Since the first wheels of a train ran on rails in the year 1863, trains have served mankind in a number of ways. They have changed, im...
Since the first wheels of a train ran on rails in the year 1863, trains have served mankind in a number of ways. They have changed, improved and evolved. But even after so many years we have not been able to fully exploit this mode of transit. With advancement in technology, more and more people are moving towards urban areas so it becomes imperative that trains are developed in such a manner that they become the only mode of transit with unimaginable amenities, technology and precision. For that we should follow a five pointer plan.
Get more trains
It is expected that by 2030 60 percent of the world population will start living in urban centres. This implies that the load on public transit systems is going to increase substantially. The easiest solution can be: increasing the number of trains, whether it is a Subway, a tube or a metro, trains will have to make an entry into the places where there are none till now. Not only that, these trains will have to adapt to the changing needs of the people travelling in them and also to the changing scenario of public transit systems. Many countries have realised the need for this and have started on this track. For example in the US, metro systems are being built in cities that aren’t known as public transportation hubs. And it’s a long list: Phoenix, Houston, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and Miami, have either started construction on or shown interest in building a public train system of some kind, like a light rail or subway, or expanding what they already have. With more and more young people choosing to dwell in urban areas for their careers and living, the coming years are going to be no less than a “passenger rail boom”.
2.Smartcards: Keep it smart!
Almost all metro or train systems provide an option of regular commuting by issuing a plastic card or pass that is digitally loaded with money and keeps subtracting from your main balance based on the number of trips you have taken. Considering trains in any form are going to be the thing of the future, these smart cards should be made a part of the train transit system so that universally similar norms can be followed providing similar benefits. These smart cards in place of just being a fare pass can be made something more. They can be customized so that they can be used in parking meters, vending machines or even hospitals, if the need be
Self-driven trains
As scary as it may sound, self-driving trains are one of the most revolutionary idea for future of trains. They are even part of some of the train transit systems of the world. For ex. Vancouver and Copenhagen have their train transit systems based on self-driving trains. According to a 2013 report from the Observatory of Automated Metros, there were 48 lines in 32 cities around the world that incorporated some kind of autonomous capability across over 400 miles of track. Some of these places include New York (the L Canarsie line) and London (the Victoria, Northern, Central, and Jubilee lines), all of which are individual lines automated to various degrees. Self driving trains have an advantage that they would bring own the staff costs by 70% and boost he passenger capacity by 6%. They can have more consistent spacing owing to this new method. So a new train can always be on track in a gap of say, 90 or 120 seconds, if you have missed the first
Train stations doubling up as cool hangout places
What if you descend from your train and want to head to a movie theatre as soon as you step down without wanting to go to your home or without needing to go to your favourite multiplex in the city? What if you had the luxury of ordering a cold coffee and a delicious meal on board the train? What if the train station you reach houses clubs, ice-skating facilities, discos and all? You wouldn’t need to go hopping on a taxi to find your favourite hangout place. Stations with cool hangout spots already exist in places like Tokyo and Dubai, the plan should be to take this idea to as many stations as we can. “Future train stations should be relatively pleasant, brighter, and have more customer amenities,” says Paul Skoutelas. He’s the National Director of Transit and Rail at WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, the architecture firm whose portfolio includes One World Trade Center, London’s Shard, and High Speed 2, a high-speed rail line in the UK.So the future of train stations would not have filthy dungeon like places reeking of pee and dungeon smell, instead they will be something like the $4.5 billion Transbay Center in San Francisco. It is being constructed in the heart of the city and it will be a commercial and residential hotspot to complement the modernist transport hub. Over 4,400 residential units will be built, 100,000 new square feet of retail space, 1,000 hotel rooms, bike lanes, 11 acres of parkland, including a 5.4-acre rooftop park atop the Center. It’ll all be punctuated with the 1,070-foot tall SalesForce Tower, the tallest tower in the city.
Speed, more speed!!
The future trains need to be faster, faster than even the maglev. Yes faster than 375 mph. In future, time will become more important what with the huge influx of people thronging the urban areas to earn their livelihood. But we will need more Maglevs. Maglev—which stands for magnetic levitation—eliminates friction by replacing wheels with superconducting magnets that line the tracks and the rolling stock, allowing the train to “float” and get pulled along by magnetic forces at lightning speeds. High speed rails have already knocked on the doors of US. California has started construction on its high-speed train linking Los Angeles and San Francisco, while a private Texas venture is working with the same company that made Japan’s bullet train to plop a replica servicing Houston and Dallas. Just last month, a private Chinese consortium announced plans to build yet another high-speed rail from Las Vegas to the LA area.But for all these things to happen what is needed is a lot of money and a lot of shift in the way people perceive rail travel as. Most of the people still think trains as the cheaper version of commuting with no amenities and advantages attached to it. But the good news is general attitude of the people has started shifting and they have started considering this mode of transit as an efficient one. But there is a long way to go. More socks will have to be pulled more money would have to be doled out to make the dream of the future of train transit a beautiful one!
