AboutChris Holliday Expertise Questions related to contemporary passenger rail vehicles and their technology, including subway, light rail, commuter and intercity rolling stock. Includes all vehicle systems and features along with integration of the vehicles into the general railroad system.
Experience I have over 22 years of experience in the passenger rail vehicle business as both an engineering manager at a car builder and as a provider of engineering services to commuter railroads and transit agencies in the US. I have worked to apply the latest technologies to passanger rail equipment. I have worked with leaders in our industry to develop and establish Standards and Recommended practices.
Question Hi, I was wondering if there are any examples of a vertical lift or elevator used to transfer a train between tracks at different heights. I'm aware of trains being lowered car by car into metro systems, but is there anything more sophisticated than a crane which is used to raise and lower trains on a regular basis?
Answer Thanks for your question.
I believe you are looking for an example of some sort of elevator system being used in regular revenue service which transfers one or more loaded passenger cars on-track between two track alignments at differing elevations.
I am not aware of anything currently in use which does this in North America.
There are some amazing elevators out there, including this one which transfers loaded canal barges in Scotland:
Railroads typically handle elevation changes with switchbacks even if tunnels and trestles are needed to keep the grades manageable in mountainous terrain. Some have proposed elevators which could transfer a train-load of elevated transit car passengers to street level by making the entire platform into a kind of elevator. The timing issues, cost, complexity and safety concerns engendered in such a system make such a system unlikely to be built.
