Urban Mobility 2011 | July 20, 2011 | 9 comments

From Car of the Future to Train of the Future

China's high-speed bullet train network recently conducted its first test run from Beijing to Shanghai, and 824-mile trip. Traveling at speeds upwards of 190 mph, the trip will take about five hours, or half the time of conventional rail. Rivaling the airline industry in cost, convenience and amenities high-speed rail travel is fast becoming a desirable alternative in long-distance land travel. China is just the next in a growing list of countries who have introduced high-speed rail to their countrysides including Japan, Germany and France.

As gas prices continue to rise, alternative methods of transportation are being sought to alleviate the cost of commuting. Cars like the T.25 are a designed for the close-to-home commuter who has limited access to railways. These cars are an example of how to address a need in urban and suburban areas where riding a bicycle isn’t always an option. As noted by Gordon Murray in the “Car of the Future” video, grocery shopping is one major concern that vehicles like the T.25 can address. With the ability to fit a week’s worth of groceries for a family of five (plus driver) the T.25 is not only great for commuting short distances but also for running errands that require the transportation of cargo.

The answer to our growing populations mobility needs do not rest on one type of transportation alone. Each new technological development adds another way for humans to get mobile, from bikes to cars to high-speed trains as we become a more global society we will come to rely on new and different fuel-efficient methods of transportation.

How many different modes of transportation do you take on a weekly basis and what are they?

  1. groups:
    Tech,   Green,   Urban Mobility,   Urban Mobility 2011
  2. tags:
    Green,  Transportation,  Green Energy,  Trains,  3 more
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9 comments // From Car of the Future to Train of the Future

  • artemis6
    • +1
      artemis6  

    • Japan has MAGLEV trains . Even in an earthquake they STAY ON THE TRACKS . China has high speed trains , but NOT us ?! We have a antiquated system to feed the oil oligarchs . We are rapidly becoming a 3rd world country .

    • 10 months ago
  • DominicBlackwellCooper
    • +2
      DominicBlackwellCooper  
    • artemis6:

      We can keep hoping, high speed rail trains in the US would definitely alleviate some of the air traffic issues. What cities do you think would benefit best from high speed rail service. I'm thinking New York to LA would be pretty nice!

    • 10 months ago
  • artemis6
    • 0
      artemis6  
    • DominicBlackwellCooper:

      I have been hoping for an electric car all my life . So far , i still do not have one . IF i sound angry , it is because i am , but not at you . I feel robbed ! We went to the moon , but NOW we can only invest in WAR ?! People could use the jobs that it would create , to build high speed trains across the nation . But no , we are sending our finest off to kill and die instead . Does this make any sense to you ?

    • 10 months ago
  • Chrisjamesmcd
    • +2
      Chrisjamesmcd  
    • artemis6:

      Not to sure where you are getting your information from but japan don't use maglev commercially, only for testing. China is the only country that opperates a commercial maglev line. And that is only from shanghai to the international airport. Another thing they don't tell you is that the average person in china can't afford a ticket on the high speed trains. Infact the cost of a ticket for these trains is rising because not enough people are travelling on them, because people can't afford it. A simple catch 22 created by a govermment trying to show of a countries prosperity and wealth without actually letting the money trickle down to your everyday workers. And for some reason, one that i never found out while i was there, the fast train network generaly doesn't exist in the north of china. While the advent of such technology is a great thing, especially for such a vast country in every aspect. The accesability and therefore the practicality of such a network is made redundant right from the drawing board by a country showing of its wealth rather then giving it to the people. Which i thought was one of the fundamental teachings of communism. Spread the wealth because everyone is equal.

    • 10 months ago
  • artemis6
  • leadelaria
  • artemis6
  • DominicBlackwellCooper
  • artemis6
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