Is the Emerald Express the Next Big Thing in Public Transit?

Could the Emerald Express be the future of public transit in America? That’s what the Virginia tech students who created the concept are hoping. Phil Padilla, Irfan Bhimji, Catherine Crenshaw, Matthew Decker and Aly Moreno designed a passenger rail system that uses the GenSet (GP-38) locomotive as the primary propulsion platform.

From Ecofriend:

This rail system would be used for both regional and intercity transportation. With a top speed of 100 mph and capacity for 250-350 passengers, the train would provide a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly form of transportation for many people in the state of Virginia and surrounding areas.

The primary focus of the Emerald Xpress is to offer passengers a holistic brand experience, both on and off the train. The brand experience begins with the exterior design of the locomotive and passenger cars, is carried throughout the interior, and even reaches a personal level through membership cards and accounts. The name Emerald Xpress is meant to reflect the environmentally-friendly characteristics of the train, along with the luxury and comfort it would provide its passengers.

The design emphasizes comfort and convenience, providing passengers with ample storage and power outlets. It’s a pretty slick concept, echoing all of the things that are right about European rail systems.

Fast, efficient, up-to-date public transit may be closer than it seems – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently predicted that high-paying jobs will be available for Americans building high speed rail systems by the end of this summer.

Link [Ecofriend]

Get Out Your Bicycles! Gas is Heading to $7 a Gallon

Jeff Rubin, a leading economist at CIBC World Markets, has a message for us all: start thinking about alternate transportation. In 4 years, gas prices will likely hit $7-$10 per gallon, making it too expensive for many people.

Treehugger has it:

“Stripping out natural gas liquids, oil production has not grown for over two years, which certainly goes a long way to explaining why oil prices have doubled over that period,” Rubin said. “It is increasingly clear that the outlook for oil supply signals a period of unprecedented scarcity.”

Rubin predicts hybrids will go “from marketing and PR fluff to the core of car production.” People will move closer to where they work. “I think there will be fewer people on the road in North America in five years than there is right now.”

Seems to me as if now is the time for cities all over America to start planning better public transit systems, since not all of us have the luxury of living close enough to walk or ride a bike to our places of work, grocery stores and other essential destinations – and the poor probably won’t be able to make that move. Let’s hope that the powers that be take this seriously.

The good news is, prices like this will definitely get more people to trade in their ridiculous look-at-me gas guzzlers in for something a little more reasonable. I’d venture to guess that we’ll be seeing less Hummers on the road, and I for one am happy about that, because my egg-throwing arm is getting tired.

Link [Treehugger]

Photo credit: Flickr user Brianfit