Originally Posted by
barit1
Hey - I got this terrific idea: WHEELED transport vehicles. I suspect steel wheels on iron rails would be most efficient. Very long articulated vehicles - perhaps separate cars coupled together to negotiate turns. You might be able to travel almost at jet speeds, if you take into account citycentre-to-citycentre transit times.
barit1,
I see you're living in Ohio, USA... so you're forgiven.
When I have to get from the South of France, where I live, to Paris, I take the train. All of 3:15 hours centre to centre, about 900 km.
It only does Mach 0.25, but it doesn't waste time taxying around for half an hour at 15 mph, and I don't waste another hour with check-in, security and boarding. Not to mention getting from the airport to the city centre.
BTW, one of those trains did Mach 0.42 during trials. And yes, steel wheels on iron rails. For the moment the main problem is the catenaries.
I wouldn't try to tunnel under large bodies of water, though - that would be really stupid.
Too late, they already did.... but they do have some money problems...