Cool. In 12 years time, I still might get a hoverboard

Wow, that was a fast train ride! And I got Cancer too! BONUS!

i missed you, say it again?

Do i give a shiat? No I don't. Plenty on fun stuff here one totalfark, but this goes through. Asshats.

die

im hungry and smelly, but i dont know if i should shower or eat, or both.......hmm


*rubbs hands together*

Damn thing is so fast I left my balls in another zip code

Monorail?

that's pretty damn cool.

it's a shame that we don't have fast light-rail here in the states. i think the reason i was told is because the gov't thinks that it's "too dangerous".

I did a report on this technology in school years ago. Thought it was the coolest thing.

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Very cool. For those that think it isn't... grow up. Recognize significant technological advancements.

Makes me want to order one of these.

Sweet. Now if the luddites up here in the northwest could just be convinced of the innate goodness of this kind of elevated train. Never mind the outrageous expense.

From downtown or eastside to the airport in five minutes, no traffic. Man, that would rock.

Lyle Lanley: Well, sir, there's nothing on earth Like a genuine, Bona fide, Electrified, Six-car Monorail!
What'd I say?

Ned Flanders: Monorail!

Lyle Lanley: What's it called?

Patty+Selma: Monorail!

Lyle Lanley: That's right! Monorail!

[crowd chants `Monorail' softly and rhythmically]

Miss Hoover: I hear those things are awfully loud...

Lyle Lanley: It glides as softly as a cloud.

Apu: Is there a chance the track could bend?

Lyle Lanley: Not on your life, my Hindu friend.

Barney: What about us brain-dead slobs?

Lyle Lanley: You'll be given cushy jobs.

Abe: Were you sent here by the devil?

Lyle Lanley: No, good sir, I'm on the level.

Wiggum: The ring came off my pudding can.

Lyle Lanley: Take my pen knife, my good man. I swear it's Springfield's only choice...
Throw up your hands and raise your voice!

All: Monorail!

Lyle Lanley: What's it called?

All: Monorail!

Lyle Lanley: Once again...

All: Monorail!

Marge: But Main Street's still all cracked and broken...

Bart: Sorry, Mom, the mob has spoken!

All:> Monorail! Monorail! Monorail!

[big finish]

Monorail!

Homer: Mono... D'oh!

The fact that the Communist Chinese were able to put one of these things up before anybody in the US has even attempted to is another sign of the sad example of the decline of US leadership in transportation technology since the Moon landings.

Recognize significant technological advancements.

This 'significant technological advancement' has been running in Germany on a test track for a decade already. Dutch government has been thinking about implementing it for the last 5 years.

Grow up and follow the news.

The institution of mediocre academia up the street from my apartment, Old Dominion University, is building a proof-of-concept Maglev monorail about a mile long. Except to demonstrate the viability of the technology and to look "cool," which this "university" never shall in truth be, the project is useless. The budget has also been slashed; I've never seen any trains go by, but then I'm not taking any classes there. But it's worth a link in a Fark forum anyways.

Find info here.

If anyone can figure out what the fark is going on in this picture, please do share.

Telemakhos

That's obviously an early screening of 'Dr. Pepper, the musical' in the local elderly ward.

Light rail will never work here in the US. People love their SUVs too much. Every attempt to set up a light rail system has met with financial disaster.

The biggest problem is even if you drive to a station and do the majority of your commute by rail, you're stuck without transportation once you get to your stop. How do you get to your office once you arrive at the station? Until a solution for that can be found, rail isn't going to be very popular.

US landing on the moon was a response to Soviet's space program. Capitalism and Democracy often move very slowly to new technology, but when they get there they are on a stronger footing. If Maglev trains really are cost effective and worth the risk of investment, there will be money willing to back it. China might have a Great Wall, but we didn't have to kill peasants to make any stupid things.

GimpRulez
The biggest problem is even if you drive to a station and do the majority of your commute by rail, you're stuck without transportation once you get to your stop. How do you get to your office once you arrive at the station? Until a solution for that can be found, rail isn't going to be very popular.

Unless you're an amputee (and they may even have an advantage) the mode of transportation is called LEGS and FEET. I've tried it on accasion and it seems to work pretty well.

"test track"

This one's going into commercial use, kiddo. It is a significant step.

Is there a chance the track could bend?

LEGS and FEET, hahaahhahahahaha
ahahahahahah
ahahahahahhaha

you are talking the the fattest, laziest nation on earth. Most people think that legs are for storing your precious, precious cellulite. And feet? We seem to remember seeing them many years ago, but they have since been blocked from view by our hideous flab.

Better make it safe and reliable. Somebody call Amtrak! Err...

GimpRulez -- high speed maglev is not for the daily commute. It's being looked at in large part for intercity transportation -- say, from DC to New York. At the speeds mentioned in the article, a maglev train could give the airline industry a run for its money, as long as the price for a ticket on the train is lower than on the plane.

