Video: Shenzhen Huashi Future traffic straddle train

By Brett Davis | August 06th, 2010

The ever-expanding Chinese have been getting quite creative lately, especially when it comes to combating traffic and congestion issues. The country is one of the world’s highest polluters, with city congestion not helping the situation. This has provoked Shenzhen Huashi Future, the guys usually responsible for all kinds of crazy car park designs, to come up with this extremely innovative traffic straddle train system.

Quite ingenious and logical, the way it works pretty much speaks for itself. Using existing road networks, the train is said to eliminate congestion whilst avoiding major changes in the road and public transport infrastructure. This also heaps keep costs to a minimum.

The train’s wheels are tracked along side the outter edges of a motor vehicle lane using rails, allowing the carriage to physically roll over the top of the ordinary traffic. Of course, the special lanes that run under the train are restricted to light vehicle motorists with specific height limits.

The futuristic idea might seem a bit far fetched at first, but, according to the The Huffington Post, the system has already sparked interest with the Chinese government and construction is already planned to began in Beijing’s Mentougou district by the end of the year.

Check out the video below. It is in Chinese, although, it’s still interesting to watch and you get the gist of what the concept is all about.

Reports say the entire 185km railway planned will take about one year to build, costing 500 million yuan (AU$80 million). That’s not all that expensive for a major infrastructure change, especially as developers say the system will be capable of transporting up to 1400 commuters, reducing overall congestion by as much as 30 percent.

Bold

I don’t think this is going to work, just too many things going into one, even comments in chinese websites aren’t that positive.
Shak

Very interesting. You would think with our extremely close relationship with China, some of their ingenuity would have rubbed off on us. Oh well i guess well have to make do with goat tracks and tin cans for trains.

Damian

Not to mention trains and buses with NO air-conditioning. This is the 21st century and I was under the impression that Australia is a developed country? The pre-paid system in Sydney is an absolute joke, and our inner city transport infrastructure is shot to sh*t because somebody decided to expand bicycle lanes.

Jimmy

You should be praising them for encouraging more bike commuting. Next time your cursing the bike lanes, think about how many cars it takes off the road so you can haul your fat a*se around in your comfy car from point to point (work-KFC-home-work-KFC-home) faster.

yowza

A bike rider?

Look I see the point, I see the benefits.

But I also see the inconvenience bike riders cause.

How about bike riders that cause long traffics because they decide to use the main road to get to work?

I encourage less cars on the road as much as the next green guy, but we cant solve the car quantity/traffic/pollution problem by giving more lane space for bike riders. Unless of course 80% of commuters are on bikes…. living in Melbourne, with its mediocre to pathetic public transport…. travelling by car is the only way to go.

fishman

If you seriously think cyclists cause cause congestion in cities then you are badly deluded.

And you’ll be telling us next that building more roads will fix congestion? That strategy has really worked over the last 20 yrs…

And all those european cities that encourage cycling, have less congestion, and less polution, have got it wrong?

Wake up! Cyclists reduce the number of cars on the road, reduce congestion, and reduce polution, aswell as increasing fitness and so reducing healthcare costs. Anything that encourages cycling should be applauded by motorist as they get an indirect benefit with having to get off their backside
Jimmy

“How about bike riders that cause long traffics because they decide to use the main road to get to work?”

Think about that. How much does a cyclist hold you up, a few seconds? Maybe 10 seconds max? It’s pretty inconsequential isn’t it? Give cyclists the respect they deserve. Each cyclist is one car off the road. Also, congestion can actually be solved with better bike infrastructure. You have a very narrow minded view.

Wayne Kerr

Hehe. The only reason road cyclists are still alive is because murder by car ramming is illegal.

Fenno

Which european cities are you talking about that have less congestion and polution….The Vatican maybe?
Cant think of any others.
If bike riders followed the road rules on the roads they want to share with cars then most of us would not have an issue. But seeing them sit 5 abreast and running red lights really gives be the s…h…1…tees.

LOL – Chinese story: anti-spam = Chery
Jimmy

As opposed to murder by other means. Moron.

Perpetuating hate towards cyclists helps no one.

Jon Leong

Quote from Topgear:
ambitious but rubbish.

Shak

They initially rubbished diesel and DSG/quote: Flappy paddle nonsense. Look at both of those applications just a few short years later.
This concept looks to have very few limitations. The only thing that i can see wrong with it, is the roads have to be good enough to sustain both traffic flows now.
Damian

That’s coming from a bunch of nut jobs who know absolutely nothing about traffic infrastructure or urban planning, and most tellingly, are from a traditionally imperialistic country that has contributed nothing over the past century.

http://www.caradvice.com.au Anthony Crawford

Of course, Australia is such a shining light when it comes to traffic management!

