The truck-robot

The truck-robot

In Switzerland, plans for the construction of automated underground freight transport system

In countries and cities where every citizen has his own car, sooner or later there is a problem with congestion. And after a while there comes a time when this problem can not be solved by building more roads. In Switzerland, in which, according to forecasts, the volume of trucks will increase by 45 percent over the next 15 years, almost no space for building new roads and highways, thus to address the transport problem required some creative and innovative solution.

One alternative is to transfer the overwhelming portion of freight transport on rails. However, this solution is a temporary solution and, realizing this, the Swiss dream of something more - the underground transportation system in which goods will be transported by electric vehicles-robots. The construction of such a system, according to initial estimates, will cost 3.4 billion dollars.

Last week the company Cargo Sous Terrain from Zurich presented a feasibility study detailing a plan to create an underground transport system. The idea is to strip at a depth of 50 meters of tunnel with a diameter of 6 meters and a length of 66.7 km. This tunnel connects Zurich with logistics centers, which are located southwest of Bern. The surface of this tunnel connects with the four ground stations is available for all transport operations. And in the future plans of the system should be extended so as to connect Zurich to Lucerne and ultimately to Geneva.

Underground transport system

The truck-robot

Laid in the tunnel, the road has three lanes, is equipped with inductive systems of wireless power transmission, supplying energy to the transport truck, capable of moving automatically with a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. At the top of the tunnel has a monorail, which at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour to move cargo containers. It is assumed that all are required for operation of the transport system the energy is taken from renewable sources, particularly from solar panels installed on the roofs and in the vicinity of ground stations.

The basis of the transport system is based on the idea that large trucks can replace a large number of smaller electric vehicles. The transport company instead of to get one big delivery in the course of the day can receive several deliveries of smaller volumes, which will give their work greater flexibility and efficiency. And, it's possible that in the future, thanks to such systems, residents of large cities you'll never see on the streets of heavy trucks create on the roads a lot of problems to other drivers.

It should be noted that 3.4 billion dollars is a considerable sum, especially considering the fact that the company Cargo Sous Terrain is counting on funding from private sources. And even if this company will be able to find the necessary funding, then the earliest deadline, when should we expect the commencement of the new transportation system, will be 2030.