Skype conferencing has also become a common business tool during the last ten years.
Skyping on a train is antisocial and prone to eavesdropping.

But Skyping inside a self driving car makes good use of travel time..

Road vehicles are unlikely to be completely autonomous by the time that HS2 arrives on the scene. Nevertheless, they will possess sufficient artificial intelligence to cope with the simplified conditions of motorway driving. Motorways already link the cities scheduled to be connected by HS2. So by the early 2020s, many ‘drivers’ will be conditioned to spending most of their motorway travel time on non-driving work.

Click to see our proposal for reducing the hazards of driverless cars during the transition to full vehicle autonomy.

Three environmental issues linked to HS2

The first issue

Driverless cars will create new road traffic problems that HS2 can't solve

 Many driverless car commuters it will find it cheaper to 'send the car home' rather than pay high town centre car parking fees. This will increase the number of rush hour cars on our roads for the same mileage travelled by commuters. [Proxy riders such as family memebrs can sit in the car on the journey home if necessary.]

 Dricerless car will also split commuters into winners and losers. The quiet isolation of traffic jams will allow office work to be done without interruption. But "hands on workers" such as medical staff, techers and social workers will have longer working days, without any increase in productivity.

In the specific case of journeys involving HS2, the longer time spent on the road legs of the journey will cancel out the time saved on the high speed train leg.

For the emergency services, this increase in road traffic density will cause problems.

The second issue

HS2 will act as a migration valve, sucking people into the south.

Commuting from the North where house prices are relatively low to the capital where salaries are high makes financial sense. 

But HS2 rail fares will be expensive. So once the commuting northerners have settled into their new jobs, many will decide to move to the capital.

The reverse commute would be financially unwise.

The recerse commute would be finacially improdent: Workers living in London where the cost of living is high would be impoverished if they commuted to the north where salaries are relatively low.

Illustrative example: The NHS pays an Inner London supplement of 20%.
http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/pay-and-reward/pay/pay-in-high-cost-areas
So an NHS worker using HS2 to commute into Inner London to a new job will effectively gain a pay increase of 20%, In contrast, commuting out of London to a new job in the north will amount to taking a a pay cut of 20%.

Over time, the HS2 migration valve will build up cost of living pressure in the capital. This may create positive feedback, with Inner London supplements rising. 

Figure 1. People will be prepared to pay high HS2 rail fares to travel south to better paid jobs, but few will want to pay high fares to travel north to lower paid jobs.

Skilled labour will flow in into the capital, increasing its prosperity, but the north will be drained of wealth creating talent.

The third issue

 Higher speeds will cause a massive jump in carbon footprints

Background fact: Fuel consumed doing work against air resistance increases with the speed of the train raised to the power of three.

This means that increasing average top speeds from 125 miler per hour to 225 miles per hour increases the carbon footprint per passenger for a similar sized train by a factor of 5.8. [ 5.8 = (225/125)³ ]

 
The difference in carbon footprints is even greater if we compare HS2 with a 70 mph commuter train.
Here the carbon footprint increases by a factor of 33.2. [ 33.2 = (225/70)³ ]

Figure 2. The amount of fuel that needs to be consumed to overcome air resistance increases rapidly as train speed increases.

Engineering cannot overcome this problem, except by using an exotic and expensive hyperloop system.

Our altrnative to HS2 
Essentially, HS2 is copying railway technology invented by Japanese engineers half a century ago. It was developed to shift large numbers of commuters between a few big cities.
We suggest that Britain needs a more versatile railway solution that works for the majority of commuters. Ideally, it would improve the commuting experience for people travelling between all 2,552 stations on the UK network.

We will suggest three inventions, A, B and C to get more people to travel by train.

Invention A is an improved braking system  is intended to double the capacity of the whole of the UK rail network within 10 -15 years.

Invention B named Magtrac  is primarily intended to reduce travel times and improve all weather reliability on inter-city routes.

Inventions A and B require a new set of soft iron  lines running in parallel with the existing track. This will allow the Magtrac upgrade to be made whenever passenger numbers justify the investment.

Invention C combines A and B with driverles vehicle technoloy to create a European wide Transport Internet.

Invention A: Easing the railway capacity problem in five years, without building HS2

A1  The engineering problem to be solved

Railway train wheels have a poor grip on steel tracks, compared with rubber tyres on roads. This severely reduces the ability of trains to brake rapidly during an emergency.

