#Future of Moreton: Transport

56 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

sacred forge Mar 23, 2024, 9:23 PM

Previous post: https://discord.com/channels/263634513861541888/1221166607402008666

So you've learnt a little about how AI affected transport ( #1221166607402008666 ) but let's actually look at how people moved around in Moreton County. From folks who travelled into the county to those who commuted around it using personal, work, hired or public methods of transportation.

Next post: https://discord.com/channels/263634513861541888/1221457071845937262

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1221207822931591239/1221221027284258886/Screenshot_2023-08-24_233933.png

Personal Vehicles

The regular joe had their own transport in Moreton County; cycles, cars, motorbikes and more. The urban area saw rapid expansion with the car age in the 20th century, and thus the infrastructure was designed around it making it easy for people to have their own vehicle.

Most motorised vehicles were electric or hydrogen powered, some ran on biofuel and a few still used gasoline. Fuel stations sold hydrogen and provided electric charging points (as did many modern homes and workplaces), some also provided biofuel, a few provide gasoline at high prices (1.42 was very high in Cim Currency's: Cell). The vast majority of automobiles were self-driven by AI as mentioned previously.

Many also chose to cycle as a healthy and fairly quick mode of transport. A lot of computerised cycles had the option for AI assistance making them able to take over and speed up when the human got tired.

There was also a surge of nostalgia in the late 21st century that saw people purchase classic cars with modernised fuel & AI systems, like the one photographed.

Hover Vehicles

At the time hover vehicles were the next best thing in transportation technology as an alternative to helicopters, tilt-rotors and vertical take off jets that were often big, chunky, complicated and expensive vehicles restricted by air traffic regulations. The next best thing were hover cars from brands such as Hyperion and Spectra, which at first were limited to 2 metres of hovering.

The advantage of hover cars were that they could operate at varying levels to bypass congestion, reduce wear and tear on wheels and roads while operating at higher speeds, and have more room to avoid collisions. The AI in cars were already pretty good at avoiding collisions but sometimes it was inevitable for a wheeled vehicle. With hover cars the AI could quickly choose to maneuverer the vehicle up and down, as well as side to side, to avoid a collision.

In time hover cars were fully adapted to fly at high altitudes. But we'll cover that later.

Hover boards also became fairly common. They' mostly replaced skateboards for localised transport and recreational enjoyment. They were very limited in height and speed compared to hover cars, but they did still move quickly. The tricks you could pull on them were awesome!

Work Vehicles

Aside from people's personal vehicles, many organisations had to provide vehicles for workers to carry out services and transport products. They were essential to the lifeblood of Moreton County. Trucks transported goods and material, public transport moved people, emergency vehicles solved problems, maintenance vehicles fix things, so on and so forth. This concept hadn't really changed.

What had changed was what we'd already mentioned; AI-driven transport and fuel types. There were a lot more work vehicles running on hydrogen and biofuel as oppose to electric, due to the power needed in certain specialised or heavy transport vehicles. There were also more preference for manual driving with certain vehicles, such as those used by the emergency services, to allow for unusual driving conditions.

Buses

After the tsunami, buses were first to return to service as an essential mode of transport for those without. As part of the Green Space Initiative, biofuel and electric busses were used. Then the county acquired AI-driven busses, such as the Hispeed, to follow the pre-determined routes of the transport network. Busses moved people from A to B, with stops every few minutes that connected the vast majority of communities. The No. 10 service was a county-wide double-decker bus, called the Roadwhale, that connected major hubs.

Taxis. 🚕

Self-driving taxis were common in Moreton County. The AI would recognise when someone called for a taxi when they put their hand up, whistled or shouted. Or people could just call one using their cyber-phone implant. Taxis didn't have to stop anywhere else like busses or trains and could be reserved entirely for a single persons' use, so it was a good way to get around - except they were pricey. Do I need to mention they were all electric, hydrogen or biofuel powered too?

Passenger Trains

Now of course one of the best ways to get around town quickly was with trains! Trains were fast, direct, carried hundreds and ran on charged powerlines. There were three main lines that ran locally throughout the Moreton Metropolitan area while connecting with the suburbs and surrounding towns of the county. The tracked train of choice in Moreton County was the AI-driven E259 Series N'EX pictured.

Of course many people visited or commuted to Moreton County from other places via train. The county regularly receivds passengers via the high-speed bullet train. The Shinkansen 500 was built for the national rail network by Japan; as part of a trade deal the nation had at the time. Passengers could quickly get places across country on these trains if they chose not to fly supersonic.

Cargo Trains

Aside from people, cargo also got about via train. Freight trains were a huge part of Moreton County's trade network, exporting goods from the county to other places, or importing them. Cargo was loaded by machines at freight loading stations before being sent to where they needed. Aside from exporting and importing, many goods travelled internally via cargo trains thanks to the large industry Moreton had. These HSCT freight trains were also AI-driven, but unlike electric passenger trains, these were hydrogen powered (hence not connecting to the overheads) due to the extra demand needed to haul large amounts of heavy items.

Side-loading door:

Hover Train Metro Replacement Programme (HTMRP): Aerotrain

We've mentioned a few times how the tsunami devastated the Metro Subway system of underground trains in Moreton County. Tunnels were flooded and large sections collapsed. At first the county were going to rebuild the metro network of tunnels but cancelled the plan due to safety concerns at the risk of another tsunami trapping thousands underground, as well as time of the project, cost and logistical issues that would take decades to overcome. Only 1 line of the old metro was rebuilt, and that was overground anyway.

The Aerotrain was a new invention for the 2070s, using hover-vehicle technology. The electric train could fly through the air like any hover car could but it could also carry considerably more people and go higher because it still ran on 'tracks', of sorts.

The 'tracks' were a series of rings on poles placed every few metres which the train passes through. These rings kept the Aerotrain connected and charged while it was in the air. The AI system drove the train day and night for the people who would board at overhead stations the train flew into.

Inevitably the Aerotrain replaced the railed E259 Series N'EX for inner city use due to it's ability to fly above the county at great speeds.

earnest arch Mar 23, 2024, 10:49 PM

Some of this looks cool, but this still kind of seems like a nightmarish world. AI controlling even education seems like it would stunt human creativity. Not an insult to the story though. This seems like it’s going to an amazing place!

sacred forge Mar 23, 2024, 10:49 PM

Moreton Metro Subway System

You already know the tsunami wiped out the tunnels, they were flooded, collapsed and stations destroyed. People were trapped, people died. You've just learnt about how they replaced this system with the Aerotrain. Of course one bit of the original metro still survived for decades after and that was the A# Line train which ran overground between the Port of Moreton and White City - and it still had a train driver in the 2070s! This line was reinstated not long after the tsunami following repairs. It stopped at the last station before reaching the collapsed (and now filled in) tunnel. The A# Line Train was old and outdated, and so were the tracks, and would soon be replaced by the Aerotrain,

sacred forge Mar 23, 2024, 10:52 PM

earnest arch Some of this looks cool, but this still kind of seems like a nightmarish world. ...

Oh yeah absolutely. What makes a great story is it's ups and it's downs. Right now I'm focusing on the good stuff but later we'll touch on the Disturbances, the paramilitary groups, the protests, the crime and the unrest. You read in the section about education (#1221166607402008666) how people accused the AI system of manipulating and controlling students for corporate gain. One of those theories some believed in and others did not. Different people had different experiences of this either Uptonian, or, Dystopian world.

https://tenor.com/view/utopia-gif-21647156

Tenor

https://tenor.com/view/dystopia-megadeth-album-animated-gif-25522778

Tenor

sacred forge Mar 23, 2024, 11:09 PM

Tower City Monorail

When Tower City ( #1218561274464436277 ) was first built in the 21st century out of a requirement to build more high rises, it was built with a monorail that connected the city with the Moreton International Airport (#1218549590115094569).

The monorail was a single-rail track running above the city streets, powering electric trains that drove themselves. The monorail was extremely efficient as it could move people around quickly above ground without taking up space. it was also cheaper than the underground tunnels or the Aerotrain and easier to maintain. Parts of the monorail did have to be rebuilt after the tsunami which took time.

