Capsule Carriages on the Tube?

If you want complete privacy on the London Underground, a designer from Australia may have just the futuristic concept for you. Jon Justice sent me a link from Treehugger.com to a design for a train with individual passenger compartments. He said it's "something that everyone manages to do on the Tube without the need for physical walls".

The capsules are the ultimate in giving you your own personal space. So no more rubbing up against your fellow commuters. No need to avoid nutters. No need to talk to anyone. No body odour, unless it's your own. Public transport without all the downsides of it being public.




Treehugger isn't wild about it and says "on a short run I think I would rather be in a big communal train car than be trapped in a phone booth like this."

Whereas Tech / Sci Fi site dvice is all over the idea "It offers far more privacy than your average train cabin — something a lot of us find ourselves wishing for, especially riding crowded subways in cities — though it sacrifices the ability to move a large quantity of space and, for some, comfort. There'd also have to be a system in place to keep people from fighting for seats, but, hey, with a lot of these on the rails, I'd happily ride them. It seems like a nice place to sit and relax if you're going a short distance."

To see more of the concepts view Hamit Kanuni Kuralkan's design portfolio.

So the question is, would you really enjoy travelling in something like this? BTW comments are working, so even if it looks as though your comment hasn't been posted it probably has. Hopefully haloscan can sort it out soon!