With technology slowly taking over the modern world, it isn’t surprising at all that it has infiltrated the world of transport as well. While we still may not be able to zap ourselves from one place to another (how cool would that be?), we’ve definitely come a long way from the world of travelling by horse and coal trains.
So, what does the near future hold for us in the world of travel? Read on to find out!
The Ticketing Solution
With the technological revolution taking over all facets of our lives, gone are the days of paper tickets and saving ticket stubs, as the modern man only identifies with smart-card systems. Ticketing was one of the first avenues of transportation to have been revolutionized in rail and metro, and it seems like there’s a lot of digitization yet to be done!
The next development seems to be the ability to converse with a ‘real agent’ in ‘real time’ over the internet. It would be the experience of a ticket window, just done so online or over the phone. This would not only enable rail companies to have a central pool of staff but would also ensure a more monitored system. The division of work at peak times at different stations would also make the system way more efficient and fast!
Imagine, the experience of human interaction and the speed of a machine rolled into one. An ultimate user experience for the tech-savvy society of today!
Upping the Internet Game
Rails and Metros have already been providing Wi-Fi service to their passengers, and we all seem quite happy, so can it really get better than this? Apparently it can! After Wi-Fi, there’s a talk of a new technology making the rounds of the transport industry i.e.,Li-Fi.
Li-Fi is the future of the internet, using visible light to transport data at a higher speed, and lower costs. How is it better than our trusted Wi-Fi you ask? Well for one, the basic fact that it uses visible light, as opposed to radio waves used by Wi-Fi for transportation, makes it not only a faster connection but also one able to carry larger densities of data since visible light is far more abundant than the radio spectrum.
The other reason could be the non-interfering signals (coming from visible light) of Li-Fi that make your rail journeys super safe! Radio waves pose a risk to the operations of railways and metros as they can interfere with the mission critical electronic circuitry.
From High-Speed To Hyper-Speed
While high-speed rail has been a hot topic of debate in the transport revolution circles¾with it revolutionizing traveling in China, Japan, and Europe¾there now seems to be a new entry into the world of fast traveling; the Hyper-speed rail!
Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla introduced the idea of the Hyperloop in 2013, a new innovative form of transportation, guaranteed to be accident proof! Hyperloop would be a reduced pressure tube with pressurized capsules being driven by electrical motors. The idea is not just a fast and safe solution to all of our commuting problems, but also claims to run solely on solar energy!
How this invention transforms the world of high-speed travel to super speed travel is yet to be seen!
Low-Cost Solutions
- String Transportation
Have you heard of string theory? String theory is a popular concept in the world of quantum physics, but for those of you (like me) who don’t really get quantum physics can learn about the string transportation field!
The idea is to use pre-stressed rails with two pre-stressed cables (strings) to create an elevated light rail transportation system. These can be used for freight as well as passenger services, and are a great new idea for low-cost travel!
- Straddling Bus
As the world population increases, so do the number of vehicles on our roads. Do we really have space to accommodate all the cars and add more buses to solve the public transport problem? We’ve already gone underground, so what we really need to do is make more space on the ground. Has the technology advanced enough to do that? Apparently yes! The idea of a straddling bus does just what is needed. What looks like a subway system, but travels above the road! It is designed to have two levels – providing seating space on the upper level while leaving the lower level hollow for vehicles to pass through! Since this too runs on solar power, the cost cuts are significant!
- Boosted Boards
Boosted Boards are becoming a very popular means of transport for many city dwellers. Boosted boards are basically a skate board with a motor that allows you to get from point A to point B without taking a car. These boards have become increasingly popular with many people and are starting to revolutionize the transport of the future.
Are you excited to try out these exciting transport technologies of the future (including this one here)? We sure are! Just like something out of a sci-fi movie, we can’t wait to experience the future of transportation!
