. The train's technology is largely based on the French TGV system, and has a top speed of 350 km/h, limited to 300 km/h during regular service for safety. On December 16, 2004, the Korean-made HSR-350x achieved an experimental top speed of 352.4 kilometers per hour. Site References: Installed and in operation in South Korea.

Shinkansen12345

The Shinkansen is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Since the initial Tōkaidō Shinkansen opened in 1964 running at 210 km/h (130 mph), the network (2,459 km or 1,528 miles) has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū with running speeds of up to 300 km/h (188 mph), in an earthquake and typhoon prone environment. Test run speeds have been 443 km/h (275 mph) for conventional rail in 1996, and up to a world record of 581 km/h (361 mph) for maglev trainsets, in 2003.Shinkansen literally means "New Trunk Line", referring to the tracks, but the name is widely used in and outside Japan to refer to the trains running on the lines as well as the system as a whole. The name "Superexpress", initially used for Hikari trains, was officially retired in 1972 but is still used in English-language. Site References: Installed and in operation in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan.

TGV123456789012

The TGV (train à grande vitesse, French for "high-speed train") is France's high-speed rail service developed by GEC-Alsthom (now Alstom) and SNCF, the French national rail operator, and operated primarily by SNCF. Following the inaugural TGV service between Paris and Lyon in 1981, the TGV network, centred on Paris, has expanded to connect cities across France and in adjacent countries. It holds the record for the fastest wheeled train, having reached 574.8 km/h (357 mph) on 3 April 2007, and also holds the world's highest average speed for a regular passenger service. TGV is a registered trademark of SNCF. Site References: Installed and in operation in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Korea (South), Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Under construction in Morocco. Currently feasibility study is conducted in Brazil.

Transrapid12345

Transrapid is a German high-speed monorail train using magnetic levitation. Based on a patent from 1934, planning of the Transrapid system started in 1969. The system is developed and marketed by Transrapid International, a joint venture of Siemens AG and ThyssenKrupp AG. The synchronous longstator linear motor of the Transrapid maglev system is used both for propulsion and braking. It functions like a rotating electric motor whose stator is cut open and stretched lengthways along the underside of the guideway. The superspeed maglev system has no wheels, axles, transmissions, or pantographs. It does not roll, it hovers. Electronic systems guarantee that the clearance remains constant (nominally 10 mm). The Transrapid car can use on-board backup batteries to power the levitation system. Site References: Installed and in operation in Germany, under construction in China.

Innovative High Speed Train

Below are creative and unique prototype high speed train technology.

Tubular12345678

A unique concept and design of a high speed train from Tubuler, Inc.

CargoCap123456

CargoCap is the fifth transportation alternative to the conventional systems of road, rail, air and water. It is a safe and economical way to carry goods quickly and on time in congested urban areas by underground transportation pipelines.

12345678901234567

CargoCap develops working model on various types of underground freight transport and/or capsule pipelines and related construction and tunnelling technologies. The five specific objectives of CargoCap are:

123456789012345678	-	Review state-of-the-art and recent developments in the field of underground freight transport and/or capsule pipelines.
	-	Share research findings among researchers.
	-	Bring stakeholders together to plan for the future of these systems.
	-	Bring attention to the capability of these systems as a sustainable new mode of freight transport for the future.
	-	Organise a worldwide network (coalition) to promote and accelerate commercial use of underground freight transport and/or capsule pipelines.

Hydrogen Train

Here is list of selected innovative rail technology available in the market place.

East_Japan_Rail

JR East Japan Railway Company has successfully researched, developed and tested a fuel cell system for railcars as an independent type motive power system that reduces the burden on the global environment and can also overcome the problem of exhaustion of fossil fuels. Based on these results, the company is proceeding with the construction of the world's first fuel cell hybrid railcar. This fuel cell hybrid railcar will be realized by modifying the New Energy train (NE train) used for development of a diesel engine-based hybrid system. Development of railcar system technology that uses fuel cells is also being promoted to utilize future breakthroughs in fuel cell technology. For latest news on East Japan Railway's Hydrogen Train, click here to read (more).

VLTJ_Railway123

The "Vemb-Lemvig-Thyborøn" Railway, or VLTJ Railway, will be the demonstration and test line for "The Hydrogen Train". The line is running through a mostly flat landscape with low train power requirements, and therefore is ideal for testing a demonstration hydrogen train. "The Hydrogen Train" is a European consortium aiming at developing & launching Europe's first hydrogen powered train by year 2010. For latest news on Vemb-Lemvig-Thyborøn Railway's Hydrogen Train, click here to read (more).