I think it would do well for inter-city travel here in the states! I wouldn't mind hauling ass from Portland to LA at over 300mph!

Sure as fvck beats driving for 14-16 hours! And it could probably be cheaper than flying!

The United States used to lead the world in transportation innovations. Now we just watch what others do so. Maglev would not replace the automobile, nor long distance air travel, but would be a better alternative to interregional travel now serviced mostly by "express" airlines. A 200 mile trip would be faster on one of these trains than on the airlines, when you take time going through security and luggage at the airport into accout. and you can't fly them into a building. The private sector today is to risk-aversive to build the needed infrastructure. The cost to the government of developing maglev technology would be far less than what is spent to maintain the Interstate Highway System. Or should the highway system be turned over to the private sector?

I wish I could correct my habit of using "to" when I should use "too".

Spooner: Your Solution

12-06-02 05:21:30 PM Telemakhos
The institution of mediocre academia up the street from my apartment, Old Dominion University, is building a proof-of-concept Maglev monorail about a mile long. Except to demonstrate the viability of the technology and to look "cool," which this "university" never shall in truth be, the project is useless. The budget has also been slashed; I've never seen any trains go by, but then I'm not taking any classes there. But it's worth a link in a Fark forum anyways.

Not slashed, depleted, as in, they ran out. The money ($14MM) was coming from the state as well as some private donations, but poor weather and all the troubleshooting and jumping through hoops (about 160 separate safety inspections) that comes with a first-time implementation pushed the date back. The track is all up, but the stations are halfway finished with no immediate plans to complete them.

The Interstate Highway System (God bless Eisenhower), beyond being the best way to see America, is also vital to commerce. I doubt maglev will replace truckers. It will offer an alternative to long-range travel by car, which will be of benefit to those pushing for electric vehicles unable to manage great distances, but trucks are here to stay. If freight rail could have replaced them, it would have by now.

Jdjoker -- I thought they hadn't been completed. I rode by an end of the track that didn't seem to have a terminal when I saw Lysistrata at the ODU theater. Of course, according the the article I linked earlier, they were finished last year... ah, ODU, in denial as usual.

12-06-02 05:51:14 PM Optikeye
I wonder how many miles of maglev track we could have built with the billions we've given to the Airlines since 9/11?

The estimated cost of a maglev system like the one (stalled) in development at ODU is $15-20MM per mile, or between 50-65 miles per billion dollars. Bear in mind that this is their own estimate, and they even say that deployment costs are up to 3 times higher in Europe and Japan, though that may have a lot to do with right-of-way costs than the actual technology.

Damn, thats some spendy track!

$15-20 million/mile isn't necessarily that "spendy," though. The Federal Highway Administration determined in 1996 that interstate highways cost $20.6 million/mile, weighting rural and urban costs in that average.

I took the Eurostar from France to Belgium like at 200mph, the smoothest freek'n ride period! And only took like a hour and a half.

I wish they had something like that between here (LA) and Vegas, that would rock.

What we need is a maglev train down the meridian of Highway 80 to start. See where that takes us.

It just screams "Please Blow Me Up"

it's a shame that we don't have fast light-rail here in the states. i think the reason i was told is because the gov't thinks that it's "too dangerous".

I'm sure the auto unions and the oil companies would heartily agree, and would encourage you to buy an SUV.

Build the transrapid between LA and SF! Do it! Do it NOOOOOW!

It'll never happen though. The state governements are too incompetent to do it right (witness the LA subway fiasco) and the feds would either not want to pay for it (hey, why should we invest in our own infrastructure when we can spend money on bombing other countries) or would be "convinced" out of it by "persuasive" contributions to their campaigns from the Oil companies and auto mobile industries.

Mierk, better watch who you're calling kiddo around here.

Still don't think it's a major step, just another gradual step.

Disneyland uses Monorail commercially, and I always feel like zooom, zoom, in it!

I wish i could remember which airport it was that had a mag-lev train to transport people between terminals. I rode that about 6 or 7 years ago.

It was kinda neat, but since it was just a small people mover that never seemed to get above 40mph (at least, thats about the speed i remember), i never really understood what the benefit was in expending so much energy to keep the thing a few inches off the ground instead of wheels.

Is using linear electromagnetic acceleration that much more energy efficient so that it balances out the energy needed to keep the train "afloat"?

It looks cool, but what makes it really better than regular trains?

Dickhead: "Mierk, better watch who you're calling kiddo around here.
"

Uh oh. I'm thoroughly scared now.

I "better" watch it. {{shudder}}

It's the internet, tardo. You gonna send a TCP ass-kickin' my way tough guy?

sheesh... what a gomer.

Mierk, chill out, did something big crawl up your ass or something?

Asmodeus:

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the airport you are referring to is the Orlando International Airport (MCO). It has a system called the AGT shuttle system to go between the gates and the main terminal.