Hyperloop, a transport project by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is described as the ‘solution for transport in the future’ as it carries passengers and cargo via tubes through which a pod may travel free of air resistance or friction at a speed equal to an airplane.

The rival of Hyperloop is Skyway, a company headquartered in Belarus led by Anatoli Yunitski, an inventor, author of 200 research works and 150 inventions.

Yunitski visited Vietnam recently to introduce the string-rail train technology. The specialist, who was a member of the USSR Aerospace Association, believes the technology will change the way humans travel as well as the cargo transportation industry in upcoming years.

The rails would be designed in a way to be hung in the air. Attached to this rail system would be iron-wheeled cabins. Cabins can be used to carry passengers or cargo with the capacity of 2-28 people each. They can also be connected to create a train with the capacity of 84-168 passengers.

The engines of the cabins use different kinds of fuel and energy. If using electricity, they can be charged through either railways or batteries attached to every cabin. In general, cabins can be charged at rail stations when trains pick up or drop off passengers.

SkyWay also developed a model which generates electricity in cabins by running hydro-run generators. According to Yunitski, when it is slippery, the wheels will still be able to stick to the rail with the support of subordinate wheel systems.

The maximum speed cabins can reach is 120-150 kilometers per hour in inner city. With super-speed cabins carrying 4-24 passengers, the speed could be up to 500 kilometers per hour. The two-way transport capacity of SkyWay would be 720,000 passengers per day.

The investment rate for every kilometer of rail is $2-5 million, just 1/25 of Maglev ($50 million per kilometer), 10-15 times cheaper than Hyperloop, and 3-5 times cheaper than Israel’s SkyTran.

According to Hoang Kim Anh, deputy head of the Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board unde the Ministry of transport (MOT), the agency is seeking solutions to traffic jams in Hanoi. He said UST has many advantages, such as low investment cost and short construction time, and would be considered by City authorities.

RELATED NEWS

Tech transfer project yields fruitful results

Businesses willing to spend big money on digital transformation

Trong Dat