Damian

And in which post did I heap praise upon Australia’s traffic management record?

My point was that at least the Chinese are being proactive about managing congestion, unlike other “developed” nations, who are more than happy to apply band-aid solutions to “combat” increased congestion.

PS

To Damian:

Your second post reads nothing like your first one… I think you were being quite vindictive there mate! Really, it wasn’t irony you were going for!

NacaYoda

Collision ramifications = massive.
But I still want one in Melbourne so we can catch a train to the airport! Please!

Damian

Possibilities of collision are no more remote than all the telegraph poles and trees lining our streets, in which P-platers so lovingly wrap their cars around in.

Bold

There is a reason why we rarely have a car/bus/truck/train that is as wide as two lanes. You simply make things too complicate with this width. How do you put this into a city already packed with roads and buildings? Can it turn at a corner? Unless you create a city around this. I never doubt chinese can build great things, but this one won’t work.

Philthy

They have orders to build some and construction is starting soon, so we’ll just wait and see eh?

Frenchie

Austalia has to fix up it roads before it straddled it with a train.
Nick Lane

Good on them if they can make it work! Too many things could go wrong though. What if you need to make a turn but you have been travelling under a train for the last 5km. The whole network would come to a hale if someone broke down on the track. A lot of people would panic if they saw a train in their rearview mirror or would not be confident enough to travel through on if it were travelling slow. This would create more congestion.

The idea is great but when the recipe contains under trained, incompetant drivers there is not enough room for error.

Baddass

I imagine it would be quite a shock for a train to suddenly ride over your car! Driving along then it goes suddenly dark and you’re walled in! Great idea though, really clever. I think it’s a good solution to congestion. Is it just by specially raised platforms that you board?

Shak

They have proposed that stations become raised platforms, but also they have installed ladders through the roof so that you can board from a pedestrian walkway.

http://www.getapproved.com.au Jade

I think its a great concept, but building something like this would take a lot of time and resource. Plus too many things to take care off and could go wrong.
Demonaz

According to the video, all technical designs and issues will be completed and addressed by august this year. In addition, 180km of track has been approved in an ‘eco-suburb’ in Beijing and construction will begin before the end of the year.

I think this is genius. I do have my doubts but cant wait to see it in action when it’s finished.

Apparently construction time will be 40km per year.
ozquad44

I think its brilliant. no different to driving in one of the many tunnels in our (Australian) cities, Except this one is rolling. this concept would be just the ticket for Marmion Ave/West-coast HWY in Perth. Even on the Mitchell for that matter.

Not so sure the electronics are required for anti collision with the sides of the train, just make short concrete walls on both sides of the lanes, like we already have on some freeways and motor-ways. They could even construct the train thee lanes wide to allow for a stopping or emegency lane, who knows.

All you guys saying how hard it is. Everything is hard when its new. I bet a boieng 747 was a hard concept to get a hold of in its day.

gt6

People are forgetting that within 20 years just about all cars are likely to have some form of computer controlled guidance/collision avoidance technology. This could automatically take control of your car and the surrounding cars once the “train” is within a certain distance.

This is not that far fetched at all, as we already have cars on the market with reverse parking guidance, this is just another step in the evolution of this technology.

riddles

it looks very ambitious and possibly very expensive
But desoerate situations in packed cities this seems like the right idea.

Good on them for attempting something so novel.
These things would become a tourist attraction of their own, much likes londons red busses and black cabs.
Barney

Good idea, but its basically a poor-man’s metro/monorail.

Look at PRT – Personal Rapid Transit vehicles, that are already up and running at London Heathrow Airport!

This Chinese thing looks too slow.
Save it for the track

The story says 185km built in a year for only equivalent of $80 million Aus dollars. Amazing what can be achieved without OH&S regulations and unions isn’t it??
Cranston Snord

Two words. Bearing load. Long-term use will open a new can of worms as wear and tear will cause this thing to destroy itself. Not to mention the stress of the load on the walls. It’s ok. Try it. Just not in my country!

Shak

What do you think the bloody walls will be made of, cardboard? Mate there is something called maintenance. And Seeing as how China can seemingly proper up whole business districts over night, a raised train shouldn’t be too hard for them. How do you think normal rail locked trains bear load. Its pretty much a Melbourne Trams Set up but raised above traffic to allow no interruption to the flow of traffic.