Interstate highway train system

Abstract

This is an elevated pile supported pre-stressed concrete beam electric high-speed remote-controlled modular train system, including compact high-rise terminals installed within the interstate highway rights-of-ways, a train module astride elevated support beams at standard gage rail widths to fully integrate train modules into existing rail, and since it's within existing interstate highways, fully integrates the new train system with other transportation infrastructures.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 646,298, Jan. 24, 2005.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The reason trains haven't re-invented themselves is mainly based on: the kind of innovation used, economics, and incompatibility with existing infrastructure. Maglev is very innovative but cost's over $60 million a mile or more to install in a rural setting; much higher costs can occur within city limits. After China built a 20-mile section at $1.2 billion, it promptly announced maglev wouldn't be the new future for trains in China due to cost and because it doesn't integrate into existing railroading infrastructure. For similar reasons, Germany, having spent billions of dollars developing maglev, promptly announced it would not be applying maglev on a national basis either for the same reasons. Innovation by itself is not enough to re-invent train technology, it has to be innovative, economic and wo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005] This invention relates to a lightweight high-speed train system and utilizes a beam support to eliminate animal and general detrimental environmental effects i.e. to avoid hitting mammals and colliding with other vehicles and the like. It teaches how to achieve a high-speed and safe elevated train by straddling a deep pre-stressed concrete or steel beam with conventional steel train wheels and standard gage width for the rails. Thus it can use standard switching systems, use improved standard switching, or a new ramp switching technology proposed herein which has certain advantages, namely assisting with decelerating the train module entering the station and accelerating it when leaving. It's designed for high-speed long distance travel between cities with people or light freight on the order of 200+ MPH (miles per hour) with a minimum of energy. And since such beams should be thicker near the base to provide side to side stiffness long spans, about 100-150 feet in length between post supports, the side of the beams conveniently provide standard gage rail spacing, another main advantage of this invention over others proposed.

Problems solved by technology

Maglev is very innovative but cost's over $60 million a mile or more to install in a rural setting; much higher costs can occur within city limits.

After China built a 20-mile section at $1.2 billion, it promptly announced maglev wouldn't be the new future for trains in China due to cost and because it doesn't integrate into existing railroading infrastructure.

Innovation by itself is not enough to re-invent train technology, it has to be innovative, economic and work with existing track and road systems.

These rubber tire trains aren't designed to go fast or be maximally fuel-efficient and are generally only used for in-city people transport.

These rubber wheeled train technologies teach a side-to-side shifting of long beams to switch to a new line, which could be cumbersome and dangerous at high speeds.

These trains also suffer from the inefficiency of rubber tires, and low speed capability.

Maglev uses an elevated beam but suffers from very high cost of construction due in part to the precision aligned magnetic rail and high cost of train modules and controls; $60 million a mile was spent for the China project with recent news stories saying Germany is abandoning maglev as a result of the high cost and China also announced in January 2004 it's abandoning maglev as well for it's larger new train system similarly due to cost and because maglev can't integrate with their existing rail system.

The cost of meeting all the above conditions of use with maglev are very high accounting for very limited application of this technology.

Shifting maglev carrier modules to conventional rail is not practical limiting practice between two destination points where shifting to other rail systems is not required.

This is unjustified for a new national train system.

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