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| The Hyperloop: BUSTED |
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| boffin:
--- Quote from: retrolefty on July 30, 2016, 11:51:19 pm --- --- Quote from: rrinker on July 29, 2016, 09:23:25 pm --- There's a big problem comparing costs with the California High Speed Rail thing - that "high speed rail" project is yet another government boondoggle that will make a lot of people rich with taxpayer money - the costs per mile of that project far exceeds any reasonable amount for constructing a nice solid railroad track. No privately owned railroad would ever spend that much per mile for new track. Add in that this so-called "high speed" stuff is nothing at all like Euro high speed or Japanese high speed - it's more like getting BACK to speeds that steam engines hauled trains at 100 years ago. So to say the Hyperloop is dreaming at their cost by comparing it to the California HSR project is not a fair comparison. --- End quote --- And all that doesn't even take in the political issues. Do you really think they could build such a system that only served the two end cities without requiring lots of stops at other cities along the route? This idea is a true turkey and a real fiscal boondoggle. --- End quote --- Yes , it's possible to build a system that only serves a couple of cities, but the California proposal does pass through Bakersfield (300k+), Fresno (500k+) and San Jose (1m+) How about Madrid-Zaragoza-Lleida-Barcelona; with half the trips doing Madrid Barcelona non-stop. MAD-BCN previously being the busiest air-route in the world; and now the high speed rail has taken it out of the top 20. So other than the argument that "you can't build it without other stops", when there are * Other stops; and; * half the trips of a similarly distance system are non-stopHave you any other arguments as to why it wont work in the USA? Or is it just that US engineering isn't up to European standards. The project is only a turkey if you work in the automobile/aviation/oil industry, but sadly their lobbyists have convinced north americans otherwise. |
| rrinker:
No, the California High Speed Rail project is a huge joke on the taxpayers, and I LIKE trains. I ride them whenever I can. In 1981 they ended service from Philadelphia to Reading where I live, now if I need to go to a client there or get to the airport, I have to sit in traffic for what is almost always a 2 hour minimum drive even off peak times. Peak rush hour, forget about it. There is pretty much only 1 way in and out of the city, only 2 lanes in each direction with a volume of traffic that would crush a road with 4 lanes in each direction. ANd since they built it along a ledge above the river there is really no room to add additional lanes. I've moved and/or changed jobs in the past to avoid having to drive this area. If there was a train instead, I wouldn't mind so much. It takes me about 3 hours or so to drive to DC, coming home is usually more like 5 hours. Last time I had to go there, I told the PM who manages all the travel arrangements to put me on the train instead. An easy half hour drive from my house to the nearest station (prior to 1981, the station was about 5 minutes from me), and about the same 3 hours on the train, except that I was relaxed and reading a book, not driving. Return trip a few days later, more of the same. My other hobby besides electronics is model trains, but I love the real ones too. I wish we had more of them in this country, I'd almost always chose a train over a plane. Even the commuter trains have far more room in the seats than any airplane. I also drive a fairly fancy car and would love it if the daily back and forth people would be on trains instead and keep the roads more open to drive for fun and occasional travelers. |
| lem_ix:
People don't seem to understand the most important side of engineering, COST. Sure it sounds cool and I'd like to ride one but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. Someone mentioned in a previous post that there's no alternative to the hyperloop performance, so I'll present my brilliant idea. Lets use rockets to transport people faster then ever. At a speed of 7.9 km/s my new and futuristic transportation system tramples the hyperloop on performance. At first it might seem expensive but worry not we'll just use the Soyuz rocket which is proven technology + cheap(probs cheaper then hyperloop anyway). The vacuum for my rocket is free (space) with thorium solar panels as an optional accessory for a greener experience. Open to suggestions about a catchy name and wonder why no one thought of this before. Jokes aside, to me at least this does seem very similar to solar roadways, something that could possibly work at an insane cost. If Elon is spending his own money on this then fine, but someone could miss out a government grant for more useful research because of this. |
| stj:
Musk is a nobody, he puts his name on other peoples idea's and exploits government funding programs afterwards. (reminds me of Einstein!) read this pdf and tell me if musk was even born when it was drawn up!!! BTW, some people think it was actually built and is in use now between military and government sites. looking at the patents on nuclear tunnel boring systems from around the same period - it's very possible. |
| rs20:
--- Quote from: lem_ix on July 31, 2016, 06:56:56 pm ---Jokes aside, to me at least this does seem very similar to solar roadways, something that could possibly work at an insane cost. --- End quote --- Pedantic, but: Solar Roadways can certainly not meet its stated goals (e.g. melting snow with solar energy) at any cost. |
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