China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains • Hacker News Board

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#401

Post by carstenhag » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 3:52 AM UTC

bob1029 wrote: post #236

usrusr wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> only to stop 4-5 times along the way That's the big one. What HSR needs is not even higher top speed but some control breakthrough that allows much higher train frequencies in order to cut down on stops via more trains that can serve more specialized connections (e.g. the local/through etc). No idea what that breakthrough might be, perhaps something as crazy as rocket-assisted emergency braking.

Why not aero braking? You could install little flaps actuated with hydraulics along the train. This could probably be part of the normal braking system. The amount of drag produced by something like this at 1000kmh would likely be very substantial.

You can't just add things to the outside of a train, as you have a certain "gauge" (Not sure if that's the word for it) on a track/tunnel/etc.

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#402

Post by justanotherjoe » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 3:52 AM UTC

They are absolutely unstoppable right now in the infrastructure industry. And not just in their own country, but even world-wide (except the western world). They are building train tracks EVERYWHERE.

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#403

Post by saagarjha » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 3:55 AM UTC

microcolonel wrote: post #383

saagarjha wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can’t really hijack a train to hit a specific building, as you can with a plane.

> You can’t really hijack a train to hit a specific building, as you can with a plane. Setting aside hijacking, which would not be the mechanism for a train attack anyway, the more likely attack on an airplane is suicidal self destruction at this point I would think, with all the new mechanisms in place. If TSA is this silly with planes, given the relative lack of attractive plans open to attackers now, what makes yo…

280 m/s is just over 1000 km/h, or 600 mph. That's faster than most passenger jets!

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#404

Post by Boondox543 » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 3:55 AM UTC

chao- wrote: post #358

Boondox543 wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I travel from Dallas to Houston every week for work and have been following this closely. Often after a run of crummy trips by air due to delays and other common air travel issues I take an executive charter bus just to take a break. All the while dreaming of what it would be like transiting via maglev at 1kmph

Vonlane by chance? If so, that company is great. I cannot recommend them enough to people. There was a rocky bit in 2016 for them and I am so glad they survived and are growing their routes and times.

Yup, they're quite awesome - and seem to be on a nice growth trajectory as of late.

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#405

Post by puranjay » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 4:00 AM UTC

kurtisc wrote: post #238

usaar333 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The alternative to being stuck in traffic for hours is flying. A major problem with train systems in the United States (and this is both short and long haul) is that almost the entire country is sprawl - built around the automobile. In dense environments (China and the north-east coast of the US (which has Acela), it's great to take a train into the core -- you beat traffic and are near your destination. In sprawling…

China is dense? This is a study working towards connecting cities >900 km apart. edit: article says 2200, maps says 900ish

China's density metrics are skewed by its humongous size, a massive chunk of which is sparsely populated desert.

Its coastal areas, where much of the population is concentrated, is extremely dense

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#406

Post by SmirkingRevenge » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 4:02 AM UTC

Mirioron wrote: post #369

qwerty456127 wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I hate the fact that an autocratic and repulsive Government The Chinese government is much more autocratic yet it obviously does a much better job in building infrastructure The problem with the US government is lobbyism. It does not work for itself, it does not work for the people, it works for big corporations and lawyers.

> The Chinese government is much more autocratic yet it obviously does a much better job in building infrastructure I think that a big reason for this is that the US already has a half-working solution in place. Some infrastructure already exists that fulfills this role. China, on the other hand, didn't have much of an alternative in place, thus it was easier to find the will to build it. We saw the same thing with i…

This is my hunch as well. Innovation comes with built-in technical debt and it is often invisible at the time. Years later, when the inefficiencies are more apparent, those with the opportunity to start with a blank slate, can avoid many of those mistakes, and make something better.

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#407

Post by puranjay » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 4:02 AM UTC

sandworm101 wrote: post #245

polemic wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> high speed rail is romanticism from bygone days when rail was the only alternative to long distance travel. air travel pretty much superseded it and is doing so all over the world. This isn't true. High speed rail is alive and well in Europe. Geography, politics and history are all significant factors that you can't explain so easily. > the advent of self driving and electric cars will doom them regardless Highly s…

But there are plenty of chinese infrastructure projects that have languished for lack of use. Look at the olympic venues. Once the novelty of ribbon cutting is over, once the recuring costs start piling up, this project too may slow down.

Olympics are, and always have been, PR projects. I can't think of any country that actually uses its Olympic infrastructure adequately.

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#408

Post by puranjay » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 4:06 AM UTC

factsaresacred wrote: post #265

Shivetya wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The simple truth is, transportation projects are not created to solve problems but instead of pay off political affiliates, be they donors, family members, political parties, or the unions. Democrats have no more interest in high speed rail or energy independence than Republicans and for the same reason. Oh they will pay lip service saying otherwise but you can see the results of all those years they have made their…

> high speed rail is romanticism from bygone days when rail was the only alternative to long distance travel Yes, the 'bygone days' of maglev trains. I don't know if you've ever travelled in Japan or China but the convenience and comfort of high speed rail easily surpasses flying. And in many cases, so does the speed. In most normal countries, rail is critical transport infrastructure. It's not a conspiracy.

Stretch your legs, go to any one of the several bathrooms at any time, hang out in the pantry car and even get a proper meal. Store all the luggage you want. Arrive just 20 minutes before the departure and still have time to laze around. Board/deboard in the center of the city rather than 40kms in the outskirts.

The benefits of rail over air are absolutely endless. And I haven't even mentioned the lower carbon footprint of electric rail (you can make electricity from renewable sources. Can't make jet fuel).

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#409

Post by AlexDragusin » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 4:10 AM UTC

rb808 wrote: post #381

dheera wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think 1000 km/h travel would bring HUGE benefits. State-of-the-art high-speed trains at 350 km/h tend to waste less time than planes for distances shorter than about 1000 km if you include the time it takes to get to the airport, check-in, go through security, and all that nonsense. Beyond 1000 km journeys, planes tend to be more time-saving. 1000 km/h is about the cruising speed of an aircraft so if it were possib…

The problem is any accident at that speed everyone on the train or near vicinity is toast. Even a plane coming in to land is around 300km/h.

As opposed to the countless survivors of most plane crashes.

Not to mention the one critical advantage of the train, run out of fuel or some breakdown, you just stop in the middle of nowhere, on a plane, it's likely a different ending unless flying near Hudson river with an amazing pilot.

Re: China laying tracks for 1,000km/h maglev trains

#410

Post by sgustard » Fri, Oct 04, 2019, 4:19 AM UTC

foobarian wrote: post #368

aeternum wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the problems may actually be rights. The US government generally has more respect for individual rights and property rights. This leads to increased safety regulations, work restrictions, and the property rights make it difficult to purchase the land and negotiate the permits necessary for large infrastructure projects. China is much more willing to force people out of their homes for the greater good. It will…

So things like this happen: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-20463192/road-built-a...

On a slightly larger scale, 1.2 million people were displaced to build the Three Gorges dam.