Roller Coaster Public Transit

[LuminousAphid]

Check this out, you guys:

 

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080819/156570/

 

I actually thought about this last week when radio newscasters were talking about the WSDOT getting a trebuchet to launch cars across the lake and a giant net to catch them on the other side. (Lake Washington, in the Seattle area) Obviously that wouldn't work, but it made me immediately think of other ways to get across the lake... ROLLER COASTERS!! Of course I am not the first one to think of it, and it looks like good ol' Japan has already been working on it.

 

In Seattle, the problem I immediately thought of was track supports across the lake- there's not really a good way to do this. We could also claim a world first by making a coaster supported by floating pontoon footers! But in all honesty, a gravity-powered mass transit system sounds like a great thing, but there are downsides I am probably not thinking of (and those obvious ones I am, like getting the vehicle back to the top of the hill)

 

What are your thoughts? Could we be riding a roller coaster to work in the future?

[canadianparkfan]

I'm not too sure this would work as a legit form of mass transit, for many reasons, cost being the biggest one that comes to mind.

 

***HOWEVER***I could totally see this eventually happening In a park. I'd always do this in my RCT parks, and wondered if a real life park had Ever thought of the idea. It would definitely be a fast and more thrilling way to get around the park, and could compliment the monorail/park train nicely if done right .

 

I'm definitely not an engineer/maintenance expert, so don't quote me on this, however, I thik the solution to the main problem posed in the opening post could be to have a launch Or two between stations, similar to Helix This way, there's, at least in theory, no need to worry about the coaster making it between stops. The main challenge with the launch, at least from what I know, would be reliability/cost. Again, I'm not an engineer/expert, so don't quote me on it lol. Just my two cents.

[Midgetman82]

This would probably be really good for mountainous or sloped areas. Especially if they used power to get the car uphill, and magnets to steady the speed going downhill like what you find on Intamin coasters or drop towers.