"SkyFreight": Freight on SkyTrain? Why not?

I've been wondering if there has ever been any consideration to using SkyTrain for local shipment of goods/freight. It seems like a perfect way to increase the use of a system that is already in place, and being fully automated, would be easy to integrate into it. It would also be an additional revenue source with relatively small start-up costs since the rail lines are already there. Let's call it "SkyFreight".

"SkyFreight" cars could run independently in the gaps between passenger trains. There could be short branch lines or sections with a third track that would divert the freight lines to small depots beside the existing tracks where local trucks would pick-up and drop-off. A standardized container system would make it easy to onload and offload, and should be designed with long-distance rail in mind, so goods could be easily transferred to and from heavy rail freight trains (CN, CP).

Being able to take goods from depots on the edge of the city into the centre by "SkyFreight" would drastically reduce the number of transport trucks in the city. I can see this being a great way to ship garbage and recycling out of the inner city to a location much closer to the disposal facilities, eliminating thousands of garbage truck trips. This system would also integrate perfectly at the airport - imagine if containers could come off a plane, be rolled onto the "SkyFreight" car and be on its way without sitting in a depot. Courier services like Fedex and UPS could see a huge benefit from such a system, as they could locate depots next to train lines (in the most populated areas) and ship containers of parcels from there directly to the plane at the airport, rather than all their trucks having to drive there. Trains could run uninterupted at night when the passenger trains aren't running.

It's a very futuristic idea - automated "SkyFreight" cars (of a distinctive colour and design to differentiate from SkyTrain cars), continually shuttling goods around the lower mainland with a minimum of human input and releasing no pollutants into the air. Makes me think of scenes only seen in movies of cities of the future.

Vancouver's 2010 Streetcar

This is the first time I've heard about this Olympic Streetcar Line. Too bad they aren't testing it further along this rail line, which already exists all the way down Arbutus Street to the south side of the city. In particular, stops in Kitsilano (Burrard and 6th), at Broadway/Arbutus, and in Kerrisdale would get lots of traffic.

http://www2.bombardier.com/vancouver/index.html

Transport Truck of the Future

When you think about it, transport trucks (tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, whatever you want to call them) really haven't changed much in the last 50 years. Sure they've become bigger and more powerful, but there has been no big improvement in their efficiency. With the huge mileage these trucks travel, it would make sense to develop efficient powertrains and streamline the exterior design to save fuel and money. Fuel is no doubt the truck drivers biggest expense, and with fuel costs going nowhere but up, a more efficient truck would sell itself. Of course we should also be getting more freight onto rail for long distances to reduce the number of trucks on the road. Trucks operating between a rail depot and the local area would be ideally suited to alternative powertrains such as hybrid or electric. There are hybrid buses out there already so moving that technology over to trucks should be pretty easy.

Fortunately there are companies out there working on this, and the article that inspired me to post this entry is here: The Highly Sophisticated Transporter (HST)

The transport truck is a great vehicle for a hybrid engine and green technology in general.

• Tons of space for batteries - less need to cram them into every nook and cranny to save valuable interior space like a car.
• A huge surface area available on which to install solar cells to help charge the battery.
• The trailer could help drive itself - motors at the wheels or even a simple drivetrain could power it as well as help charge the batteries through regenerative breaking. This would reduce the amount of power required for the tractor.
• Streamline the design. This is the simplest one of all, and I'm amazed that large trucks are still pretty much a box being pulled by a slightly more aerodynamic box. The HST shows what's possible.

Hopefully we'll start seeing some of this technology soon - not only is it more efficient, but look at how cool the HST is!