Rising passenger demand is pushing the limits of London’s Underground subway system, causing government and industry representatives to discuss the incorporation of new technologies into subterranean travel, Gizmag reports.
Credit: Thyssenkrupp Elevator
Among them, elevator manufacturer ThyssenKrupp’s MULTI vertical transportation system, which swaps typical elevator cables for a magnetic driver and rotating junctions that allows cabs to move left and right in addition to up and down. While the technology was conceived for use in skyscrapers, a recent panel comprising representatives from organizations and agencies including Arup, ThyssenKrupp, Weston Williamson and Partners, and more met to discuss its application in urban transportation systems.
Thyssenkrupp Elevator CEO Andreas Schierenbeck expounded on the MULTI further in an interview with Gizmag:
“MULTI was initially developed for tall buildings, to double elevator shaft capacity, reduce elevator footprint, and offer vertical and horizontal movement to enable architects to construct taller, more creative and more user friendly structures, but its concept makes it a prime solution to the challenges of metro stations as well,” says Thyssenkrupp Elevator CEO Andreas Schierenbeck. “If applied it would undoubtedly change the face of London’s transport network, and reinforce the UK’s position at the head of global innovations. Yet it also offers a practical solution that could ease congestion in dozens of underground networks across the world too; a thought that makes you realize its potential to be one of the most revolutionary new developments of our time.”
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