A Sky Train

There is still a lot of excitement with the launch of the Standard gauge railway line in Kenya the other day. I know most of us are yet to enjoy or utilise the service but it would not hurt to explore other technological development with regards to railway transportation. Well, the Chinese are carrying out a test run for the fastest suspension railway line dubbed `Skytrain.' in Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong Province.

The Skytrain

A Chinese online newspaper reports that the elevated monorail is already on a record breaking spree as it is performing three times faster than conventional subways. It can also ascend gradients of over 100M at a distance of 1000M.

The train is a lightweight, immediate speed, medium traffic volume, and low-cost transport system expected to have huge market potential in scenic areas, mountainous regions, and major cities. The train will be able to transport slightly over 500 passengers in three to five carriages at maximum running speed of 70km/hr.

It would be a good point to note that the Chinese are the third nation to develop the elevated railway system after the Japanese and Germans. This first of this technology was developed in Germany in the year 1901 with some still operational to this date.

The pros of this sytem is that it can be cheaper to build, cheaper to maintain and can be set up quickly.