INTER(Rail)CONNECTED Europe - IRC Europe

The Internet of Things (IoT) consists of things that are connected to the Internet, anytime, anywhere. In its most technical sense, it consists of integrating sensors and devices into everyday objects that are connected to the Internet over fixed and wireless networks. The fact that the Internet is present at the same time everywhere makes mass adoption of this technology more feasible. Given their size and cost, the sensors can easily be integrated into homes, workplaces and public places. In this way, any object can be connected and can “manifest itself” over the Internet. Furthermore, in the IoT, any object can be a data source. This is beginning to transform the way we do business, the running of the public sector and the day-to-day life of millions of people.

IoT has burst onto the stage, bringing life to everyday objects interconnected over the Internet, which constitute inexhaustible sources of information. The phenomenon has required a combination of three developments. First,miniaturisation, with computers components becoming smaller and smaller, enabling practically anything to be connected anywhere, anytime. Second, an overcoming of the limitations of the mobile telephony infrastructure. And thirdly, a proliferation in the applications and services that make use of the vast amount of information created via the IoT.

Figure 1: Interconnections of "things" with the IoT technology

The IoT offers solutions for fare collection and toll systems, screening passengers and bags boarding commercial carriers as well as the goods moved by the international cargo system that support the aim of governments and the transportation industry, to meet the increasing demand for security in the world. Every day millions of people move using air, sea and ground transportation systems, taking millions of bags with them. Global trade transports huge quantities of goods through our seaports, airports and railroad stations
Monitoring traffic jams through cell phones of users and using intelligent transport systems (ITS) will improve and make the transportation of goods and people more efficient.

From here I have came up with the idea, to creat  a railway system, which would connect the biggest cities in Europe, called INTERCONNECETED EUROPE with RAIL - IRC Europe.  On Figure 2 we can see the rail connections in Europe.

Figure 2: Rail connections in Europe

Whole Europe has a good network of railways, but is that efficient as it should be? Why is not competitive to airlines? Why every conutry does have their own locomotive? Why are so many different ticketing systems?

My proposial is to make such a railway system, that connects two different parts of Europe and that works like subways in big cities.

The first thig that European cuntries should do is the renewal of the existing railroada (at least of them, where the IRC would go). The recession in Europe, damaged a lot the building industry, and with this action, would be a perfect opportunity to lift it up, consequentially everbody would have new (transport) infrastructure and economical growth.  

Railways as we know them today, are quite expensive, slow, inconsistent and at some long trips, you have too much squirmings. IRC would offer a constant, cheap, fast and direct traveling among biggest cities around Europe. Trains should departure every two hours from the initial station and they would stop at the intermediate stations max. 10 min.For instance: a trip from Lisbon to Moscow (4600 km) with the car it takes you 52 h and costs you 560 € (source: viamichelin.com). With a quick calculation you get an average speed of 90 km/h. So, that means that with an average of 250 km/h it would take you 18 h. OK, it is true that maybe you can find cheaper and faster flight, but do they have the direct connection? Do they have the connection every two hours? It is the procedure to go on the plain faster than the procedure you go on the train? The airport usually are some kilometers form the city, train station are in the city (centre) and this brings time savings.

On Figure 3 and 4 you can see how I have imagined the connections and how it could look like the "metro" map.

Figure 3: Which cities would be interconnected?

 

Figure 4: The "metro" map of Europe

We could always know where the trains are. With the GPS and cellular data transfer, whenever you want, you could see where the trains are, how much time, do they need until the next stop ect.  You could then decide one hour before, that you are going from Milano to spend a weekend there. The luggage would not be limited "only" to 20 kg. There could be also some business vagons for meeting and also some VIP vagons. So two business men can meet in Lyon and until they came to London, they can do a lot of things. One of then can reserve the "lodge" in advance through the internet. He has just to reserve the room with his ID number of the card, and the doors will automaticly open with his card for the time he has reserved, when arrived on the train. Trains would be equipped with televisions, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology. For monitoring your journey you could download a mobile app directly form the Bluetooth on your smartphone. In collaboration with some newspaper houses, the could give some trial apps for smart phones for reading their newspaper.

Trains could be semi-automatic, that means that the locomotive engineer would be there just in case something would go wrong. The train with sensors (Gas, Events, Sound, Radiation, Temperature, Humidity, ect.) could monitor the enviroment. On the train there could be an own operating system, which would colect local data (like a RSS reader) in English and local language. With the developing of cellular networks (4G), the speed of internet should not be a question. (In some countries will this stimulate the developmnet of new mobile networks). In Figure 5 we can see the intersection of the IoT technology in different cases. For shure would IRC influence the way we travel in Europe today.

Figure 5: Different possibilites of IoT usage in transport.

The ticket should be an RFID card, where you can buy credits, and you pay as much you travel. So you have to "check-in" and "check-out" in/from the train. You could buy these credits on special termianls at the train stations or via internet. An example of this kind of tickets. Users of this infrastructure could park for free in the near parking lots of the train stations. 

The train stations should like the one, that are building in Ljubljana (Figure 6). So let's imagine, that I want to go to London in 3 hours. I look on the web page when will be the next train in Ljubljana. I buy credits for 100 € which equals to 200 credits. The trip from LJ - London would cost me 190 credits. I park the car near the station, during the trip I could also write for my thesis. And the best thing is that I can stay in London as much I want, because there is no (obligatory) return ticket. Nice right?

Figure 6: New tran stration in Ljubljana (now in building process).

The trains shod travel at least at 300 km/h, like AVE (Alta Velocidad Espanola) in spain (Figure 7)

FIgure 7: AVE trains in Spain

The price of this travelig could be fix or could vary, depending of the prices of the raw materials (oil, gas, ...), but still the traveling should be cheaper than traveilng with own car. For example from Lisbon to Moscow, should the ticket cost around 250 €.

Is this fiction, vision, a dream or a good idea?