For example, at 80 miles/hour, the braking distance for an eight carriage passenger train is sixteen times the braking distance for a car travelling along a dry road at the same speed.

In the era of driverless vehicles, the “thinking distance” will effectively be eliminated. This will make the contrast between road and rail breaking distances even greater.

To meet an increased demand on the national railway network, we can either

(a) Stick with our Victorian era friction braking systems and build more tracks to increase capacity. - This is the HS2 approach.

OR

(b) Employ a powerful frictionless braking system that will allow more trains to travel safely along our exiting tracks. This would allow the whole of the UK to benefit from improved rail communications.

The powerful brakes we need are are already up and running in Germany. They are called eddy current brakes.

If you want to skip the technical details, scroll down to

Section 5, A Summary of comparative costs

Eddy current brakes –a short primer

Roller-coasters and German high speed trains have an important feature in common. They both use eddy current brakes to slow them down.

The principle behind eddy current braking is that when a metal object, for example a metal bar moves through a magnetic field, swirling electric currents called eddy currents are generated inside the bar.

There are two consequences that you need to know about:
(i) The eddy currents heat the bar so that it can become very hot,
(ii) The bar experiences a backwards force that tries to slow it down.

The engineering appeal of eddy current brakes is that they convert the kinetic energy of a moving train into heat without the moving parts coming into physical contact. So there is no wearing out of the parts due to friction.

As a bonus, ice and wet leaves on the track do not impair braking.

An eddy current braking system for trains has two essential ingredients: a set of magnets suspended from the train to create the magnetic fields and bars or rails along the track to host the eddy currents.

The German high speed train system uses the track that the trains run on for eddy current braking. Unfortunately, the heat generated during braking causes potential buckling problems. The Germans have got round this by laying new tracks, where the heating is allowed for.

We propose a quicker and cheaper retro-fitting solution to the problem; laying a second set of rails on the existing sleepers, purely for hosting the eddy currents.

As you will discover in the second article, laying the additional rails could be an excellent long term investment for the UK economy because they will become the foundations for a revolutionary new Transport Internet based on Magtrac Technology.

A2  How the improved British braking system will work

In addition to existing brake systems, each carriage will be fitted with eddy current brakes that automatically slow the train down if a dead man’s switch is operated. 

We recommend that the new “braking rails” are made from iron, so that the track is ready for running Magtrac trains at a future date.

Figure 3. For routine braking, the electromagnets can be powered by an onboard generator. But for maximum protection, backup batteries would be provided. Each magnet would be serviced by its own battery.

The total braking contribution made by the eddy current brakes increases with the number of magnets.

Sufficient magnets could be added (for example), so that, with 50% redundancy, the train carrying capacity of the line could be doubled without compromising braking safety.

A3 Anti-fouling measures
(i) The working height of the magnets is fixed relative to the (non-rotating) axle casing rather than the chassis. This decouples the magnets from vertical movements of the chassis.
(ii) The magnets are positioned higher than the running rails and there are no eddy current braking rails in the vicinity of junctions, points or level crossings.
(iii) For the proof of concept (i.e. very basic) model, there is good clearance between the magnets and the iron rails.
(iv) Also for this model, the width of the iron rail can be reduced on bends to allow for lateral movement of the magnets as the wheel flanges butt up against the outer running rail.
(v) The commercial model will include additional anti-fouling measures that also minimise the air gap between the iron rails and the magnet pole faces. The commercial model remain secret for intellectual property protection reasons.

Keeping the rails clean
scavenging electromagnets and brushes ahead of the brakes would keep the iron rails clear.

A4  Delivery time
Eddy current braking is a well developed technology, so R&D time will be minimal.

Time will be required to lay the iron rails and build new rolling stock fitted with eddy current brakes.
The first improved capacity lines could be ready within five years.

• Eddy current braking systems will provide a boost for the UK economy a decade earlier than HS2.
   
• They will be greener and be more politically acceptable than HS2.
   

A5   Summary of comparative costs

Q. Is it possible to draw off the electric currents generated during normal train braking?

A. Yes, brushes could be used to complete an electrical circuit between batteries on the moving train and the iron rails. In essence the system would become a linear version of a Faraday Disk. To improve efficiency, the electromagnets would be placed in linear arrays. (Several weaker magnets would replace each powerful magnet.)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homopolar_generator
To minimise wear, the contact points on the rails could be graphite coated and the brushes  swung into their operating positions when the braking electromagnets are activated. The system would default to eddy current braking if the contacts failed.

