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[tidla]

Dont know where your pictures have gone.

I thought that was a face pull at the cost.

[Kevin Wood]

Empty tubes, that's the future of train travel. Then the only the only speed limit is the g force passengers are willing to experience and the length of the journey.  Much faster than planes, up to 5,000 mph http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vactrain. Wait till London gets empty tubes

Not at present, if ever, for long distance train travel with multi-directional and freight requirements.

Maybe be for short transit systems, but for any great length the costs would be horrendous and the engineering challenges of creating a continuous vacuum over distance, as Brunel once discovered, is I fear too much for current technology. There is also the psychological difficulties with humans remaining in a tunnels for any extended length of time, although I suppose at 5,000 mph that would not be so long!

Ok but it's not aimed at freight where time is not such an issue, its real market is to replace passenger aircraft.  To hold a vacuum the tunnel needs to withstand about 15 pounds per square inch which is the same as an air filled tunnel at 10m water depth I believe.  There would be economies of scale in long tunnel production and new materials would help. 

Admittedly safety might be a problem remember Total Recall

Not really workable, unfortunately. Of course, you could just raise the train to 36,000 feet where it's not that far off a vacuum anyway. Should be able to get 500 MPH out of it reasonably efficiently. Oh, wait!

I saw a report a few years back that said if you did away with air traffic control and every aircraft just climbed at it's maximum rate of climb to its' most efficient cruising altitude, at a heading that would take it straight to its' destination with collision avoidance by "random separation", air travel would be much more efficient and actually safer! OK, it would be a brave man who put it into practice, but with better collision avoidance systems, who knows?

[Marks DTM Calib]

Even so, the predicted travel times really don't justify the cost

Its not just the travel times.

The current routes which it would support are currently at capacity and freight is suffering as a result (not enough paths).

By moving passenger services to high speed rail, you create further paths for lower speed services such as local stoppers and freight. This helps to take lorries off the road for long runs and improves servies to smaller towns.

Its all about the big picture and better we spend money on infrastructure then ineffecient services where money is not the real issue.

But hey, the press have no understanding of such things because its just to hard (and does not sell papers!)

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Even so, the predicted travel times really don't justify the cost

Its not just the travel times.

The current routes which it would support are currently at capacity and freight is suffering as a result (not enough paths).

By moving passenger services to high speed rail, you create further paths for lower speed services such as local stoppers and freight. This helps to take lorries off the road for long runs and improves servies to smaller towns.

Its all about the big picture and better we spend money on infrastructure then ineffecient services where money is not the real issue.

But hey, the press have no understanding of such things because its just to hard (and does not sell papers!)

Indeed Mark, and that is my argument.

But you are right, it is far more commercial for the papers to condemn it all regardless of the facts and looking ahead 25 - 50 years!

Freight is important to the Chunnel, and if I was in power, I would be strongly supporting the creation for HS freight trains. Freight trains have been the real bread and butter for most lines since the start of the railway revolution, and fast freight of particularly perishables changed life in the cities forever. HS freight from and to Europe would open markets we can hardly imagine now, getting product from far afield in the factories / warehouses / shops same day /next day.

The future is fast, the future is high speed train!