A startup called Parallel Systems is trying to change the cargo industry by allowing individual shipping containers to zip along existing freight railroads.
Operators will be given more flexibility by freeing up their reliance on long freight trains. Parallel Systems sees an opportunity in the advent of automated trucking, which has the potential to be far more lucrative than traditional rail.
The three-mile-long train is the problem now, according to the CEO of Parallel Systems. Where are you going to park that train? Not that many places is the answer.
The train is crazy.
Each container unit has a battery powered motor that can take individual shipping containers for a 500 mile ride on a single charge. A remote operator is still planned for edge cases.
It is unlikely that the containers will be travelling alone.
According to Soule, the platoon sizes are between ten and 50 cars. The benefits of having ten cars is that you can share the aerodynamic load over multiple cars.
The platoons are not attached to each other like on a regular train. 50 cars is still very short for a freight train.
Terminal Juncture.
Flexibility is needed in the freight shipping infrastructure.
The company is aiming its sights at the trucking industry, not the freight train industry, by bringing terminals closer to where your customer and shipper are.
Parallel Systems has to figure out where to install all the needed transfer terminals and make sure there are enough tracks in the country.
The US has historically been far behind other developed countries when it comes to rail infrastructure.
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