The HOFT

[peter berrett <pberrett@tbsa.com.au>]

Hi all

I have just been pondering our rail system and why people in many cases
prefer to drive. 

It struck me that a major problem is that many potential passengers have
to catch a bus to their nearest rail station then the train to their
destination. The need to interchange adds time to the journey and acts
as a psychological barrier to using the service. Further there may be a
wait for the bus.

People could drive to the rail station but once you are in your car you
might as well drive direct.

If however, the initial journey to the station was prompt and quick many
people would use the system Imagine you depart home and go to your
nearest transport point a block or two from your home. Within 2 minutes
your mode of transport arrives and quickly and directly whisks you to
the nearest rail station. You then catch the next train which is only a
short wait.

Oen way of facilitating the above system would be to run very frequent
rail and bus services. Whilst the bus feeders would provide passengers
to justify a cost-effective frequent rail service, the cost of the buses
themselves could not be justified due to the labor and capital costs
involved  in relation to the minimal number of passengers   
that might catch each bus. The trouble with infrequent bus services is
that they discourage use of the multiple modes of transport which means
less passengers for the train which in turn means less train services.

The only solution is a low cost short distance feeder service for
trains. Ie we need some way to shift people from near their homes to
their nearest rail station at minimal cost, safely and quickly.

It seems to me that this might be achieved by a new hybrid lift service.
People are accustomed to travelling anything up to half a kilometre in a
vertical direction using a lift, surely it would not be too difficult to
devise a 2 kilometre long lift that travels in a horizontal direction?
Just as people have lift wells for each floor so each stop along the 1
kilometre long route would have a lift well style door which would be
closed until the automated horizontal lift (or as i choose to call it -
the HOFT) arrived. Controls would be exactly the same as for existing
lifts. Advantages for patrons would be as follows;

1. If no-one wants to use the service then it just sits idle thus not
needlessly consuming energy like trains that have to provide a service
even if there are no customers.

2. Due to short distance travelled and the fact that most passengers
travel in one direction only during peak periods, the service would be
frequent and fast.

3. As no labor is required costs are reduced.

4. Service is free as increased patronage of trains funds service.

5. The HOFT does not need a large right of way and can easily do sharp
turns.

Does any service like this exist in the world? Has anyone seriously
costed it?
What do people think
     
cheers Peter