This current capturing feature is a green energy bonus, but is not required for braking.

A6 Additional braking safety measures
(i)  Artificial integence based braking systems can further reduce braking distances and times.

(ii) Eddy current braking power increases with train speed. But the reverse is also true; they cannot bring the train completely to a halt. Traditional friction brakes will be required to finally bring the train from a slow walking speed to a halt.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Where do we start?

Bill Courtney is a Manchester man who supports the idea of a northern powerhouse. He suggests that we learn our new track laying skills on a relatively quiet northern line, for example the one between Chester, Altrincham and Manchester.
[The journey from Chester to Manchester includes 15 station stops. So, if improved brakes cut 30 seconds off the average traveling time between each station, the full length journey time would be reduced by 7.5 minutes. In general, commuters would see their travel times reduced, without the trains having to travel any faster.

We could then give a rocket boost to the north by upgrading the trans-Pennine route from Liverpool to Hull in two phases.

The worlds first passenger train powered by "Rocket" started in Liverpool and ended in Manchester. It would give a great lift to British engineering if we Brits launched a new Rocket 2 railway age.

Lets go for it!

=======================

leInvention B, Magtrac

Introduction

Invention A, eddy current braking is suggested for commuter routes where the trains make frequent station stops. Its primary aim is to reduce stopping distances so that more trains per hour can run on the track without compromising on safety.

Magtrac also offers improved braking, but in addition it offers higher speeds and greater resilience against traction problems such as ice or compacted leaves on the track.

Superior traction will allow Magtrac trains to climb far steeper gradients than convention trains.

Magtrac can also provide stability when taking bends at speed, but without the train having to tilt.

This will provide future proofing for the network. If we wish to add new railway lines we will have the option of building them overhead, above existing motorways and roads. This will allow the network to be expanded without the massive land purchase costs involved in building HS2.

For environmental reasons, Magtrac trains could be run on hydrogen fuel. This will eliminate the costs currently associated with electrifying inter-city routes.

Alternatively, Latent Power Turbines installed in the roofs of the carriages could provide  power.

If you want to skip the technical details, please scroll down to
Section B16 titled The Business Argument: Magtrac vs. HS2

Background: Another British invention, Maglev was our inspiration for Magtrac

 
Maglev trains are hover trains. They were invented in Britain in the 1960’s by Professor Eric Laithwaite and are now running in China.
They offer several advantages: Wear on the track is minimal and acceleration, braking and fuel economy all improve,
but these benefits are outweighed by the high track building costs.

Magtrac is our proposal for gaining many of the benefits of Maglev, but at a small fraction of the capital cost.

Our design breakthrough
We reduce costs by mounting the electromagnets on the trains instead of the tracks.

The electromagnets are suspended under the train and interact with soft iron rails mounted on the existing railway track sleepers. 
("Soft" is used in the electrical engineering sense, meaning the rails are easy to magnetise and demagnetise.)

The braking and acceleration benefits of Maglev are maintained, but Magtrc’s levitation effect is not sufficient to support the weight of the train.

Figure 4, Magtrac.

Q. Why are iron rails required instead of steel?
A. Iron rails are better at amplifying the strength of the electromagnets than steel/. But they rapidly lose their magnetism when the train passes. This is good because it eliminates the problem of steel cans and other ferromagnetic junk sticking to the rails.

          HOW IT WORKS
            We will build the Magtrac principle up in stages

B1 The key concept
First we consider what happens when an electric current is passed through two solenoids resting on a soft iron bar.
[A solenoid is a cylindrical coil of wire that acts as a magnet when an electric current passes through it. The magnetic effect is weak if the interior of the solenoid is filled with air, but strong if the air is replaced by iron.]

The solenoids become electromagnets and either mutually attract or repel, depending on their polarities.

Figure 5. In addition to attraction or repulsion between the two solenoids, each solenoid experiences a repulsive force between itself and the enclosed soft iron bar. This provides a small levitation effect.
 

The law of conservation of energy has to be respected so we do not get "free" energy out of either of these arrangements. For example in Fig. 6 (a), after the solenoids have moved together, work has to be done against the magnetic attraction, to restore the magnets to their original positions.
We can't cheat nature by switching the magnets off and then moving them apart because when we switch the magnets back on again work has to be done against the back EMFs as the magnetic fields are rebuilt.

