Throughout the years since James Watt patented his steam engine improvements in 1769, trains have continued to develop in design and efficiency. Whilst we replaced steam with other forms of power, trains still operate on steel wheels and rails, with a driver at the front. Are we poised to make another breakthrough leap forward, ready to again change the way we commute and travel around?
The new ‘pods’ at Heathrow Airport are driven autonomously, taking you automatically from car park to terminal in super efficient time. They sound a futuristic ideal, allowing you, at the push of a button, to call up your travel; this sounds rather like an elevator, controlled by computers and lasers, without a human in sight. Not bad. Maybe we could have the voice too: ‘door closing, Pod moving forward’.
So are driverless trains a solution to transport congestion in the years ahead? Well, the guys in white coats are working on another revolutionary idea, called the Aero-Train. Yep, you’ve guessed, it drives more like an aeroplane than a train and travels at up to 350km/h (220mph) just 10cm above the ground. Now this sounds more like it, a Formula 1 style whizz.
The vehicle uses the latest technology called ground-effect. This uses aerodynamics to reduce drag, like in an aeroplane. By using the air as a cushion, it is prevented from touching the floor; this eliminates the friction that makes conventional rail transport less efficient. It could be in use by as early as 2020.
There are actually trains in use now that never touch the ground. Maglev (magnetic levitation) trains, in China, operate just centimetres from the track’s surface. The train is held from the ground by a magnetic field, powered by motors that, without as much friction, allow it to go at very high speeds.
Unsurprisingly, there’s a real buzz in the train industry that steel rail is an unstoppable juggernaut.
So is steel wheel technology likely to change public transport forever?
Well, it seems that’s where most governments are focused with their funding; high-speed networks cost billions to develop, but with improved infrastructure and vast economic benefits.
The UK plans to spend around £32bn on a new high-speed rail network connecting London with Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and then Scotland. This is a massive capital project. Can we afford it or afford not to?
Safety is a concern among commuters. After all, with high-speed rail being around 150mph (240km/h), a slight malfunction could lead to a giant catastrophe. Yet driverless public transport is believed to be around 30% more reliable than if it was being driven by a human. In cutting out a slice of human involvement, you cut out a chunk of problem. Ha, don’t we know it.
Well, for my part, I reckon I’m okay for the time being with my faithful friend. the vehicle tracking device: it sits happily in my car, virtually telling me the best routes to take.
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