meet the future:
personal
railpod
mobility
80% cheaper than a conventional railway
|
up to 98% less expensive per seat than a high-speed train
|
4x faster than transit
|
up to 96% cheaper than freeway widening
|
up to 5x more capacity than one lane of freeway
|
2x faster than driving
|
30% cheaper than an electric car
|
57x safer than driving
|
80% cheaper than a conventional railway | up to 98% less expensive per seat than a high-speed train | 4x faster than transit | up to 96% cheaper than freeway widening | up to 5x more capacity than one lane of freeway | 2x faster than driving | 30% cheaper than an electric car | 57x safer than driving |
If everyone traveled by rail,
climate change could slow by around
33%
33%
It’s also one of the
fastest,
safest &
GREENEST
forms of transportation
with NO BATTERIES REQUIRED
but can we really make rail
more attractive
than owning a car?
Yes
Yes
how?
how?
Three attributes will make this revolutionary concept possible. Using smaller pod vehicles will decrease stopping distances, and the elimination of moving switch track infrastructure will enable all railpods to travel closely together, automatically switching tracks using onboard switching mechanisms. Vehicles will always take the fastest route on the network. The interaction will be managed by sensors and computers and onboard the autonomous vehicles.
1. personal vehicles
2. no more switch tracks
3. a fully-autonomous system
This combination of technology and methodology
hasn’t been possible
until now.
1. personal vehicles
-shorter stopping distances
-fastest route from a to b
-no fixed schedules
Small rail vehicles with seats for 1-5 passengers would enable an on-demand system would enable the highest level of convenience for travelers. The railpods will be hailed by passengers in an on-demand fashion, whooshing them to their destination without any stops or risk of missing a connection. Parcels, groceries and other goods will also be transported more efficiently within the same the system.
Railpods in such a system will require significantly shorter stopping distances compared to those of conventional trains. This will facilitate the possibility of a high-density mobility system, having an even higher passenger capacity than that of conventional railway.
telepod | teleporter
2. no more switch tracks
-intermediate stations are bypassed
-no waiting for switches
-shorter headways/higher density
railpod self-switching technology
[patent pending]
In conventional rail systems, track switches need to be actuated corresponding to the target direction of railway traffic. In addition to the several communication and mechanical systems required to achieve this, using this system requires longer headways between vehicles — up to 5 minutes between vehicles in the case of high-speed rail. Self-switching technology would technically allow vehicles switching in different directions to travel less than 1 meter (~3 feet) apart from each other.
Prototype_3 switching in the desired direction regardless of switch track setting
3. a fully -autonomous system
-vehicles keep distance at the same speed
-fastest route automatically selected
-intelligent vehicle control maximizes vehicle flow
In the Teleport system, vehicles will interact much like cars on a freeway. The driving will be done by an vehicle computer, which will also monitor other vehicles with dozens of onboard sensors, allowing vehicles to actively communicate with each other if there is need to relay critical information, improving the safety and operation of the system for everyone.
Much of the communication and sensing will have built-in redundancies to ensure optimal system operation. If there is a stopped vehicle on the route, inter-vehicle communication and distance sensors will alert the driving system. All vehicles would all stop with little to no delay.
from 2011 to 2020, using rail over driving cars led to a
57x lower risk of death
150x lower risk of injury
(Allianz pro Schiene)
FAQs
Is this supposed to replace railways?
No. Passenger trains are useful for moving large numbers of people within and between densely populated areas. Cargo trains are useful for port-to-inland routes to move large-scale goods that all need to go to the same place. However, there are many market gaps which are mostly serviced by cars and trucks.
Sutra-Teleport will be an attractive alternative, able to replace any mobility markets currently dominated by automobile and roadway freight transport.
Will existing railway tracks be used?
Existing railway tracks can be used. In addition to the possibility of conversions and mixed-use with Teleport and regional or suburban railways, we have been developing several low-cost infrastructure concepts to build out a network where it would serve the most people.
