My
cell phone alarm went off and I switched on CNN, this was some day towards the
end of 2011. I had made a note to watch this sustainable transport programme
called ‘On the Move’. The most interesting revelation I came across on this
show, and it had been long since I had seen something so appealing in the field
of future transport, was the work of a London based design house.
Visionary
designer and director Paul Priestman of Priestmangoode
has proposed concept of ‘Moving Platforms’. It is the definition of next
generation rail transport. The creation of moveable docking station asks for
whole new model in transport economics. Such is the ideation of future rail
transport – no physical railway station, docking port on wheels and single mode
of intercity travel.
To define very clearly, ‘Moving Platforms’ works by having a
network of city wide trams. The trams act as the physical station where
passengers would board, in order to meet with the train of their destination.
Although, as the tram is intra city mode of transport what we are really
looking at is a cross city travel plan, where the tram links with the train on
the border of a particular city before zipping back. The train being a high
speed train makes the exchange of passengers by levelling speeds with the tram
and proceeds with its journey. The concept works in the same way when the
transfer is from train to tram, in order to reach the final destination.
‘Dock’ as it is called, is the key word for the revolutionary transit
in rail technology. As the tram would act as platform there would not be a need
for a physical cement and tar railway platform. There would be immense saving
in city space. Infrastructure would be different. There is proposed use of
radio-frequency identification. Also there would be fewer crowds at current day
major stations.
On the other hand, this project acts as setting for making rail
primary mode of public transportation. In time, cabs, busses and rickshaws
would phase out. There would be reduction in consumption of oil. There would be
a shift in dependence on conventional sources of energy. In order to make this
concept into reality various machineries must integrate. World governments must
realize the potential in investing in such an idea. Masses must understand the
benefits of such change in transport technology. One such example is the
investment in HSR by China. They aim to have more high speed rail lines combining
all lines in the world by end of 2012.
The economics for such technology could work either way. In
conclusion we must realize the need to get off non renewable sources of energy
at the earliest. Such a vision might just work wonders.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment