The "Archives RTS" page of the RTS - Radio Télévision Suisse on Instagram talks about the 1992 program on the "Train of the Future (Le train du futur)", Swissmetro.
The idea of Swissmetro was born in Switzerland in the 1970's to face the saturation of the road network and the rail traffic. The mountainous terrain, the high population density and the restrictive environmental protection laws made the construction of new above-ground transport routes very difficult at the time and even more so today. The underground route was the only possible solution.
Completely underground, similar to both a train without wheels and an airplane without wings, it was designed to be able to transport passengers safely at more than 500 km/h in a partial air vacuum, at about 10 kPa. By skilfully combining state-of-the-art technologies, this project aimed at optimizing a modern, scalable, environmentally friendly high-speed transport system that is perfectly able to meet sustainable development criteria.
Our CEO Michele Mossi was involved in the development of this project from 1993 to 2003, first as an engineer and then as director between 1999 and 2003.
Swissmetro was also the driving force behind the birth of GESTE Engineering SA and gave rhythm to the first years of the company's life. GESTE in fact, acronym of Groupe d'Études de Systèmes de Transport dans leur Environnement, is at the origin a start-up company born in 1999 expressly to take over the management and the development of the project.
This beautiful and promising project unfortunately never saw the light of day, but it will remain a reference for all in terms of innovation. And without this project, GESTE - which today has more than 100 employees, which carries out large-scale transport projects and which continues to innovate by participating in projects such as Virgin Hyperloop or Loop Aix-Marseille - would probably never have seen the light of day. A small demonstration that investment in innovation is a fantastic economic engine, both for its direct and indirect benefits.
More information on Swissmetro: https://lnkd.in/eQU3hZPh
Link to the program: https://lnkd.in/egpYWNsJ
2022
