Route to Success
Glasgow Central > Edinburgh Airport
Two stations:
One at Edinburgh Airport as there is currently a plot of land on sale in a very accessible location, with the added benefit of access provided by trams from the city
Another at Glasgow Central due to its ease of accessibility for travellers. This is an expensive option as tunnels would have to be dug under the station to provide for the platforms of the proposed project.
While travelling through urban areas the proposed project would be underground due to the lack of space to run new infrastructure through built up areas. This is especially the case for our Glasgow connection, which is planned to be in the heart of the city. As for Edinburgh, due to the fact that the planned route does not enter the heart of the city, there is no requirement to have a tunnel be dug for the line and it can be constructed for a much lesser price.
This specific route has been chosen for its shorter length as this makes it more efficient, being cheaper to operate than routes with more stops and diversions. This reduces the amount of time needed to accelerate, which allows for a longer coasting time, saving energy and making this route the fastest out of all the routes proposed.
It is faster and cheaper than comparative alternatives present at the time. By running along the M8 corridor it appeals to the same demographic that already uses these systems increasing its chances for success.
Furthermore it is hoped that our proposal would support current and future demand as it is estimated to have up to a 6000 people per hour capacity to start off with, as well as being easily expanded upon to allow for greater traffic flow.
Human Mobility
Our proposed project would increase human mobility to the areas it is available. With our route, you can go from Glasgow Central Station to Edinburgh Airport in just 9 minutes. Comparatively that’s 45-50 minutes by car and over and hour by conventional public transit.
There is no existing railway station by Edinburgh Airport. Hopefully this would mean that our proposed project would not take away any passengers from the rail network and instead would be reducing the amount of cars travelling from Glasgow as well as their emissions. Both benefiting the environment and reducing congestion.
Land Use
Because the station of the proposed project would be an underground extension to Glasgow Central Station, the land use would not change there. This does run the risk of running into underground pipelines, or other forms of buried infrastructure and could pose many complications that would increase project costs in unexpected ways.
At Edinburgh airport however, the location suggested is acknowledged by Edinburgh Council as a long term redevelopment opportunity. As it stands, there is a farm located and that would have to be demolished, however it is hardly key infrastructure or contains any listed buildings and so this would likely have very little impact.
Space - Time Analysis
12 pods
60 departures per hour, one every minute
Up to 720 km/h and it will accelerate safely at 6 km/h/s