How Jet Trains Could Have Reached 300 MPH: The 1970s Transport Revolution

Picture a train that could have hit 300 mph in the 1970s, floating above its tracks like something from science fiction. These jet-powered rail cars were real, tested, and totally doable. So why are you still stuck on trains that barely crack 150 mph? In this episode, Gavin Carter uncovers the wild story of hover trains and why we chose boring over brilliant. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • How the British APT-E hit 152 mph in 1975 and why engineers thought that wasn't fast enough • The real reason France's Aerotrain consumed 3x more fuel than regular trains (spoiler: physics is unforgiving) • Why building hover train infrastructure would have cost $50-100 million per mile in 1970s money • How conventional trains quietly solved their wobbling problem while everyone was obsessing over flying rail cars 👤 Perfect for: anyone who's ever wondered why our "future" transport looks so much like the past, and folks fascinated by the tech paths we didn't take. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Gavin Carter introduces the trains that almost flew [01:45] The APT-E breaks speed records the old-fashioned way [03:30] France's Aerotrain: beautiful, fast, and totally impractical [06:00] The hunting oscillation problem that started it all [08:30] Why hover tech couldn't beat basic engineering improvements [10:15] The economic reality that killed the jet train dream 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow Flight Footprints on your podcast app and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and your next favorite "what if" story is just one tap away. 🔍 Topics: jet trains, hover trains, British APT, French Aerotrain, 1970s transportation, high speed rail ------ Keywords: engineering history, aircraft design, naval aviation, transportation history, experimental aircraft, aviation history Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices