Integrated guided transport system with interchange in transit - provides feeder transport with higher overall average speed

摘要

The main transport network can be the conventional intercity railway (7) with non-stop express trains (1) between major centres, while intermediate places are served by a secondary system, illustrated in the example by a suspension monorail (8). The secondary system runs parallel to the main system's track for some distance, in this example directly above it. An automatic control system brings the feeder car and the express on to this stretch simultaneously, and the two are temporarily linked by couplings (11). Containers for either passengers or freight are then transferred from one to the other by hydraulic cylinders. When transfer is complete, interlock signals allow the couplings to be released and the express to be accelerated.