B2 A load carrying platform

Plan view:

Figure 6. To move a lightweight platform along a short length of track, the soft iron bar needs to be bent into a U shape.

B3 A practical traction unit

For the platform to move along a track of indefinite length:

(i) A long chain of U shaped iron bars is required.
(ii) “Half solenoids” that can “jump” from one iron bar to the next are used.

Figure 7. The platform and supporting half solenoids can move along an indefinite length of track

Figure 8. This is a “half solenoid”, with all of the windings connected in parallel. When an electric current flows through the windings, a magnetic field similar to a full solenoid is produced. But its asymmetry results in a net upward force on the half solenoid.

Figure 9. An alternative, series winding. The neutralising effect of the upper half solenoid is minimal, because of its greater distance from the soft iron rail.

Figure 10. Further details of the electromagnetic coupling.
The upthrust is a useful bonus but it cannot be relied upon to support the weight of the train because it varies with the current passing through the half solenoids.
The upthrust on the train produces an equal and opposite down thrust on the iron rails. This improves the friction grip between the iron rails and underlying sleepers.

We will refer to the activated half solenoids as runners and the lengths of soft iron tracks as stators.

It is not necessary for the runners to be in close contact with the stators and large clearances between them are possible to avoid fouling by small items of debris. (Large clearance gaps require large diameter half solenoids. So the total length of conducting wires generating the magnetic flux increases, compensating for the larger air gap.)

Large clearances will allow wipers to be added, to periodically clean the under surfaces of the runners.

The conducting wires can be made from superconducting material and the half solenoids immersed in very cold chambers protected by Dewar insulation.

B4    Explanation: Why the size of the air gap, ice and leaves on the rails do not affect performance

Figure 11.
Icing of the iron rails will be a rare event because Magtrac has a natural built in de-icing mechanism.
When an iron rail goes through a magnetisation-demagnetisation cycle, a small amount of heat is generated. (Hysteresis loss.) This will help to melt any ice or snow in winter.
 

The only downside of a large air gap is that the half solenoids are slightly bulkier, heavier and more expensive to build.

Q. How effective will Magtrac braking be?

A. Braking and traction increase with the total number of turns in all of the half solenoids, the currents passing through the wires and the cross section area of the iron rails. In principle, Magtrac braking could be as efficient as the braking on a Formula One racing car. In reality, a far more modest braking system should meet commercial, safety and customer needs.

As with eddy current brakes, Magtrac braking power increases with train speed. But the reverse is also true; they cannot bring the train completely to a halt. Traditional friction brakes will be required to finally bring the train from a slow walking speed to a halt.

B5          Reducing stray magnetic fields

Stray magnetic fields can attract ferromagnetic debris such as nuts, bolts and nails. A number of steps can be taken to design this problem out of the system.

  
 
B6      Superconducting shields
For superconducting systems the runners are lodged in cold chambers. Magnetic flux cannot penetrate a sheet of superconducting material, so by lining the out facing walls of the cold chambers with superconducting material, magnetic flux shields can be created.

Figure 12. Superconducting shielding.

To prevent the outer faces of the Dewar flasks icing up in winter they can be fitted with heating elements to keep their temperature just above 0^oC. Alternatively, anti-icing coatings can be added.

Miniature "cattle fenders" and scavenging electromagnets can be added ahead of each item of rolling stock to prevent damage by small items of debris.

B7    Burying the soft iron magnet poles also reduces stray magnetic fields

Figure 13. A vertical cross section at track level.

B8         Keeping the runners and flux shields cold

Runners and flux shields can be chilled using liquefied gases or dedicated refrigerators. A combined system may be best.
New designs of cryocoolers (low temperature refrigerators) created for use with rolling stock are published on our superconductors and cryocoolers web page.

B9         Powering Magtrac trains

 If the electromagnets are superconducting there are no heat losses but energy still has to be expended driving the electric currents against the back EMFs produced as the train moves.

Electrification using overhead power cables is one option. But upgrading existing diesel lines is very expensive because bridges and tunnels have to be modified to allow extra height for the electricity cables.

Magtrac can eliminate this cost by using onboard liquid hydrogen as the fuel, with the fuel being used twice. First in liquid form, as a superconducting cable coolant; then as a fuel to generate electricity.

To burn the hydrogen fuel efficiently onboard, fuel cells, four stroke engines or Latent Power Turbines can be used.

