A Taiwanese inventor is proposing a novel idea that could revolutionize train travel: it’s a way to keep the train moving at all times, even through train stations. If that just gave you visions of jumping on and off trains as fast as you can, you’ll be surprised at how easy Peng Yu-Lun’s idea actually is.
From EcoGeek:
Instead, Yu-Lun envisions a small separated car perched atop the train. When the train enters a station, this car slides along on elevated rails that smoothly and gradually remove the car from the rest of the train and bring it to a stop.
Another identical car travels from these elevated tracks and gradually slides along the top of the train to pick up speed for boarding passengers. The end result: a train with no need to stop at stations.
Sure, regenerative braking – the process that converts the energy typically wasted as heat when slowing down and storing it as electrical power in batteries – is a terrific energy saving solution. Many hybrid cars, such as the Prius, use regenerative braking and it’s starting to appear aboard hybrid diesel/electric trains as well. But more efficient still is to maintain your momentum and dispense with a train’s need to make stops.
Check out the video below to see a demonstration (in Chinese).
Now if only we could get trains in America, period. The closest rail service to me is an hour away in South Carolina, and if I wanted to drive down there to catch a train to Florida, I’d have to go to Washington D.C. first. WTF? We obviously have a long way to go here in the U.S. before inventions like this one are helpful to us, but it’s nice to get a peek of the possible future!
