Train stations, while critical for sustainable transportation, take up a lot of room in a city with their long platforms and tracks. Flip it vertically though and place the station, platforms and tracks in a tower and you've just freed up a ton of space. That's the concept behind this Hyper-Speed Vertical Train Hub, which could literally flip high speed rail on its head. This Honorable Mention winner in 2014's eVolo Skyscraper competition takes some imagination and creative thinking to envision, but it sure would make for an exciting future.
Now, first, you’re probably asking, how do you make a train go vertical without dumping all the people on their head!? Good question, but don’t worry, UK designers Christopher Christophi and Lucas Mazarrasa came up with a solution. The high speed rail runs on magnetic tracks that continue up the side of the tower station. Inside the train are modular passenger compartments that can swivel and rotate like a Ferris Wheel, but the compartments remain in position to keep the passengers upright.
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This vertical station sits within the context of a mega city and becomes a dynamic structure with trains arriving and departing constantly. With so much space freed up by this transportation tower, the now open land around the train station can be utilized as park space. Passengers arrive at the station via ground level and ascend on one of the core elevators to their train compartment, which is large enough for 10 passengers and offers unparalleled views of the surrounding city. A roof top garden caps off the tower and serves as additional public space.
These repeatable stations could be implemented in any city and the trains would dive down into underground tunnels to connect with the wider high speed rail network. Eventually, we’ll reach higher speeds with rail travel and covering 300 miles in 30 minutes will soon become reality. Don’t worry to much about the details right now though – someone will develop the technology capable of making this fantastical dream come true.
+ Hyper-Speed Vertical Train Hub
+ Inhabitat Coverage of the 2014 eVolo Skyscraper Competition
Images ©Christopher Christophi and Lucas Mazarrasa
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