Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
I am not sure about how the Japanese traffic control system works; however, the German traffic control system has safeties built into it which allow for higher capacities on a guideway than the highest density conventional mainline in operation today. The concept of headways, signal systems, and so forth do not exist on the German Transrapid system. Instead, the exact location of each train's nose and tail is located to an accuracy of less than a foot by means of the individual magnets in the guideway. The traffic control system is set up so that any and all trains running on the same guideway in the same "block" can only run in the same direction at the same speed. Combined with "offline" stations, mainline speeds are maintained for all local and express trains. The locals work just like a car entering an interstate; they "merge" into an empty path between the train ahead and the train behind. Technically, only enough space is needed between trains for turnouts to change position, although more space would be allowed in order to account for the switches aligning properly in all weather conditions. <br /> <br /> The most restrictive problem as of yet is the turnouts themselves. Currently, turnouts remain level when aligned for the mainline and when aligned for the turnout. In order to minimise centripetal forces on the passengers, the trains must slow down to 100 miles per hour when moving through the turnout side, but they can maintain speed when going through the straight side. The future of higher mainline capacity will be in redesigning the switches so that the guideway is level when the trains go through the straight side and that the guideway is banked when the trains go through the turnout side. This would require two major engineering breakthroughs. First, the tracks on which the flexible guideway rest must "droop" on the turnout side in order to tilt the track into the curve. Secondly, the flexible guideway must be made flexible in two degrees of freedom (yaw AND roll) in order to tilt into the curve without breaking.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag