The Red Giant of the East has some problems to solve. Combining the high population density of its main cities with the effects of pollution, it is logical to assume there is great interest in developing cleaner and more efficient means of transport. That is how we come across the TEB, acronym for Transit Elevated Bus, a tram concept that moves above normal traffic, moving thousands of people at once.
The population of the world's most important cities continues to grow, and with this demographic evolution arises the need to create more efficient, cleaner, and by extension more economical modes of transport. Many of the prototypes we have seen in the past never left the laboratory, but the challenge is still there, and it makes less and less sense to keep burning fuel oil (that is, diesel). There are many theoretical solutions, but how many of them are really practical? No one denies that moving more people while consuming less energy at the same time is a titanic challenge, so what is needed? China's proposal is something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/APybYjcm_j4A Scale Model with Big Ambitions
What you just saw is a scale model of the TEB, Transit Elevated Bus. Some call it "tram", others "tunnel in motion", but the idea is clear: passenger transport moves above conventional traffic. The TEB will have special stations and an elevator that will allow it to pick up more passengers waiting at street level. Each TEB would have a maximum capacity of 1,200 people, its construction would take twelve months, and it is estimated that its cost would be a fifth of what an underground train demands today.
The Long Road to Reality
If it looks so promising, what is the problem? The problem is that it is a concept that has been floating in the ether for six years. The first time we talked about it was in 2010, and later it reached the media again under the name "Land Airbus". This time, the first tests are supposed to begin at the end of the year, but honestly I would like to see a full-size model next time. There is too much vaporware hidden under the cloak of "futuristic transport", and I think we all agree that we don't need more.
