• ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    5 months ago

    Yeah, it’s been confirmed that the whole hyperloop was a scam to prevent California from getting high-speed rail https://twitter.com/parismarx/status/1571628269555826688

    However, situation in China is very different because there’s already a ton of high-speed rail there. I think the goal with this sort of transport system would be to remove the need for domestic flights as opposed to compete with rail.

    In terms of feasibility, it’s not trivial, but I doubt it’s impossible. It likely more of a fact that it’s just not cost effective for private companies to build such infrastructure, but that’s true for a lot of large scale projects China undertakes. Hence why we never see such projects happening in the west. Any new technology is challenging, but there are also benefits to pushing the envelope.

    Another fun future possibility is that this kind of stuff could be put to use on the moon. China is already planning a base by 2030. And if the plan is for long term habitation we may see many bases at some point in the future, and then those could be connected by this type of maglev systems. You don’t have to worry about atmosphere, there are no earthquakes, and no flooding to worry about. Just dig a tunnel and you’re good to go.

    • RedClouds
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      5 months ago

      A base on the moon by 2030 is pretty amazing of an ambition already, so I’m looking forward to how that develops. Any sort of Maglev tunneling system would be pretty amazing to witness, even in video.

      Back to on Earth. Yeah, that makes sense. Replacing flying is a really big deal. I’m just really worried about the engineering implications of this. If it’s not actually feasible, then they’re gonna waste a lot of time trying to make it happen. Then again, they do have trains pretty much figured out and they can walk and chew gum at the same time as opposed to any Western government which can’t even get the basics right. So at least they have the expertise to at least attempt it.

      I guess I just had it in my head that it was basically a big scam and was so infeasible it wasn’t really worth trying. Then again, their public infrastructure is all state-owned, right? So it’s not like there’s some capitalist who’s making bank on selling this idea with no possibility of a product.

      Then again, it would be funny if China succeeded in this, where everybody else has failed. Hey, they’ve got the smartest engineers, so I guess I’ll sit back and watch the development.

      • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        5 months ago

        I wouldn’t say it’s a waste even if we find out that it’s impractical to do. Every large scale ambitious project like this results in a ton of technological and scientific advancement. Trying new things is how we learn at the end of the day. And completely agree that it would be hilarious if China actually manages to pull this off after US has been talking about it for decades with nothing to show.

      • HexBroke [any, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        5 months ago

        This is from their 2 kilometre Phase 1 track which reportedly exceeded 623 km/h (387 mph)

        The Phase 2 track is supposed to be 60 kilometres long

        Given the target speed is ~277 metres per second, starting with a 2,000 m test track is a pretty conservative approach