HGV Monorailway

HGVs cause much of the wear and tear on roads, as well as making the road a more dangerous and hostile place for other users. There is much interest in removing them from the road network, especially congested local roads. We can do this by looking to neglected railways of the past.

A hybrid road/railway is built, with a single rail running down the centre of each lane. Special HGV trailers equipped with double flanged retractable steel wheels will be able to use this rail to support the bulk of their weight. As the rail will also guide them, and the rolling resistance will be significantly reduced from using steel-on-steel rather than rubber-on-asphalt, we will be able to connect these trailers in trains, making their transport even more efficient. At the end of the line, the trailers can be re-attached to the trucks and continue on their last mile journey. With the trailers connected in trains, we can move them significantly slower without increasing labour costs, as one driver may be hauling four or five loads instead of just one.

Given the simplicity of the system, it should be significantly cheaper to construct than a full railway, and due to the aforementioned advantages in efficiency, far less environmentally damaging than a full road would be. For a small additional expense, the lines could be electrified, further reducing their negative impacts.