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bert[_7_]

In article ,
writes
On Fri, 17 Mar 2017 12:07:43 +0000, bert wrote:

Driverless cars will never match the speed of a train between city centres.

Who knows what may happen, a train at present is a collection of
vehicles physically joined together , could in the future a
collection of vehicles such as driverless cars virtually joined
together be classed as a train with vehicles dropping in and out as
required.
So I want to join this track at some intermediate point. Do I have to
wait for a "train" to come past to tag on to or do I just join and
tootle along on my own until I get hit up the arse by a faster "train".

Bert you twerp, we are talking about a possible mode of operation of
Driverless cars that may/ could happen in the future.
Ah resorting to abuse. The sign of a failed argument.
You won't have to do anything for a couple of reasons ,
1 because by the time driverless cars get to that stage you will most
likely be dead,
I hope so.

2 If by some chance you reach an extremely old age then with a
driverless car you journey decision will have been made at the
commencement of your journey , the driverless car in conjunction
with all the other driverless vehicles and some input from the road
management system will work out how to do it , so you won't be making
the decision when to join or to tootle anyway and if you get hit up
the arse that will mean the whole system has failed rather
drastically.

AH just like my sat nav.

So a "train " of vehicles leave the outskirts of London
Ah so I have to wait for a "train" to form?
You arn't making the decision , we are talking about driverless cars
remember .
and head
North, those who want to go to a place en route such as Birmingham
break away and go there. Those who want to go to Glasgow carry on
with no stops, range and bladders allowing.

To replace one 11 coach Pendelino would require about 350 cars. Say 10
per hour out of Euston that's 3500 cars

Unless we revert to a stay at home society such as existed for most
till about 1900 we will need both road and rail , 3500 cars isn't that
huge an amount on a busy motorway and that is as it is now with
present free for all.

3500 "extra" cars is a lot. That's why many slip roads now have traffic
signals.
Raise the speed limit a bit to 80 and missing all those 5 min stops at
stations en route and the journey times will become fairly
competitive
80 mph? Current trains are doing over 120 HS2 will be approaching 200 or
more and the only stops will be Birmingham and Manchester with
occasional stops a Crewe and Stafford.

Your car will still be stuck at Watford
No it won't, it will be making reasonable progress Northwards, and if
as is most likely my destination will be Glasgow or further North then
HS2 isn't scheduled to reach that far for a long time.
HS2 trains can run on conventional track, so 200mph to Crewe then 125mph
to Glasgow, no change of train necessary (except maybe at the hard
border which will be necessary if the Scots choose independence and are
allowed into the EU, an unlikely scenario I admit.
Point to point journey time isn't the be all and end all if you have
the hassle to make your way to a rail terminal 2 hours away in the
first place.

And what if a car breaks down or runs out of energy?
which bit of
"with no stops, range and bladders allowing."
did you find hard to comprehend?

But on a train those sort of inconveniences do not impact on journey
time whereas in your driverless car scenario they do,
You can throw what ifs at any scenario.

And you can overlook the inconvenient ones.
What if the train loses power , what if a heat wave risks buckling
the track so they get speed restricted,what if there is a points
failure . The list could go on and on.
The probability of a failure in your 350 car scenario is much greater
than that in a single train.

G.Harman

--
bert