String transport

String Transport (also known as "SkyWay", Yunitskiy String Transport and Rail Sky Way) is a concept of an elevated light rail transportation system using prestressed rails with prestressed cables ("strings") and concrete inside them. It is designed for both freight and passenger services and has two main types of track structure and rolling stock — standard and suspended. The Bank of Lithuania and FSMA have issued scam warnings about the scheme and accused the promoters of not complying with legal requirements when seeking investment.

History

Theoretical foundations and models

The project was conceived by Belarussian engineer and inventor Anatoly Yunitskiy from the beginning of the 1980s. The first 1/10 scale models of track structure and rolling stock were constructed in the 1990s. Different models were built either with one or two strings. The dynamic and wind behavior was tested by using a single-string 1/10 scale model in 2006–2007.

In 2016, the Expert Council under the Russian Ministry of Transport evaluated the SkyWay string technology and called it "innovative but only in theory". There was no information about the result of this acknowledgement or any government purchases or contracts with SkyWay.

First samples of urban railcar U4-210 and personal light railcar U4-621 were revealed at the international railway exhibition Innotrans 2016 in September 2016.

Test sites

File:String railway test track Ozyory.jpg

Experimental test site in Ozyory

The first full-scaled string rail test track was constructed in the Russian town of Ozyory (Moscow Oblast, Russia) in 2001. This test track had tube rails supported with a wire rope and spreaders, unlike the monolithic string as proposed now. The length of this test track was approximately 150 meters. Due to lack of funding, the inventors did not produce any railcars for this test track, but used a modified truck ZiL-131 with steel wheels instead of normal road wheels. Later, this test site was abandoned and dismantled.

A prototype test site with three test tracks (light rail, cargo rail, and high-speed urban rail) is currently being built in the town of Maryina Horka, Belarus since 2015 and is scheduled for completion in 2018.

Unrealized projects

In 2007 and 2008, pilot string railway lines were planned for some Russian cities. However, specialists from Moscow State University of Railway Engineering gave a negative assessment of the project, and it was not implemented.

In 2010, a test site was planned for Australia, but the project was not realized due to a dispute between Yunitskiy and his business partners.

Suspected financial irregularities

Lithuania

In 2014, the company planned to build its first test site in Lithuania, but this project was cancelled at the end of 2014 due to suspicions of financial fraud by the Bank of Lithuania. The bank warned investors that unidentified individuals were inviting Lithuanian residents to invest in "next-generation string transport" by acquiring online shares of the private limited company without a prospectus approved by a competent authority. Lithuania's Bank Supervision Department stated that there was no evidence of a financial pyramid scheme in the proposed business.

On May 26, 2017, the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor's Office decided to halt the pre-trial investigation into suspected illegal financial activity related to organizations established by Anatoly Yunitskiy in Lithuania. The investigation concluded that there was no evidence to support the allegations against the companies' management regarding unfair practices related to the planned demonstration and certification center for string transport in Lithuania. All temporary restrictions on assets, securities, and other properties belonging to the organizations were lifted.

Belgium

In September 2017, the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) issued a warning concerning Skyway Capital, which was offering investment to the public without a prospectus approved by the FSMA, as required by Belgian law. The FSMA further stated that "the scheme proposed by SkyWay Capital exhibits the characteristics of a pyramid scheme".

Other countries

In 2018, the authorities of New Zealand, Germany, and Greece issued an official warning about investing in SkyWay, stating that the company did not have a license to offer investments in those countries.

Dharamshala project

In May 2017, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Himachal Pradesh government with Sky Way Technology Corporation. Himachal Pradesh Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma stated that the facility would begin construction within the next three years.

In July 2017, The Economic Times reported that the project faced controversy due to concerns about the Belarusian company Skyway Technologies' credentials and the suitability of the transportation method for the region. The Congress government was criticized for signing a memorandum of understanding with a company with no operational projects globally, and doubts were raised about the project's safety and feasibility.

Technical

Track structure

The track structure design uses strings constructed from high-tension steel wires embedded in a concrete/resin core and encased in a steel shell.

It differs from traditional cable ropeways by utilizing a perfectly flat track to minimize wear, rolling resistance, and noise. The functions for rope tension and track are handled by separate components. Narrow span intervals (approximately 50 meters) and higher tension than in common ropeways result in lower sag, enabling high-speed operation.

String attachments are fixed, and there is no tensioning system. Seasonal steel thermal expansion is accommodated by adjusting the string tension. Thus, there are no junction gaps in the track except for switches, which are designed similarly to railway switches. According to the inventors, the system can use the most direct route, but curves can be created using intermediate supports that replace the string with steel structures locally.

Fatigue resistance of the rail, which is an integral part of the string, is being studied. Similarly, fatigue studies are underway for pre- or post-tensioned beams that combine steel and concrete. The designer proposes a low overall fatigue rate, as the variation in string tension due to vehicle weight is relatively low.

Rolling stock

File:U4-621 test ride in Marjina Horka.webm

Experimental suspended monorail using string cables in Maryina Horka, Belarus. Tests of first personal light railcar U4-621

String rail transport uses specialized lightweight railcars and multiple units with traction motors for both passenger and freight transportation. Freight transport also utilizes freight wagons without motors, hauled by locomotives or traction ropes. All rolling stock features individual wheel suspension with small, side anti-derailment wheels, similar to monorail rolling stock.

String rail vehicles have commercial names like "unibus" (universal railbus), "unicar", "unitruck", and "unibike", analogous to conventional transport, where "uni-" signifies "unification." The design and development of various types of string transport is conducted by SkyWay Companies Group. This includes:

• high-speed rail (standard);
• urban rail (standard or suspended);
• cargo rail (standard or suspended, using freight railcars, locomotives with trains, or wagons with traction ropes);
• personal light rail (suspended).

Safety and evaluation

An earlier String transport prototype was tested in Russia. This was subsequently discontinued after an assessment by the State Railways University in Moscow in 2008, which found the project "not viable and unsafe". The assessment noted numerous system defects and deemed the project almost unrealistic due to its inability to provide a consistent path for traffic. The report also highlighted the elevated position of passengers, the fatal consequences of string breakage, and the inherent risks associated with the system. Later, in 2017, the State Railways University in Moscow revised its conclusion, stating that proper consideration of rigidity, reliability, safety, and maintainability could lead to implementation and that the technology is innovative and of significant interest for scientific, engineering, and experimental research.

In December 2017, a collision occurred between SkyWay rolling stock and a backhoe loader, injuring three employees of the SkyWay project organization, CJSC String Technologies. The loader driver was hospitalized in intensive care.

See also

• Monorail
• SkyTran

External links

• Anatoly Yunitskiy official web-site
• Gizmag article
• Official website of SkyWay group of companies
• SkyWay EcoTechnoPark

This article "String transport" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:String transport. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Railway concessions in France
• North-South Commuter Railway (Philippines)
• Silkcity Express
• Trackside telephone

---