Weekly Vid: India & China Commuter Trains
Tags: bestofyoutube, China, commuter rail, India, New York Times, Tata, trains
This week, I decided to post two videos about commuter trains from the world’s two largest countries. As with most all things, the differences in train technology between China and India are staggering, but there is little doubt that transportation development in both countries holds significant implications for the rest of us.
In the past, we’ve covered how the Tata has lowered the threshold for Indian motorists to enter the roadway, but how limited road capacity and crowded cities ultimately undermine the viability of cars. Perhaps this partly explains the high-demand for rail despite slow travel times. The following video from the New York Times provides a further window into the difficulties of India’s existing commuter rail infrastructure and how it might affect future growth.
The second video is plucked from BestOfYoutube, and while it might be a long way from ever being realized, the idea of a train that never has to make intermediate station stops is pretty intriguing. Of course, it’s not hard to imagine many of the potential dangers, but the concept seems a logical solution to one of the biggest challenges in streamlining commuter rail – minimizing station time. Anyway, take a peek and share your thoughts…
Check out our external video section for more planning wackiness from around the internet.
