Assessing Hyperloop Transport Capacity Under Moving-Block and Virtual Coupling Operations

Rafael Mendes Borges, Egidio Quaglietta

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)
185 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The Hyperloop is a concept of a ground transportation system consisting of capsules traveling at very high-speeds in near-vacuum tubes. The Hyperloop aims to be a fast, cheap, and sustainable alternative to short-haul flights and high-speed rail. The small pod size requires very high frequencies to respond to future high levels of passenger and cargo demands. Media and representatives of the emerging Hyperloop industry acclaim the Hyperloop as a very capacity effective transport system, however there is no clear scientific evidence proving that. A theoretical investigation is therefore necessary to understand which capacity the Hyperloop could safely provide. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the capacity that the Hyperloop can offer for several operational scenarios and different signalling systems, including Moving-Block and the advanced concept of Virtual Coupling. Results show that Moving-Block could achieve required transport capacity levels only if pods could use high deceleration rates likely to be unsafe and uncomfortable to passengers. Virtual Coupling is instead observed to be a more satisfactory operational concept that could provide a higher transport capacity while respecting safety and comfort standards if reliable pod platooning technologies are available.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12612-12621
Number of pages10
JournalIEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems
Volume23
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Bibliographical note

Accepted Author Manuscript

Keywords

  • High-speed transport
  • Hyperloop capacity
  • moving-block
  • virtual coupling.

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