The monorail became an essential part of life for the tower people throughout the 21st century! In the 2070s, the Monorail was the Mark VII model and was completely AI-driven.

Passenger Ships

Now of course trains were fast and efficient, but people didn't want to zip around everywhere. A more elegant and relaxing way to travel was by ferry.

The Coombe to White Ferry Service had been operating in the county since the early 20th century. With the founding of White and Coombe Cities across the bay from each other, there was a desire to travel in a B-line from White, to Moreton, to Coombe.

Jump forward a 'few' years and 3 ships were still operating in the 2070s using the autonomous Ferry Project 342 "Meteor", and ran 24/7. It could go up to 110mph, but rarely did so.

Like trains of course, many people would visit Moreton County from other places. Luxury cruises and sea-going ferries would regularly arrive at harbours in the county to unload passengers. Here we see an image of a Wanderlust Whale-class ferry transporting passengers to Westwood.

Cargo Ships

Aside from cargo trucks and freight trains, a lot of cargo arrived into the county by ship. They were slower than trains and couldn't reach city centers, but could carry thousands of tonnes of cargo across the world. Moreton still had huge ports in the 2070s for this reason, despite large-scale air freight travel beginning to become more popular due to expansions in air & space travel. There were cleaner cargo ships out there and those driven by AI too, but Moreton County was a bit behind on that front ((lack of futuristic cargo ship mods)).

Boats and fishing vessels

Moreton Bay had been filled with small watercraft since the founding of the City of Moreton in the late 19th century. Everyday fishermen could go out on their vessels or piers to bring in the latest catch for people to eat. It was a relatively 'old worldly' profession/hobby for humans that enjoyed it, but droids also enjoyed it too as part of their development profiles to be more human-like and help contribute to the human-race. Some autonomous vessels were used but rarely as automation tended to occur in coastal & inland fishing farms with cranes for fishing with.

You could see plenty of pleasure vessels, kayaks, speed boats and yachts out on the waters too in the 2070s. Many of them quite old.

Tilt-Rotor Air Service (TRAS)

Due to the success of tilt-rotor air services in other places around the world throughout the 21st century, a tilt-rotor air service opened in Moreton County for workers and tourists to get about.

The hybrid unmanned CWCW HeliVehicle were a Vertical Take Off and Lift (VTOL) aircraft designed to hover like a helicopter, or fly like a plane, and could go up to 507 km/h. Hydrogen powered Tilt-Rotor aircraft were selected instead of Tilt-Jet aircraft to minimise noise pollution and damage from exhausts.

It could transport 25 people to a wide variety of Heliports built in local communities across the county like a train station. It was fast and efficient but it was limited in capacity and more expensive than the trains.

Global Supersonic Flight

One of the quickest ways to get to Moreton County from elsewhere in the world was by air. Most air planes ran on hydrogen or biofuels (some ran on electricity) and were supersonic airliners like the ones pictured. These travelled at very high speeds with their wings swept back and their nose pointed forward, afterburners behind. When they reached supersonic speeds they created a sonic thump sound which was barely notable to those below. This was regular air travel at the time without leaving the earth's atmosphere.

The newest type at the time was the super-sonic High-Altitude AirCraft Alnair, with seats for 120 people, seen here flying over Moreton-Tower International Airport (MTIA) (we'll discuss the airport later). This aircraft got above the globe quickly at very high atltitudes, cutting the curvature of the earth away.

Space Travel

The human race was dead-set on exploring space. They had already put a person on Mars, and were building colonies too. More and more space programmes were being initiated with technology that was forever changing to make the process more streamlined.

Seen here was Moreton County's very own Bluebird Heavy 1 rocket launching astronauts to the Mars Orbital Space Station (MOSS) for the joint-international effort at the time. It was launched from the ChirpX Launch Site in the Cooper Desert before landing back on the pad 6 months later to be reused.

In-between long distance space missions, there would occasionally be visits to the ChripX Launch Site from the Bluebird Transporter rocket which transported people from other launch sites on earth to space and then back down an hour later. This made travelling around the globe extremely quick but also very expensive. Only the wealthiest people could afford this in the 2070s.

