I’m intrigued by train networks and in particular the fact that they are generally terrible. Don’t get me wrong I’m no train spotter – the thought of standing around in the rain so that I can write a number down leaves me cold. What I am interested in is ways of improving trains so that they are competitive with aeroplanes. It’s seems to me that with the ever increasing fuel prices and the idiocy surrounding “security” on planes that planes are becoming more hassle than they are worth. In fact I think we are already at the point where a typical journey from the centre of London to the centre of Paris is faster on the train than by plane.

Anyway, enough of the political nonsense and on with the ideas.

The first idea is one that I had a long while ago and seems, to my mind, to be a complete no-brainer. First though a quick ramble about just how fast the train needs to go. To make trains competitive with planes you need to make them fast, in fact you need to make them very fast. A typical passenger plane flies at 800 to 950kph the worlds fastest trains (in general use) currently run at a little over 300kph. The fastest train in the world, a Japanese experimental maglev, is capable of 581kph. To be a viable competitor to the plane I think a train would need to be doing at least 750kph which means we have a fair way to go.

Why, I hear you ask, can the train go slower than the plane? Simple really, there is a lot of overhead when flying. Checking in your bags takes time as does collecting them. Then there is the time taken getting everyone on the plane and seated, time spent going through security, time spent taxing to the runway, etc, etc. For flights of under 3 hours you typically spend more time in and around the airport than you do in the air. With trains you normally carry on your own luggage and seat yourself and, of course, there is no lengthy security checking (yet). Over all trains at 750kph would probably be faster than planes flying at 900kph for many journeys.

On with the idea, I don’t know much about engineering but I have heard that one of the main things limiting the speed of trains is the track. To go fast the train needs to lean over in much the same way a cyclist leans into a corner. The best way to lean the train is to add a camber to the track the problem with a camber on the track is the train breaking down. It is conceivable that a camber could cause a train to fall over if it stopped or broke down in the wrong place. The problem with not adding a camber is that the outside rail suffers enormous sideways loads as a train goes round a bend. Loads are much better taken directly down through the rail which is what a camber provides. The trains are therefore limited in speed by the strength of the track.

My solution to this problem is to put the train in a tube and provide three tracks. The train is then held firmly in the tube so even if it breaks down the train won’t fall over (although it might be uncomfortable for the passengers). For added strength the tube could be sunk into the ground. This would have benefits and drawbacks. The benefits would be increased strength due to the support form the surrounding earth. It might also be cheaper to build the tracks as they could be pre-fabricated concrete tubes. There would also be minimal visual impact. The main drawback of using a sunken tube is compressing the air in front of the train. I imagine vents would be needed every kilometre or so to release the pressure that builds up in front of the train. Sinking a tube into the ground may also prove to be an expensive option.

The great thing about this train in a tube idea is that it doesn’t really require any advances in technology. We know how to build trains on track we just need to add another.

My second idea for speeding up trains is to use maglevs with a difference. As I understand it most of the power used for a maglev is getting the thing floating. Why not fit it with stubby wings so that once it’s moving fairly fast the wings provide a good deal of the lift. The magnetic track couldn’t be turned off completely because you would need to maintain control of the train but only a fraction of the power would be needed. I call this train the Plant (a combination of plane and train).