Cambridge, MA Inventor Imagines New Kind of Mass Transit

[From article]
To solve some of transportation’s oldest problems, Emil Jacobs wants to look to the past.
Way, way in the past. Back to the 1800s, in fact — Jacobs, an inventor based in Cambridge, Mass., whose firm has mostly handled ergonomics projects, has an idea that harkens back to L trains. But with some design tweaks, he thinks the system could offer cities some big changes in the way they offer mobility.
Jacobs’ idea, which he conceived of as a graduate student at Boston Architectural College according to recent press, is called the “cTrain.” The “c” is short for caterpillar.
[. . .]
They would run on tracks supported by thin arches that plant into the ground on either side of the street. They would run both above and below those tracks and they would stack into “vertical depots” when not in use so as to minimize storage space. Rubber would keep noise down at the point where each car contacts the track, and electric engines would keep quiet as well.
[. . .]
On the West coast, two companies are competing to successfully demonstrate the “hyperloop” concept where electricity-powered tubes would shoot people along at speeds faster than commercial airplanes.
[. . .]
an estimate of the cost it would take to build the system throughout Boston — $2.4 billion

http://www.govtech.com/fs/Inventor-Proposes-Futuristic-Elevated-Trains-to-Solve-Traffic-Problems.html

Inventor Proposes Futuristic Elevated Trains to Solve Traffic Problems
Emil Jacobs' "cTrain" idea involves trains that travel both above and below a single track and increase car supply based on demand.
BY NEWS STAFF
JANUARY 15, 2016