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The Future of Trains
Trains have certainly made advances since they were first
introduced in the 1800’s. Many people wonder about the future of
trains. There are many different ideas about them. Some
researchers believe we will be going back to steam locomotives
in the near future as they are better for the environment and we
won’t be wasting our natural resources. With the technology
available today, these new steam locomotives will be much more
advanced than those of the past.
Others believe trains will soon be something we no longer use
for transporting goods or people. Of course this was the thought
about trains back in the 1990’s when it was believed that by
2000 we would have cars that flew around and space shuttle trips
for common folks to the moon and back. The people with this
mentality in relationship to trains simply don’t realize that
they are responsible for transporting thousands of tons of
material and millions of people annually.
You can be assured that trains will still be with us in the
future but as technology continues to grow there will be plenty
of changes. There is plenty of focus on making trains safer for
hauling dangerous chemicals and nuclear waste. This is to
protect people in the event of a train wreck or a terrorist
attack. Most of the focus has shifted to providing protective
boxcars that won’t allow access without codes and that are
durable even if the train ends up being in a wreck.
All of the railways continue to strive for safer trains on the
tracks out there. Even with all we know today there are still
numerous accidents involving trains derailing or hitting cars
that shouldn’t have been crossing at that point.
Safety features that ensure all signals are working properly at
railway crossings will continue to improve. You will also find
technology allows the trains to move faster and haul more
materials so that fewer trains have to be in operation in order
to meet the issues of supply and demand.
As a result of this, the job outlook for train engineers and
other crew members will decrease. This is one area of industry
that has a ten year forecast with less people being added to the
workforce. Computer technology will allow more of the actual
train operations to be done by the equipment. The materials used
to create the tracks continues to improve so there are fewer
repairs that have to be done on a regular basis.
One idea that is being used in various areas is the use of
magnets to actually hold the train in place above the train
tracks. There are test tracks in Germany and Japan that have
been able to travel at speeds over 300 miles per hour. There is
still plenty of research that needs to be done in this area but
should magnetic levitation prove to be safe and efficient it
could significantly impact the railway industry.
Yet many in the train industry believe the focus should be on
being able to haul heavier amounts of material at one time
instead of focusing on increased speeds. You also have the
concerns that engineers can manipulate the train out of the way
of cars, animals on the tracks, or dangerous areas where the
train isn’t in good condition. The chances of trains being in a
wreck at 330 miles per hour without serious injuries or death
just isn’t practice. There is also the concern about how much
damage would be done to the materials on board.
It will be very interesting to look at trains 10, 20, or 50
years from now and compare them to what we know now. Trains have
a rich history that is a very important part of the global
economy. This isn’t something that is going to change any time
soon. If anything you will find the train industry becoming more
successful as they continue to implement positive changes.
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