Germany's Robot Rail Taxi

A German engineer has developed small, individually-powered rail cars which he hopes to put into use on the country's old railroad tracks. The systems is a new fusion of trains and taxis, operating automatically for on-call use by small groups.

1 minute read

January 13, 2007, 5:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg

"In the past, developments in public transportation often focused on the expensive train transportation -- traditional passenger trains, high-speed rail and magnetic levitation trains that move the masses. But Railcab is part of a new trend of developing relatively fast, highly efficient and cost-effective individual transportation systems that could radically change the way we travel in the future."

"In inventor Joachim Lückel's brave new world, there is neither a control center for the cars nor a fixed schedule. That's too old fashioned. Instead, the customer calls, and the next available vehicle rolls up, ready for service in the way we use taxis today. And the journey continues towards its goal, without any stops or changes of train."

FULL STORY: German Company Engineers Driverless Taxi

Thursday, January 11, 2007 in Der Spiegel

Transportation Europe

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