Ah - you are correct - they don’t use those lines for freight (I thought they may). Still - Japan has some of the best train networks in the world.
I expect this idea to die. People act like because a thing was suggested or being looked into that it will automatically be done. “Solar Frickin’ Roadways” never went anywhere an this sounds unlikely to as well.
They won’t. Anything on a bullet train line needs to go at a speed of a bullet train. If it goes slower, it slows down the bullet trains on the line.
Cargo does not require bullet train speeds, only passengers do. The added expense does not translate to a better service. Cargo is not time sensitive like people are, so usually freight trains go under 100 km/h. This requires a whole lot less infrastructure and a whole cheaper locomotives and wagon compositions, as locomotives and wagons that go faster are more expensive and require more maintenance.
they don’t use those lines for freight (I thought they may).
They won’t use the bullet train lines for freight.
I’m still annoyed that solar frickin’ parking lots (canopies, not panels on the ground) aren’t mandated in all new lots.
With all the mandated parking on the sprawl we could probably solve at least EV charging anxiety. And with some grid storage it would make a perfect use of otherwise wasted land. Plus keep the cars parked underneath cool.
The parking lots themselves are a big cost to the rest of us though. At least they could be offsetting some of the environmental costs of sprawl.
Plus the electricity production should offset it in a few years, especially in the places wheee shaded parking is most desirable.
