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A comment on Panama Canal drought forces Maersk to start using land bridge for Oceania cargo. Parent comment

Re:Panama Canal drought forces Maersk to start using land br... by pasttense01 on Sunday January 14, 2024 @10:47AM (#38991451)
In the U.S. they often double stack containers--so that would be half the distance if they could:

"Invented in the United States in 1984, it is now being used for nearly seventy percent of United States intermodal shipments. Using double stack technology, a freight train of a given length can carry roughly twice as many containers, sharply reducing transport costs per container."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-stack_rail_transport

But generally going around the southern tip of South America could well be cheaper--although it may take longer.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Panama Canal drought forces Maersk to start using land br... by Ringz on Sunday January 14, 2024 @01:18PM (#38992852)
You're right about that. However, this probably only works with diesel-powered locomotives and not with electrified railway systems.
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Re:Panama Canal drought forces Maersk to start using land br... by EasyMark on Sunday January 14, 2024 @09:44PM (#38996900)
why wouldn't it apply to electrified railways? I mean it's all energy in the end. I'm sure they make electric motors powerful enough and you can pull your own batteries as part of the load.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Panama Canal drought forces Maersk to start using land br... by Ringz on Monday January 15, 2024 @05:11AM (#38999143)
The clearance above the train. You have to rebuild every passenger transportation train to work with higher clearance or you build a dedicated railway system only for transportation. Neither financial nor ecologically sustainable.
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Re:Panama Canal drought forces Maersk to start using land br... by EasyMark on Sunday January 14, 2024 @09:43PM (#38996893)
I mean it would seem to be an innovation but "invention" seems like a stretch as there is nothing new about stacking stuff. I mean it should be a staightforward idea/extrapolation for any "good" mechanical engineer familiar with railroads and trains?
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