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Environment & Energy

FBaggins

(28,678 posts)

9. That's not so hard

Reply to XemaSab (Reply #8)

Mon Jun 4, 2012, 09:56 AM

Jun 2012

Especially compared to the engineering challenges of tunneling through the N.A./Eurasian plate boundary (and for thousands of miles).

An airlock would be comparatively simple to set up. Since the (pressurized) train itself would fill up the bulk of the lock, there wouldn't be all that much air to evacuate/fill each time. Probably easier than the Panama locks.

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Vacuum trains: a high-speed pipe dream? (BBC Future) [View all] eppur_se_muova Jun 2012 OP

Would ya get sick travelling in 'em, I wonder? MADem Jun 2012 #1

This idea is great, until something goes wrong... johnd83 Jun 2012 #2

It would be a prime target for terrorists. n/t OnlinePoker Jun 2012 #4

Yeah, all they'd have to do is exhale mindwalker_i Jun 2012 #5

As Seen on Futurama ThoughtCriminal Jun 2012 #3

Not much different from the vacuum tubes they use at the bank madokie Jun 2012 #6

This is something I've thought about a lot caraher Jun 2012 #7

I was thinking about this last night XemaSab Jun 2012 #8

That's not so hard FBaggins Jun 2012 #9

The Panama locks carry a massive percent of the world's shipping XemaSab Jun 2012 #10

A transatlantic tunnel would carry a high volume as well. FBaggins Jun 2012 #11

"could theoretically hit speeds of up to 4,000 km/h (2,500 mph)" Heywood J Jun 2012 #12

these accelerations could be quite modest caraher Jun 2012 #13

Except you can't seal the cabin airtight. Heywood J Jun 2012 #16

These are not dealbreakers caraher Jun 2012 #18

So this evacuated tube under the Atlantic seabed pscot Jun 2012 #14

Somehow the thought of that sounds worse than an airplane XemaSab Jun 2012 #15

If the vacuum tube ruptured you mind find yourself exiting Iceland pscot Jun 2012 #17