Liquid hydrogen fuel safety
The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell SUV runs on liquid hydrogen. It has successfully completed legislative crash tests. https://www.hyundaiusa.com/tucsonfuelcell/

B10          The copper alternative to superconducting windings

The argument in favour of superconducting windings is that they eliminate electrical resistance (Joule) heating losses. Copper is not a superconductor at liquid hydrogen temperatures but its resistivity is les than 5% of its value at UK average weather temperatures. If copper is used for the windings there will still be some Joule heating losses at low temperatures but the thermal energy can be used for warming the hydrogen prior to its use as a fuel.
Copper is easy to handle when manufacturing the half solenoids and has the safety bonus that it can still be used for effective braking, even if the hydrogen cooling system fails.

B11  Regenerative braking

As we have explained above, to produce motion an electric current must pass through each pair of half solenoids on the same part of the track. If the current supply through one of the pair is switched off, then the motion over the soft iron rails will induce an electric current in the other. But energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only change from one form to another. To conserve total energy as electricity is generated, the train must lose kinetic energy by slowing down. The electricity generated by the second half solenoid can be used to charge a battery or super capacitor for later use. Alternatively, it can be dissipated into the environment as heat using electrical resisters.

Electromanetic braking is not very effective at low speeds. So, conventional friction brakes will still be required to bring the train to a final halt.They will also be needed and to prevent stationary trains rolling down hills.

B12 Remote braking On the approaches to potential accident spots such as railway crossings, active Magtrac rails can be installed. These would include externally powered solenoids that converted attraction into repulsion. This would allow remote braking by an external operator or an intelligent CCTV system.

Figure 14. Active Magtrac rails include current carrying solenoids that can be switched on remotely. These instantly convert traction power into braking power.

Braking solenoid off: Axle casing mounted N attracts second ¹/₂solenoid axle casing mounted S. Traction power is generated.
Braking solenoid on: Axle casing mounted N repelled by Magtrac rail mounted N. Braking power is generated.

If the track based system detects that the trains half solenoid currents have been changed to initiate braking, the track solenoid current can be switched off.

The UK mainline Health and Safety report for 2012 records four pedestrian and five car deaths on level crossings.

This design can also provide protection for maintenance staff Portable half solenoid versions of the the remote braking system could be installed on lengths of track where maintainable work is being carried out while the track is still in use.

Points
There would be no Magtrac iron rail in close proximity to points. If necessary, axle coupled motors would be used to shift stationary trains away from these sections.

B13   Noise reduction bonus
The reduced wheel on track loading, thanks to the Magtrac up-thrust, will reduce train noise.
Magtrac and eddy current braking both eliminate the squealing of friction brakes and the vibrations caused by uneven wear on the steel tyres resulting from friction braking.

B14 Dissipation of kinetic energy during braking
Under normal braking conditions, the kinetic energy lost as the train slows down would be used to generate electricity and then stored in batteries, super-capacitors or flywheels. During emergency braking, some electricity could be used to boil water, which would then be vented off as steam.

B5 Stability on bends

The iron rails are depicted as being located inside the steel runing rails. Alternatively, they can be placed outside the steel rails. This would offer extra stability on bends, especially if the solendoids above the iron rails on the outside of te bend temporarily carried a higher current and produced a greater upthrust.

B16  The Business Argument: Magtrac vs. HS2

HS2 requires entirely new tracks to be laid.

(i)                Land has to be purchased and existing landowners compensated.

(ii)              New bridges, tunnels embankments and cuttings need to be built.

In contrast, Magtrac only requires additional soft iron rails to be added to existing tracks.

We don’t know how the development of driverless cars, internet conferencing and other technologies will affect inter-city train demands in the future. Magtrac is a far safer bet than HS2 because rolling stock only needs to be upgraded from eddy current braking to Magtrac standards if there is clear customer demand.

B17 Outline timetable for decision makers [Magtrac + eddy current braking]

Eddy current braking

The Magtrac rails can be used for eddy current braking, as described in the first article. If we act promptly, eddy current brakes could start improving network capacity within five years.

During the first year of research and development (at least), eddy current and Magtrac systems are developed in tandom, to ensure that the the iron rails are compatable for both.

 The full Magtrac system

Within six months
An industrial research lab completes the basic proof of concept experiments as illustrated in Figure 6 above. The experiments are repeated using half solenoids.

