THE CHALLENGE:

To provide a superior alternative to cars and airplanes,  for traveling distances of less than a 1000 miles.

Railroads are the obvious answer. Very fast trains have been around for decades. The nation has a vast network of  tracks linking its population centers, down to the smallest towns. Technology is available that can adapt the existing infrastructure to a modern, high speed system. Why then don't we have high-speed trains?

THE PROBLEM:

The moment an express stops at a local station it of necessity stops providing high-speed service. Yet high-speed railroads that cannot service the smaller towns are not an American solution, as most of the nation lives outside the big cities.

  THE ANSWER:           A THRUEXPRESS- L-O-C-A-L

• That gives railroads the high passenger volume they require.


• That offers the airlines real competition -


• (and lets automobiles  stay in the garage).

• . . . that runs a 1000 miles non-stop, yet picks up and drops off passengers in every town along the way.


• That provides all of America with convenient high speed travel at low cost.

    HOW  IT  WORKS

As the high-speed, red/blue train approaches a local station (gray) it does not prepare to stop.


  Instead of braking to take the sharp curve, the express continues straight on, but detaches the two rear carriages (blue) which contain the passengers who mean to detrain.


Those self-propelled carriages are unhitched on the run. Released, they slow down to take the curve towards the station. Moreover, they separate from one another, even as, at the upcoming station, the green carriage that had been entraining departing passengers, pulls out and begins to roll down towards the express tracks.


Now, as the two blue shuttle carriages move at moderate speed, one to station a), the other to towards station b) some 20 - 50 miles further on, the express has rushed straight on and the carriage in green has moved onto the express tracks and is racing to catch up to the main body of the train.


The express slows down sufficiently to permit an on the run, computer controlled coupling with the green shuttle.* Then, as the now solidly united train returns to full throttle, the freshly entrained passengers move out of the green carriage and find seats in the body of the express. Simultaneously, the passengers who mean to detrain at the next station leave their seats in the express and make their way to the shuttle in the back. As the next local station nears the green carriage will un-hitch . . . . and so on.