Vehicle scheme of Evacuated Tube Transportation in the future logistics system

Abstract

Construction of Evacuated Tube Transportation (ETT) line will be a sequent evangel for human beings after trains, automobiles, airplanes and information technologies. ETT will pull the transportation out from the present morass radically, bringing new changes to the global economic and life style. In this situation, there are some issues that we have to discuss right now. This paper discusses vehicle scheme of ETT in the future logistics system, differences between passenger carriages and cargo carriages in ETT, as well as how to design cargo carriages and freight dock for ETT. Some results has been put up: (1)Some goods could be delivered by ETT passenger carriage; (2)Special ETT cargo carriage should be hermetic and airtight; (3)The basic structure of a general ETT cargo carriage may be same as that of ETT passenger carriage, but needn't a life support system; (4)Refrigeration system of ETT refrigerator car will be prohibited to exchange gas from vacuum circumstance into carriage, but luckily, vacuum circumstance is favorable heat insulation medium so that it would be easy to keep a constant temperature in ETT refrigerator car in operation; (5)ETT cargo carriage with a larger outlet should be considered so as to load cargo with larger size or load/unload by mechanization means; (6)ETT freight docks should be considered when planning ETT system.