End of first year
A copper wire based Magtrac locomotive unit is running on a short length of narrow gauge rail.
Preliminary estimates relating to the design and costs of the iron rails are made.

Three years
A hydrogen cooled and fuelled system is operating and the locomotive unit is running for long periods on a closed loop of narrow gauge track.
Iron rail laying and other costs are firmed up.

Eight years
A demonstration full scale Magtrac public service is in operation.
Perhaps Manchester to Liverpool....?

Twelve years
Rolling stock on London to Birmingham line upgraded to Magtrac standards.. 

Fifteen years
Roling stock on Birmingham to Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds lines upgraded. Followed shortly afterwards by upgrades to extensions to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

2030
All major UK and Northern Ireland rail rou upgraded to include eddy current/Magtrac rails. The Republic of Ireland adopts eddy current braking/Magtrac, building stronger trade relations across Ireland.

This timetable is flexible
The rail routes that are currently experiencing the greatest capacity problems can be upgraded first.

"According to Network Rail figures produced two years ago long distance trains coming into Euston are only 60% full during the morning peak. This contrasts with Paddington, where trains are 99% full and Waterloo, where the figure is 91%." (Daily Telegraph 10 September 2013.)

(iii) Compared with HS2, more people and businesses will benefit

Figure 15. At its best, HS2 will bring prosperity to a few English cities by 2032.
                But, the nation as a whole will be paying taxes to fund this.

Figure 16. Magtrac is a far cheaper alternative per mile that will help to stimulate the whole UK economy.

(iv) The manufacturing & export bonus
HS2 is an engineering dead end because we will be copying high speed systems developed abroad. In contrast, Britain will be the world leader in developing combined eddy current braking and Magtrac. This will generate massive engineering export opportunities for the UK.

(  

v) Attracting young people into engineering

The Japanese bullet train was running two generations ago, so HS2 is "ancient" engineering in the eyes of youth. In contrast, combined eddy current braking and Magtrac is new and British.

The development of Magtrac falls into a series of short visually interesting steps. The R&D project could have its own website with videos of test runs being posted on U-Tube. Young British engineers [hopefully having a representative gender and ethnic mix] would be used as the media face for the project.

An engineering science teacher should form part of the team. They would pose engineering problems and suggest student projects linked to the Magtrac development. Links to relevant project equipment suppliers would be provided.

Invention C – A transport internet for the 2030's

Driverless cars will eliminate the tedium of driving for many and will allow those who are currently barred from driving for medical reasons to travel by car alone.

Unless we act boldly and imaginatively, these benefits will inevitably lead to an increase in traffic on our roads.

We propose minimising this increase by enabling cars and lorries to make part of long journeys by rail using a transport internet.

The following example suggests how any car, driverless or conventional, car could use the transport internet to travel from Crieff in Scotland to Swansea in Wales.

Figure 17. A motorist using the transport internet to travel from say Crieff in Scotland to Swansea in Wales might have the choice of two embarkation stations, Perth or Dunblane and several routes through England. The routing software would suggest fastest and lowest cost options. The computer analysis would be utilitarian; offering the fastest/cheapest services to the greatest number of travellers.

Driverless vehicles could move themselves between trains. Conventional vehicles could enjoy the same advantage if their front wheels were mounted on driverless robot trolleys for the journey.

Freight containers would make transitions between trains on driverless wheeled pallets.
The bulk of domestic and European freight could be shipped overnight via the transport internet.

The transport internet concept could only become viable if the capacity of the whole of the rail network was significantly increased by using eddy current braking and Magtrac technology.

If the demand exceeds the capacity of the existing network, new lines could be added, but unlike HS2, this will not require the large scale acquisition of new land.

Magtrac trains will be able to climb far steeper gradients than existing trains, allowing new train line to be built over existing motorways, climbing higher to clear bridges and other civil engineering features that straddle our motorways.

Magtrac can provide traction power to individual passenger carriages or vehicle carriers. If this is combined with driverless train technology, passenger, vehicle and goods carriers will be able to travel as individual units. This will greatly increase the choice of destinations available from each embarkation station and minimise the number of train swaps that need to be made on long journeys.

 be necessary

In the era of driverless cars and goods transport vehicles, the free market incentive for vehicles to travel long journeys by rail will be low. However, in order to reduce road congestion, this shift to rail will be necessary.

To fund the transport internet, a mileage charge could be made on all vehicles using our roads. This would be used to subsidise train fares for vehicles using the transport internet alternative.