Techniques for injecting a vehicle into a high speed transportation system are described. A travel request is received from a user. The user is determined to be authorized to travel using the high speed transportation system, based on a profile associated with the user. An injection portal for the user to enter the transportation system is identified. One or more instructions for the user are provided, relating to the injection portal. A vehicle associated with the user is identified at the injection portal. Characteristics of the vehicle are sensed at the injection portal, including a center of gravity of the vehicle. The characteristics are determined to satisfy threshold values, and the vehicle is authorized for travel in the transportation system. A vehicle profile is generated. The vehicle profile is transmitted to a second controller associated with the transportation system. The vehicle is injected into the transportation system.

An airlock system that includes a plurality of adjacent chambers successively arranged along a guide path. Predetermined pressures are produced in each chamber so that the predetermined pressure in each chamber is at a pressure different from the predetermined pressure produced in an adjacent chamber. Gate valves are positioned to separate adjacent chambers in order to maintain a pressure differential between the adjacent chambers.

An airlock system that includes a plurality of adjacent chambers successively arranged along a guide path. Predetermined pressures are produced in each chamber so that the predetermined pressure in each chamber is at a pressure different from the predetermined pressure produced in an adjacent chamber. Gate valves are positioned to separate adjacent chambers in order to maintain a pressure differential between the adjacent chambers.

A double-track vehicle, comprising upper and lower carriages, which are respectively a passenger carriage (1) for providing passenger seats and a cargo carriage (2) for placing cargo, the passenger carriage (1) and the cargo carriage (2) being respectively provided with a passenger door (3) for passengers to get on and off and a cargo door (4) for loading and unloading cargo. The vehicle carries out simultaneous transport of passengers and cargo, allowing for the function of the rail vehicle to no longer be singular and largely reducing transport and maintenance costs. At the same time, passenger transport and cargo transport are divided into two layers, which completely separates cargo transport and passenger transport, thereby providing passengers with a comfortable seating environment and improving seating safety.

The invention introduces, among others, interchangeable transport units, delivery vehicles with a smart loading system, pallet robots, custom platforms with positioning systems and self-propelled trailers, to create flexibility, positive environmental impacts and an efficient transportation system. A proposed method involves the flexible transport of persons and/or freight, using means of transport of choice for the transport of persons, freight, or a combination of persons and freight, whereby a coordination system coordinates the demand for transport of persons and freight. To this end, the coordination system registers the current and expandable capacity of persons and freight of a transport means, a residual capacity, determined by the difference between the passenger capacity and the passenger transport demand, and a transforming capacity, which is determined by the size of the residual capacity that can be transformed for the carriage of freight. The coordination system then calculates a freight capacity, which is determined by the transforming capacity of the expandable freight capacity.

A gravitational energy storage system is provided that includes one or more tracks extending from a lower storage yard to an upper storage yard, a plurality of mass cars moveable along the track, a conveyance system comprising at least a first tether, and a first power module associated with the first tether to drive a respective one of the first tethers to move the plurality of mass cars from the lower storage yard to the upper storage yard, and to dispatch energy when the plurality of mass cars are moved from the upper storage yard to the lower storage yard.

A gravitational energy storage system is provided that includes one or more tracks extending from a lower storage yard to an upper storage yard, a plurality of mass cars moveable along the track, a conveyance system comprising at least a first tether, and a first power module associated with the first tether to drive a respective one of the first tethers to move the plurality of mass cars from the lower storage yard to the upper storage yard, and to dispatch energy when the plurality of mass cars are moved from the upper storage yard to the lower storage yard.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for replacing a drive assembly of a turntable load station. A system includes a structural pier, a track formed on a top surface of the structural pier, a turntable, a bogie assembly detachably coupled to an underside of the turntable, the bogie assembly including a wheeled drive assembly, a swap rail mounted to a radial side surface of the structural pier, and a translating cartridge movably mounted to the swap rail in a serviceable orientation. The translating cartridge is configured to move along the radial side surface of the structural pier via the swap rail while in the serviceable orientation to an unloading position underneath the bogie assembly, pivot from the serviceable orientation to an upright functional orientation to couple with the wheeled drive assembly, and decouple the wheeled drive assembly from the bogie assembly.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for replacing a drive assembly of a turntable load station. A system includes a structural pier, a track formed on a top surface of the structural pier, a turntable, a bogie assembly detachably coupled to an underside of the turntable, the bogie assembly including a wheeled drive assembly, a swap rail mounted to a radial side surface of the structural pier, and a translating cartridge movably mounted to the swap rail in a serviceable orientation. The translating cartridge is configured to move along the radial side surface of the structural pier via the swap rail while in the serviceable orientation to an unloading position underneath the bogie assembly, pivot from the serviceable orientation to an upright functional orientation to couple with the wheeled drive assembly, and decouple the wheeled drive assembly from the bogie assembly.

A circular cableway with cableway stations and cableway vehicles movable between the cableway stations by a conveyor cable, each of the cableway stations having a boarding/alighting area with an entry zone and by an exit zone, includes at least one pair of opposing safety barriers in at last one of the entry zone or the exit zone of at least one boarding/alighting area, each of the pair of opposing safety barriers arranged opposite one another transversely to the conveying direction and which can be displaced from a closed position to an open position; and at least one detection device for detecting people in a passage area located between the pair of opposing safety barriers and through which the cableway vehicles may pass or when one of the pair of opposing safety barriers is displaced from the closed position to the open position.