Twin City Tunnel

20-Feb-2052

Finally the much awaited insta-tunnel between Bahmko-Vale and Jadeko-Dale has been thrown open to the public. A journey which used to take 24 hours a century back, 8 hours at the turn of the century and 3 hours by the fastest Levito-modules is now reduced to less than 5 minutes. I am told it could have been less than a minute, but they are yet to control the heat dissipation caused by those speeds.

In order to understand how the insta-tunnel works, imagine dropping a heavy object from a great height, the heavy object emitting nitro-boosts and further large magnet at opposig ends attracting and repelling the object in the desired direction. Ok, I know, I made you imagine a large crater from the impact of the heavy object.

So, let me describe my experience in the insta-tunnel, and hopefully that will throw some light on its workings. I arranged for attending a conference in Jadeko-Dale as soon as I heard of the insta-tunnel opening. Reached the departure lounge where I encountered a group of hyper-enthuastic teens excited over their first journey in the insta-tunnel.

At the departure lounge, you join your module co-passengers - current capacity : groups of four - and get into your designated bubble-module. The bubble-module is all fiber, transparent, 360 degree view (somewhat wasted inside a dark tunnel). The bubble-module travels some 300 meters taking you from the departure lounge to the drop zone. The module is now dropped into a magnetic hold chute, which lands you in the containment chamber. From here on it is a suction vacuum ride of just a few minutes to cross a distance of 1587 KM!

Though objects can travel at uniform speed in a suction vacuum, care has been taken to increment and decrement the momentum to ensure least dis-orientation. That is why the five minute ride instead of the theoretically possible under a minute ride.

What made things move in a vaccum? Objects are supposed to float and not accelerate in vaccum. Well, initial attempts were focused on thrust or push principles. That was too energy inefficient to work. The Sail-Bots required huge space to move and were too slow. Back to the object I made you imagine. What worked was a combination of using gravity to provide the thrust, nano-netcells emission to provide the push and vaccum suction to provide the speed.

See you in Jadeko-Dale ...

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