A Chinese Tramway Gliding Over Traffic
A few months ago, a futuristic concept was presented in a Transport Expo in China. On a small model, there was a tram riding over the roads, passing over cars. This enabled it to keep going even if the traffic was stopped.
The idea was a good one, but it was pretty far from completion; it would take years to build a full-size version, right?
If this idea had been dreamed up here, that would have been the case: we would have to wait years for the proper authorizations, then contractors would have had to be sourced out… In China however, a full-size prototype was built in a month!
With a length of 60 metres, a width of 7.8 metres and a height of 4.8 metres, the TEB-1 can hold up to 300 people. Under the tram, vehicles as high as 2.1 metres can drive underneath; to make sure their drivers won’t suffer from claustrophobia, the roof is covered in LCD screens showing a blue sky and some clouds.
In the next few months, the TEB-1 will be tried in real-world situations. Rails are already placed in a city district.