Human-Powered Transport Remains Common in Developing Countries
Human-Powered Transport Remains Common in Developing Countries
Human-Powered Transport Remains Common in Developing Countries
of people and commodities. Humans may ride some of the animals directly,
use them as pack animals for carrying goods, or harness them, alone or in
teams, to pull sleds or wheeled vehicles.
Air
Land
Land transport covers all land-based transport systems that provide for the movement of people, goods
and services. Land transport plays a vital role in linking communities to each other. Land transport is a
key factor in urban planning. It consists of two kinds, rail and road.
Rail
Rail transport is where a train runs along a set of two parallel steel rails, known as a railway or railroad.
The rails are anchored perpendicular to ties (or sleepers) of timber, concrete or steel, to maintain a
consistent distance apart, or gauge. The rails and perpendicular beams are placed on a foundation made
of concrete or compressed earth and gravel in a bed of ballast. Alternative methods include monorail and
maglev.
A train consists of one or more connected vehicles that operate on the rails. Propulsion is commonly
provided by a locomotive, that hauls a series of unpowered cars, that can carry passengers or freight. The
locomotive can be powered by steam, diesel or by electricity supplied by trackside systems. Alternatively,
some or all the cars can be powered, known as a multiple unit. Also, a train can be powered by horses,
cables, gravity, pneumatics and gas turbines. Railed vehicles move
with much less friction than rubber tires on paved roads, making
trains more energy efficient, though not as efficient as ships.
Road
Water
Although it is slow compared to other transport, modern sea transport is a highly efficient method of
transporting large quantities of goods. Commercial vessels, nearly 35,000 in number, carried 7.4 billion
tons of cargo in 2007.[10] Transport by water is significantly less costly than air transport for
transcontinental shipping;[11] short sea shipping and ferries remain viable in coastal areas.[12][13]
Other modes
Spaceflight is transport out of Earth's atmosphere into outer space by means of a spacecraft. While large
amounts of research have gone into technology, it is rarely used except to put satellites into orbit, and
conduct scientific experiments. However, man has landed on the moon, and probes have been sent to all
the planets of the Solar System.
Suborbital spaceflight is the fastest of the existing and planned transport systems from a place on Earth
to a distant "other place" on Earth. Faster transport could be achieved through part of a low Earth orbit,
or following that trajectory even faster using the propulsion of the rocket to steer it.
Elements
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is the fixed installations that allow a vehicle to operate. It consists of a roadway, a
terminal, and facilities for parking and maintenance. For rail, pipeline, road and cable transport, the
entire way the vehicle travels must be constructed. Air and watercraft are able to avoid this, since the