Passenger Transport in Pipelines: Overview and Discussion

The notion of a passenger vehicle or train traveling in an evacuated (vacuum) tube was suggested as early as 1812, nearly two centuries ago. The primary feature of a “passenger pipeline” would be a relatively friction-free travel environment, with an exclusive right-of-way, inside a tube. Although there were full-scale demonstrations of the concept during the 19th century, no such system for passengers has operated since. This paper reviews five evacuated tube systems that were under development as of this writing, along with two 20th century proposals. The proposals are found to be creative and interesting, but inconsistent in terms of various aspects of the technology, along with operations and costs. For example, car sizes range from single-person pods, in one proposal, to 100-seat cars in another. Similarly, cruising speeds range from 50 mph (80 km/h) to 14,000 mph (22,500 km/h). Also, half of the proposals place the tubes underground, while half would prefer them elevated. The inconsistencies raise questions as to the maturity of the concept. Further, none of the proposals address system failure or passenger preferences regarding windowless, very high-speed travel. It is suggested that the main purpose of passenger pipeline transport – very high speeds, energy and cost savings, or passenger safety – needs to be better articulated.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Cottrell, Wayne D
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 90th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2011-1-23 to 2011-1-27
• Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: DVD
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References;
• Pagination: 12p
• Monograph Title: TRB 90th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Highway operations; Passenger transportation; Pipeline safety; Pipelines; Public transit; Right of way (Traffic)
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01332951
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 11-4268
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 21 2011 2:13PM