Keep following for more on Moreton County!

fleet prism Apr 18, 2024, 2:41 PM

sacred forge

aw hell nah

whats a relic from the 1970's doing in moreton

IN 2070!!!!

Boeing 2707 and Concorde rebuild in the future leaked???

sacred forge Apr 18, 2024, 2:45 PM

fleet prism Boeing 2707 and Concorde rebuild in the future leaked???

That's right. In the 2030s they began reviewing old concepts, with the ability to bring them back with newer and better technology.

fleet prism Apr 18, 2024, 2:45 PM

sacred forge That's right. In the 2030s they began reviewing old concepts, with the ability t...

lol that sounds pretty cool

sacred forge Apr 18, 2024, 2:48 PM

fleet prism lol that sounds pretty cool

Yeah they were able to make Concorde II with quietened supersonic technology, economical and eco friendly power sources. The 2707 was finally put into mainstream production after originally being a concept, and rolled out on a commercial scale with the same tech as Concorde II.

fleet prism Apr 18, 2024, 2:49 PM

cool

sacred forge Jul 3, 2024, 11:40 AM

sacred forge **Hover Train Metro Replacement Programme (HTMRP): Aerotrain** We've mentioned ...

The A Line

By the year 2105 the A# Line was fully complete for Aerotrain services between Tower City and Moreton City with many stops in-between, running 24/7.

sacred forge Jul 3, 2024, 11:48 AM

sacred forge # Tilt-Rotor Air Service (TRAS) Due to the success of tilt-rotor air services i...

Heavy Lift Fan Air Service (HLFAS)

In addition to the tilt-rotor air service, Moreton County added a Lift Fan Air Service to it's large arsenal of public transport types. Tourists, workers and residents a-like were able to travel in the much larger CTCN Transport hover ship to get between Hover Stations located in major hubs.

The CTCN was a large passenger ship with four heavy lift-fans to give it vertical lift while large thrusters on the back gave it forward movement. It could transport 135 people above land to their destination, it was cheaper than the Tilt-Rotor Service but was a lot slower.

Inevitably it was too slow and cumbersome, being rivalled by the Aerotrain for large passenger numbers and speed, and the Tilt-Rotor Air Service for it's speed and agility too. The HLFAS was discontinued sometime later.

sacred forge Jul 3, 2024, 12:02 PM

sacred forge # Buses After the tsunami, buses were first to return to service as an essentia...

The Reduction of Bus Services

With increased popularity for the Aerotrain and Tilt-Rotor Air Service (TRAS) there was less demand for busses. Moreton County generally had a large amount of busses in the 20th and 21st century, but the demand for busses dropped by the 2100s. Most lines saw a reduction in busses, a few lines were removed and some depots closed. This meant less congestion on the roads.

sacred forge Aug 28, 2024, 1:41 PM

Sky jams became a problem...

Folks never thought they would see a traffic jam in the sky. Well, there we had it, a sky jam. Due to high demand for the Tilt-Rotor Air Service (TRAS) in Moreton County, the fleet of CWCW HeliVehicles had been increased from 40 to 90. This meant more Air Vehicles for citizens to fly around in but there was only so many that could fit in a heliport at one time, meaning the others had to queue and wait their turn, in the sky.

sacred forge Aug 28, 2024, 1:58 PM

sacred forge **Hover Train Metro Replacement Programme (HTMRP): Aerotrain** We've mentioned ...

Aerotrain trialled floating rings

Everyone had seen the Aerotrain flying along through the many rings that made up the 'train track'. The rings were necessary to keep the train powered and on track with it's route; checking in with the AI system through each hoop.

As time progressed, the AI began building the track virtually so that one day the hoops would not be necessary. But before that, Aerotrain trialled pole-less rings for the train to pass through.

The county was hell-bent on saving space, even if it was just a tiny pole, so that it freed up the view and prevented things like boats and cars crashing into them.

The floating rings were solar powered and had a charged cell for nightime. If it failed, the worst case scenario was that it fell into the water and the train would skip it by connecting to the next ring.