Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

[WildspitzE]

Thought you'd all find this concept interesting... not sure about how it will be ultimately be implemented or if from a cost perspective it makes sense vs other alternatives.

Still kinda cool idea.

Can't embed from work. Will fix embed tonight from home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ2ir5prvQI

[dummass]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

This would be a great idea for Panama. The buses here either don't have or won't use bus turn-outs. Super idea.

[Rajiv]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

Cannot work as portrayed in the video -- technically it is not possible. High C.G. danger of toppling. Cannot make turns -- will endanger vehicles under it. The list of problems is much longer than this.

[dummass]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

Cannot work as portrayed in the video -- technically it is not possible. High C.G. danger of toppling. Cannot make turns -- will endanger vehicles under it. The list of problems is much longer than this.

Perfect example of why the US is doomed. What happened to the "can do" attitude that made the US famous?

[Rajiv]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

Perfect example of why the US is doomed. What happened to the "can do" attitude that made the US famous?

The "Can Do' attitude can go only so far. An unworkable idea remains an unworkable idea. BTW have you ever been to Washington Dulles Airport?

[dummass]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

The "Can Do' attitude can go only so far. An unworkable idea remains an unworkable idea. BTW have you ever been to Washington Dulles Airport?

And where is this line of questioning leading, Socrates?

[Rajiv]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

That monstosity is being replaced by a fast subway -- which is what should have been built in the first place.

Dulles is the one of the only airports in the world that uses the mobile lounge system. The "lounge" consists of a 54-by-16-foot carriage mounted on a scissor truck, capable of carrying 102 passengers. They were designed by the Chrysler Corporation in association with the Budd Company.

[dummass]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

Have you seen the blue line in Quito, Ecuador. Much cheaper than a subway; dollar for dollar, one of the most efficient mass transit lines around. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quito_trolleybus_system

I see the Chinese idea along this line: a straight shot down a major artery, likely on rails, but with the added advantage of not unnecessarily obstructing lanes of traffic. Inexpensive and easy to deploy in an exiting environment.

[Rajiv]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

Have you seen the blue line in Quito, Ecuador. Much cheaper than a subway; dollar for dollar, one of the most efficient mass transit lines around. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quito_trolleybus_system

I see the Chinese idea along this line: a straight shot down a major artery, likely on rails, but with the added advantage of not unnecessarily obstructing lanes of traffic. Inexpensive and easy to deploy in an exiting environment.

If you are going to lay rails on a major artery, a better way was developed by Konkan Railway - Sky Bus

SKY BUS

(THE URBAN TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY FOR THE NEW MILLENIUM)

The most precious asset in growing urban areas is the land. Allocation to residential and commercial purposes put heavy pressures on land for public use like parks and open spaces apart from very important and critical roadways. Hardly 6% to a maximum of 18% of land in cities form roadways. The roadways once laid- almost remain constant – at best- and may effectively reduce by uncontrolled encroachments. The physical constraint of road area being constant, as population increases, naturally loads on roads increase.

As more and more people from different habitats try to converge on to the central business district, the road has no capacity to handle and congestions erupt. Roads take one exactly to the point where one wants to go. But the capacity is limited in terms of passengers per hour that can be handled. Even if one considers only buses, need to maintain the braking distances between two buses and the space

maintained between them affects speed as well as limits per lane what capacity can be achieved. When mass transit , that too at higher speed is required, rail based systems only can handle.

Requirements of an ideal urban transport system:

Heavy concentrations of residential units coupled with required movement to work places or to market places demand transportation of people.
Roads are to cater for the same. But roads have a limitation- the area available remains constant, once the development is completed, and old cities in particular throw up the problems of mismatch of designed capacity versus the increasing pressure of populations.
Let us examine the various modes of transport that population uses in a city and their capacities and limitations, to evolve requirements of urban transport solution in a holistic manner.
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Also

Konkan Railway to invite EOI for Sky Bus metro

The Konkan Railway has decided to invite global Expression Of Interest (EOI) for Sky Bus metro system, six years after a fatal mishap during a trial run derailed the project.

"We have decided to take the Sky Bus technology ahead for its commercial utilisation, and for that, we are inviting the global expression of interest shortly," a senior Konkan Railway official said. Necessary ground work for inviting the global bid is being completed and it will be issued soon, the official said. Sky Bus is elevated suspended coach rail transportation system. In September 2004, one person was killed and three others were injured when the Konkan Railway Corporation Sky Bus Metro coaches hit the piers of the track during a trial run at the Margao Railway Station in Goa. "The flaw that reportedly caused the accident has been rectified, and we have implemented certain other safety measures to make it a foolproof system," said the official. Since then, the Konkan Railway has successfully tested the modified system which is also eco-friendly. There are many cities which are keen to adopt the Sky Bus metro system as a mode of urban transportation, he said. Sky Bus comprises suspended light weight coaches that run well above the regular road traffic at a frequency of one minute and can travel up to 100 km per hour. It can be built over the central road dividers.

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Also Sky Bus, not Metro, tailor-made for Indian cities: Inventor

The biggest advantage of a patented technology like the Sky Bus is that it remains the most cost-effective alternative at Rs 60-75 crore per route km as compared to Rs 215 crore for the Metro and Rs 400 crore for the underground Metro, at current costs, according to available data.

The Sky Bus can potentially carry six million passengers daily, or 80,000 hourly, in any direction.

"The Sky Bus pre-fabricated structure, unlike Metro Rail, which requires heavy infrastructure and huge capital, can be superimposed on existing roads, without altering their set-up or dislocating traffic, anchored by pillars raised on dividers," Rajaram told IANS in an interview.

It also frees authorities of the necessity of land acquisition, excavations and construction that clog and choke city arteries. What's more, said Rajaram, the project barely takes 24 months to commission against the five to seven years required by Metro systems.
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Sky Bus at Madgaon, Goa, India

[dummass]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

If you are going to lay rails on a major artery, a better way was developed by Konkan Railway - Sky Bus

Also

Konkan Railway to invite EOI for Sky Bus metro



Also Sky Bus, not Metro, tailor-made for Indian cities: Inventor






Sky Bus at Madgaon, Goa, India

I see your point. The sky bus concept would accomplish the same objective with the added value of expanding existing traffic lanes on the overpass. It could also be made tall enough for trucks to pass under it as well (a major setback for the Chinese idea).

I doubt very much that the costs would be similar; such an ambitious project would be better suited to a county that prints its own currency, interest free.

[Rajiv]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

I doubt very much that the costs would be similar; such an ambitious project would be better suited to a county that prints its own currency, interest free.

The costs are actually quite low. As described by the inventor in his blog -- for a country like India they are about $10-15M per route km (both directions) -- this compares to about $50M per route km for the Delhi Metro and $100M per route km in Vanover B.C. for the Canada line.

The costs for the Chinese design will not be much lower than this.

[dummass]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

The costs are actually quite low. As described by the inventor in his blog -- for a country like India they are about $10-15M per route km (both directions) -- this compares to about $50M per route km for the Delhi Metro and $100M per route km in Vanover B.C. for the Canada line.

The costs for the Chinese design will not be much lower than this.

You are quite the salesman, Rajiv. I'll take two: N to S and E to W When can you start?

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

You are quite the salesman, Rajiv. I'll take two: N to S and E to W When can you start?

You already have a canal. Why would you need Rajiv's sky bus? <grin>

[dummass]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

You already have a canal. Why would you need Rajiv's sky bus? <grin>

http://www.panama-guide.com/article....00615072935318

Four Entities Willing To Finance Panama's New Metro Mass Transit System

Tuesday, June 15 2010 @ 07:29 AM EDT
Contributed by: Don Winner

The Inter-American Development Bank, the Andean Development Corporation, the European Investment Bank and Citibank have confirmed their interest in providing funding for the Metro mass transit project in Panama. If you add up the amounts these four entities are willing to loan, the Government would have access to the $1.5 billion dollars the project is estimated to cost. Although the Ministry of Finance also has not ruled out using State funds, most of the project will be financed with new debt. At the end of May 2010 Panama's total debt is just over $11.17 billion dollars. (La Prensa)

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Cool concept: New Chinese Buses

If you add up the amounts these four entities are willing to loan, the Government would have access to the $1.5 billion dollars the [New Metro Mass Transit System] project is estimated to cost.

Hmm... I also note that Panama is expanding the canal at an estimated cost of a few more billion dollars.

It is good to see that our American debt and drug dealers are still plying their trade so well <sarcasm>.