The vacuum high-speed maglev train designed by Jiangnan Group, in pursuit of ultimate manufacturing cost reduction, had to adopt a method where all passengers first sit in chairs, and then the chairs are directly sent into the pipeline train. This approach allowed for the maximum possible reduction in the diameter of the pipelines and the train itself, thereby saving substantial manufacturing costs.
However, under these circumstances, using a toilet within a train became an extremely difficult matter. It's important to note that this refers to *using* the toilet, not *installing* it.
Installing a toilet itself wasn't the real challenge. The true difficulty lay in enabling passengers to freely use it. After all, every passenger's position was fixed front to back. If one passenger needed to use the restroom, they would have to climb over other passengers. This method was undeniably unreliable and posed significant safety hazards.
Therefore, installing toilets on ordinary trains was impossible.
However, Jiangnan Group was developing a new type of toilet specifically designed for vacuum high-speed trains. If this new toilet could be put into use, it might even solve the restroom problem for ordinary trains.
But such issues should not arise on high-end trains. After all, when you label a vehicle as "high-end," it should at least address basic needs like using a toilet.
This had always been a significant problem plaguing high-end trains. It wasn't until a researcher had a flash of inspiration that the solution to installing toilets on trains became apparent. The core issue was that passengers within a carriage shared a single toilet, necessitating passengers climbing over one another.
If that was the case, why not give each passenger their own exclusive toilet?
Under this innovative concept, the design of the seats within the train evolved. Each seat was now equipped with a dedicated, integrated toilet in front of it.
Firstly, the seating arrangement in high-end trains was not as compact as in ordinary trains, with seats placed one after another, leaving very little room for leg movement.
The seating space in high-end trains was incredibly spacious. Each seat occupied the space equivalent to what three seats would have in a conventional train. Passengers in high-end trains could fully recline their seats and enjoy a comfortable nap.
So, if the seats were retracted, wouldn't that free up a significant amount of space in front of them?
Thus, through the ingenious design of the engineers, a set of hidden storage cabinets was incorporated on both sides of the carriage in front of the seats.
Normally, these cabinets were concealed within the side panels of the carriage. However, if a passenger needed to attend to personal matters, they would simply press a button. The hidden compartments on both the left and right sides would automatically extend a folding wall towards the center.
Because these two hidden compartments were staggered front to back, once they extended from both sides, they would precisely form a space that blocked the view from both the front and the back.
Afterward, users could manually pull out a vacuum toilet from the hidden compartment and then directly use it to take care of their personal needs.
Simultaneously, the sides of the carriage would automatically spray a highly concentrated aromatic gas, effectively masking any unpleasant odors.
Boss Huang had personally experienced such high-end carriages and found the effect to be quite satisfactory. As long as one didn't scrutinize too closely, the odors in the air were virtually undetectable.
In addition to the toilet design, the seats in the high-end carriages were also newly designed for extreme comfort. Furthermore, each side of the carriage featured a snack storage cabinet, stocked with complimentary snacks.
For journeys exceeding two hours, a dining table could be extended from the seat, and attendants would promptly deliver a meal similar to airline catering.
As for the ticket price, since one seat occupied the space of three ordinary seats, the ticket price was directly quintupled. The original ticket price of 650 yuan was increased to over 3,000 yuan, which was quite reasonable, wasn't it?
In addition to high-end trains, there was also a luxury customized train in the planning stages. This train was even more extravagant, with an entire carriage dedicated to a single passenger. Besides the seat, it also included a bed, a large surround-projection cinema, a genuine private restroom, a bathtub, and similar amenities to a 4-person aircraft. The price, however, had not yet been determined, but it was not expected to be excessively high.
In summary, China's first vacuum ultra-high-speed magnetic levitation pipeline operation was thriving, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists. Rumors circulated that this vacuum ultra-high-speed magnetic levitation pipeline railway was raking in over 1.5 billion US dollars per month, which greatly agitated the Americans.
Why? Because the American United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company's high-speed railway had not even broken ground yet!
More than a year ago, after the Western Mustang Fund successfully acquired the operating rights of the American United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company, cleared all policy obstacles, and restored the company's market value to over 1 trillion US dollars, and under the joint pressure of various American forces, the Western Mustang Fund had to declare that it would commence construction of America's own super vacuum high-speed magnetic levitation pipeline immediately.
Yet, more than a year later, this pipeline had still not commenced construction. Therefore, when these Americans heard that the Chinese vacuum pipeline was already in full operation, public sentiment online became extremely turbulent. Not only did the stock of the American United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company begin to plummet, but many also began to jointly accuse the current controller of the company, the Western Mustang Fund, of being a fraud, of deceiving everyone, and of not starting construction for over a year.
The Western Mustang Fund did not tolerate these netizens, and that same evening, it posted a public announcement directly on the company's official website, plainly informing all netizens why its own vacuum pipeline had not yet commenced construction.
The reason was very straightforward: they were being sued by dozens of environmental organizations. Within just one month of taking over the company, dozens of environmental organizations in the United States had sued the Western Mustang Fund, citing that the railway would damage the environment and severely impact wildlife habitats, leading to large-scale species extinction.
In fact, the reasons given by these environmental organizations were not without merit. Consider a metal pipeline stretching for thousands of kilometers, endlessly, like a python coiled across the American land.
This would act as a physical barrier, directly separating wildlife, including humans, on both sides of the pipeline.
Humans could perhaps manage. If the pipeline passed through main roads, some overpasses or underground tunnels could be built to allow human passage. But the critical issue was animals.
While some animals might live in a fixed region, many species undertake annual migrations, moving from one part of the United States to another for mating, childbirth, and reproduction.
In the past, with the construction of railways, animals could simply cross over them without fear of being blocked.
Now, with a pipeline several meters thick directly splitting the entire United States in half, and surrounded by a large perimeter fence to ensure its safety, what about the migration and reproduction of these wild animals?
Wouldn't they ultimately just run into walls?
Therefore, these environmental organizations jointly sued the American United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company, demanding that they either build all pipelines on elevated structures, so the pipelines are raised in the air, ensuring smooth passage for animal migration.
Or, they should simply not build it and not harm the environment.
The American United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company naturally could not agree to such terms. Building elevated bridges along the entire pipeline, given America's labor costs, would skyrocket the final price. The American United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company could not possibly agree to this demand.
Consequently, although the court had not yet reached a final verdict, it issued a mandatory injunction, requiring the American United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company to halt construction of the pipeline until the court's ruling.
Good heavens, so this was the reason why they didn't have a vacuum high-speed magnetic levitation pipeline! Now, the netizens naturally redirected their anger away from the American United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company.
But then, who should they vent their anger on?
Those environmental organizations?
Please, environmentalism is the biggest political correctness in the United States. Anyone who dares to speak against environmentalism is sure to have all their social media accounts banned.
And if this person is a celebrity, they would also face intense criticism from the entire American public opinion sphere. Moreover, these environmental organizations' arguments seemed valid. If those animals went extinct due to the pipeline blocking their migration, it would be truly pitiful. It seemed better not to build any pipelines at all.
But the Americans didn't have something that the Chinese did. How could that be?
In short, this announcement left the netizens bewildered.
Actually, the netizens' attitude was quite good, as the construction of this pipeline did not have a significantly obvious impact on their lives. What was truly pressing were the shareholders and investors of the American United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company. So, they seized an opportunity to corner Little Swift, the nominal chairman, in his own office, demanding that Little Swift present a solution.
"I don't want this company anymore!" Unexpectedly, Little Swift's first words upon being cornered were exactly like this.
"Mr. Chairman, what are you saying? We are all waiting for you to take charge and commence construction of the pipeline. How can you just abandon your post now?" The leading director, who had previously been the most vocal in criticizing Little Swift, said with a wide smile.
Following this, these directors almost fell to their knees, begging Little Swift to be a decent person and find a way to start building the pipeline quickly.
Why did this happen?
Because they had heard that China's vacuum ultra-high-speed railway pipeline was now earning over 2 billion US dollars each month!