Moving Platforms concept for Australian High Speed Rail

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UK design group Priestmangoode has come up with a futuristic high speed rail concept called Moving Platforms. The concept involves a local tram or train docking alongside a moving high speed train which would let passengers transfer from the HSR train to their local city tram or train.

This could dramatically cut travel times between a Brisbane – Melbourne high speed rail route and potentially cut down on the overall cost of the project by removing the need to stop at stations between major city hubs and instead replacing them with a docking train.

The video below explains this new moving platforms concept.

In the UK, research has found that was hugely inefficient to run a 21st century high-speed rail service “on 19th century infrastructure that was invented for steam trains”. Therefore, as Australia is starting from scratch, we have a huge opportunity to create integrated 21st century high speed rail using this sort of advanced technology, because after all, like steam train infrastructure, this is something we will have for at least a century.

The Australian Government is conducting a high speed rail study, which is now entering it’s second stage. This technology along with high speed rail in Australia has the chance to revolutionise the way we move around the east coast.

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7 Comments
  • Sometimes you get excited about projects, this is that time where my ears are pricked. And forget about Sydney or Melbourne travel, let them sort out train ussage if they want high speed train. What i want to see is highspeed interchange between the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Toowoomba.
    So from the Sea to the City to the Mountains. Highspeed with a moving platform, now that excites me.
    You could have platforms drops at Gatton and theme parks near the coast. Open up both these areas for work and tourists.

  • Just the other day i heard mention that the train trip to Toowoomba is around 4 hours. ? Four hours and we have trains that travel up to 300 miles a hour, yet our put-puts are alive and well. Choo Choo.
    Please give us some fast trains between our 3 cities, it will open up the whole southeast.

  • Obviously not from a transport planner or from anyone that operates a transport network. The issues
    – coordination of the services
    – floor height of the trams will need to match the train and therefore will generate high level platforms in the street together with all the access infrastructure
    – the trains will have to slow to at least 100km/h or the trams will never be able to catch up
    – What are the fail safe for a vehicle fault causing one to stop/slow during the docking.
    – and finally capacity/demand – what if there is a higher number of people wanting to transfer from the train to the tram than the tram can carry? Or vice versa?
    The docking mechanism will take up too much internal space around the doors as well. It would need to fully retract with in the vehicles so as not to cause drag or catch on wayside obstacles.
    Cute idea but totally impractical.

  • Holy crap those trains look awesome totally impressed!! what a great idea the docking train def bring that on and sorry Nick make that glass half full bud honestly.

  • This will never happen in Australia because Australians would rather buy a large tv than pay a little to invest in infrastructure.

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