By Chris Uwaje

*Solar-Bullet Project – High-speed, alternative energy
The quest for more efficient transport systems doesn’t necessarily have to come at the cost of speed. The SolarBullet project is a campaign aiming to bring high-speed (we’re talking 220 mph (354 km/h)) trains to Arizona using tracks equipped with solar panel carrying canopies that would provide the 110 megawatts of electricity that the system needs to run. The project is currently in the R&D phase but faces several hurdles (not the least of which is an estimated US$27 billion pricetag) before construction of the planned Tucson to Phoenix line can get underway.

While on the subject, solar isn’t the only alternative energy being considered for powering train networks. The T-Box envisions turbines incorporated into tracks that could be used to harness wind energy from the train as it whooshes overhead.

*Contactless System

While contactless systems that allow personal electric vehicles to recharge on the go are gathering momentum, these systems also hold potential for making mass transportation greener and more efficient. A real-world example of this technology has already been demonstrated in the form of a trackless “train” developed by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The pilot project in Seoul’s Grand Park in Gwacheon City involved running an engine and three passenger cars using power supply infrastructure buried under the ground in sections of a 2.2 km (1.36 mile) long track.

So why not just charge the electric train at the socket? The advantage here is that the vehicle can operate with a battery that’s one-fifth of the size of batteries installed in electric vehicles currently on the market. While this means gains in efficiency, this needs to be weighed against the loss in efficiency caused by contactless charging, which in the KAIST experiment peaked at 74 percent. KAIST hopes to commercialize this technology within the next few years.

*SARTRE
These days we think of road and rail transport as completely different things, but this distinction is set to become a little muddy as technology marches towards 2050. One of the benefits of public transport in general is that it avoids the inherent chaos of personal transport where the decisions are made by individual drivers.

“Follow-the-leader” systems are looking to solve this problem by using a lead vehicle that’s wirelessly linked to a series of other cars or “carriages” which follow its path autonomously. The system retains the flexibility of purely private transport (i.e. vehicles can leave the train so that you don’t all have to end up at the same destination), the only additional infrastructure required is the computers that link the vehicles and the benefits for road safety, decreasing congestion and reducing vehicle fuel consumption are obvious.

This best of both worlds’ idea sits in the “very near future” category – a European project dubbed SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project has been in progress since 2009 and was recently successfully demonstrated on public roads for the first time.

*Space Tourism
Some future transport concepts have loftier goals than just getting us to the station on time. While space tourism based on more conventional rocket ships is a fast growing infant, there are also plans afoot to use “space trains” to launch passengers into orbit.

Like the EET discussed above, the Startram system would use a superconducting, magnetically levitating train capsule in a vacuum tube. The difference here is that the final 12 miles (20 km) of the 1,000 mile (1,609 km) long track would point upwards, launching the “carriage” into low earth orbit. If that’s not futuristic enough, the plan sees the skywards pointing launch tube itself being held in place by magnetic levitation!

Conceived by Dr. George Maise along with one of the inventors of superconducting maglev, Dr. James Powell, the potential of this system to significantly reduce the costs of putting commercial cargo (and space tourists) into orbit is attracting serious discussion.

10. Space Elevator
Another long standing and noteworthy concept that aims to democratize the process of getting off the planet is the space elevator. First theorized over 100 years ago, the idea of the space elevator is to use a cable tethered to a base station to send “climbers” into orbit at a fraction of the cost of rocket-based launch systems.

While there are a variety of designs, the key component of a working space elevator would be a thin tether made from lightweight material (carbon nanotubes are the prime candidate) that stretches from an anchor point or base station on or near the Earth’s equator to a point some 60,000 miles (96,560 km) into space. The Earth’s rotation and a counterweight on the upper end of the cable would keep the line taught and climbers (likely powered by solar energy) traveling at fast train pace would be sent up this futuristic beanstalk to deliver cargo and people into orbit and back.

According to the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC), the cost of transporting cargo in this way “will be significantly reduced in price to the realm of dollars per kilogram compared with over $20,000 per kilogram today.”

CONCLUSION
Mobility is a key factor in man’s activities and plays a major role in his productivity and advancement. In modern living, it has become imperative for one to travel distances from place of residence to work places and business centers, this, coupled with rising population density leads to traffic congestion which has adverse effects to the health as well as reduces productivity and creates a time lag.

Solutions to this problem lie in innovative and inspirational models of transportation and mobility systems. Nigeria should imbibe such systems in order to solve critical issues that plague our transport system as this would lead to a more efficient and productive society.

In as much as the models presented seem farfetched and almost impossible to achieve with the infrastructure on ground, the cue that we need to take is that Nigeria should device innovative means built upon indigenous technology to increase the efficiency of mobility; our challenges are specific and we are in the best position to develop solutions to address these challenges.

RECOMMENDATION
*Future Space concept should be imbibed: development should be done with consideration of the future; adequate space should be provided so as to facilitate expansion and accommodate the possibility of future development.

*Development of City Models: a model city is one which encapsulates a residential zone, economic/business/trade zone, recreation zone all in different segments in that city. This makes for accessibility of services required for daily activities and reduces, to a large extent, the area to be traversed daily.

*Government Policies: Government on its part should make it a point of duty to draw up and enforce policies on transportation; this would help regulate the development of transport systems as well as manage them appropriately.

*Research and Development: a culture of research and development should be adopted. The benefits of R&D are immense; R&D would create solutions to teething problems in our transport systems and would also propagate best practices for managing the existing transport facilities/systems.

*Innovation: is key towards the advancement of our transport systems. We need to think outside the box and break boundaries in order to come up with solutions that can revolutionize and overhaul the existing transport system.
CONCLUDED.

Chris Uwaje is President of ISPON.