

Concept train doesn't need to stop to pick up passengers - the_economist
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-train-doesnt-stop-at-stations-2013-12

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ColinWright
This has been posted many times before, and it's a wonderful idea. I remember
designing something like this when I was eight, I suspect in response to
reading a short story in Analog. I should try to find that story again as it
was quite a good one. It involved aeroplanes and shuttles rather than trains,
but the idea was the same.

But I've started to think about it again. Suppose you have some sort of mini-
shuttle that will rendezvous with the main transport. This mini-shuttle then
accelerates and decelerates to and from each station. See the video, you'll
get the point.

What happens if the door sticks? What happens if a passenger is partway
through the connection when the separation has to happen? What about
passengers with limited mobility? What if there are more passengers that need
to get off than can be accommodated?

There are some major engineering challenges, _really_ major engineering
challenges.

I'd love to see it working, but I wouldn't be among the first to ride in it,
and I seriously doubt it would get approval in Europe or North America.

But it's a wonderful idea.

