Introduction
Railways for cars are a new and modern way of transporting cars from one place to the other using trains. This is one of the brightest in innovation in the history of humankind since it has helped to solve many problems that are normally associated with moving cars. Because of the availability of the above service, it is now very easy for people especially those who own personal cars to move their vehicles from one region to the other. The idea works on the principle that the cars are loaded into the train using very simple loading techniques.
This idea originated from the need of individuals to move around with their own cars instead of them ending up hiring cars once they reach their destinies. Engineers had to think of unique ways of solving the problem and in the end assist the users to minimize the expenses. However, this innovation has a number of challenges that even lead to an abandonment of the idea at some specific places in the world. A number of factors need to be considered to ascertain the relevance of the innovation to the modern day society.
The railways for cars though are a very creative idea faces a number of factors that will determine the viability of the idea. Such factors include though not limited to the sustainability and price to the end user.
Sustainability
The idea or rather the innovation is sustainable in some regions of the globe while it is unsustainable in various other parts of the globe. The sustainability factor majors on whether the idea will be able to withstand future changes in various other factors (Tovey 2016, P.353). One such factor that might change in the future is the economic and geographic status of a country. Consider for example an economy affected by inflation and hence its currency and subsequently its economy lower.
It will therefore very difficult for such a country to provide financial support to the railway and the transport industry in general. If the railway for cars project was not founded on strong pillars to support its own operation then it will deteriorate with the dying economy of a country.
Geographical changes will also affect the sustainability of the project or rather the innovation in that if the geography of the country changes then it will force the train roots to change. Geographical changes, for instance, could mean the development of rugged terrains within the railway line that will affect the railway line (Roth 2016, P .41). This effect of the geographical could then terminate the operations of the train on such routes and consequently affect the sustainability of the innovation. Consider countries like the Netherlands that have terminated the operations of the railway for cars back in the year 2014. This example acts as the best scenario of poor sustainability of the project.
Sustainability also covers the management of the innovation since a well-managed and implemented innovation will sustain even the dwindling situations of an economy. Corrupt management and authorities will deprive the innovation of the capital needed to run it and hence leading to a standstill of the innovation (Roth 2016, P .41). Sustainability of the innovation encompasses the quality of the provision of services that is whether the standard of services provides at the beginning will be possible to offer even as the innovation ages.
Price to the End User
The price to the end user is another factor to consider in analyzing the development of the innovation. It will be necessary to ensure that the innovation wills not added extra unnecessary charges to the end user of the process or product. For the case of the railway for cars, the transport charges should not be too high to the users of the project.
It is a good idea to avail the option of moving people from one place to the other together with their cars but then care it should not exaggerate the price (Tovey 2016, P .353). Users will not be comfortable with extra charges beyond their capabilities even though they will end up driving their own cars once they reach.
The development of the innovation will not be achievable once the price of the final package is too high for the capability of the end user. In so doing the individuals will abandon the new way of transport and rather resume the previous once even though it is not possible for them to move around with their cars.
Therefore, this action will terminate the innovation or likely reduce the development of the idea. For the development of the innovation, it is suitable to take into consideration the final price of the package. The final price of moving the cars from one location to the other should be as minimal as possible in order to attract a reasonable number of users to sustain the innovation on its own.
The adoption of the innovation by the potential user could be possible because many people prefer using their own cars once they reach the specific destination they were going. In order to determine the likelihood of adoption of the railway for cars, it will be prudent to analyze the factors such as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability.
Relative Advantage
Relative advantage is the benefit an innovation enjoys that the previous way of operation does not have. In the case of the railway for cars, the innovation has an advantage because it is the only one capable of transporting cars. The other available type of ordinary rail transport moves people from one place to the other plus smaller luggage such as bicycles but not even motorcycles. The railway for cars is on the other hand very efficient in transporting cars from one region to the other. This competitive advantage enables the innovation to be adopted by the potential users because they will derive from it an added advantage they never experience from the many others. Below is a picture showing the arrangement of the cars in a railway for cars innovation train.
Compatibility
Compatibility is the ability of innovation to coexist in the market with the present status and changes due to a number of activities in the surrounding environment. The compatibility with changes in the environment is crucial in determining the success of the innovation. For example, if the terrain is rugged it will be necessary to study whether the train which will be specifically designed to accommodate cars will be in a position to use the same railway line as the normal train.
If the train could use the same railway line as the normal one then in such a situation it will have a high compatibility level. High compatibility will translate to lower extra charges and expenses incurred in constructing new forms of railway lines.
The development of the innovation will depend equally on compatibility to existing ways of operations. Consider also, for example, the compatibility of the train to the different shapes of the cars. If the train is compatibility to various body shapes then it will consequently mean that little or no adjustment made on loading and offloading of the cars and therefore little expenses. The innovation will proceed because the capital required to implement will be relatively low. The picture below illustrates the manner in which the cars' packing is done on the inside of the train and in a way proves that the train is compatibility to the body shapes and sizes of the cars.
Complexity
The complexity of an innovation, on the other hand, means the easiness or hardness of implementing a certain proposed innovation. For the case of the railway for cars innovation, the complexity of the project is not so huge because the concept applied is relatively simple (Divall 2016, P .45). The basic principle underlying this innovation is the ability of the normal train to create more room to accommodate large objects such as cars.
The change introduces an enlargement of the size of the train and consequently improves the power provided to the engine. Enlarging the body size is not a big deal because it requires ordinary knowledge to undertake. The engine probably takes some bold and tactful approaches to improve its efficiency and power to produce adequate energy to run the train. However, the entire innovation was simple to implement and hence a success in its development.
Trialability
The innovation has a high a trial ability in that it has been tested on various occasion to determine its workability. The innovation has the high trial ability on any platform right from the prototype to the actual product (Frémont 2016, P .109). The trialability of the innovation is a measure of the adaptability of the product to potential users. Consider for example a process that proves to be working from the onset of its testing, many people will develop trust in the process and consequently purchase it. Therefore, for the case of the railway for cars the potential users develop trust this innovation after the first trial of the project worked.
The adoption of the railway for cars innovation depends on the perception of the potential user to appreciate the technological development. A trial of the invented process is also necessary to identify the weaknesses of the innovation (Anderson, Peach, & Burke, 2016). This early identification of potential weaknesses is very crucial because it will assist in coming up with suitable remedies for the problems.
Incorporation of new ways of improving the innovation will add an advantage to the entire process. The users will, therefore, experience better services while using the innovation hence adopt it consequently increasing the market share of the innovation.
Observability
Observability is the ability to study and keenly identify the key elements of an object. For the case of the railway for cars, its observability is the capability to subdivide it into categories to assist in analyzing the operations. The subdivision in the railway for cars includes the main body that transports cars and it consists of a large steel container spacious enough to accommodate numerous cars (Frémont 2016, P .109). The other main category of this innovation is the engine that provides enough energy to the entire innovation.
This observability of the railway for cars innovation boosts its adaptability to the potential user because the person is able to see the various components that make up the body of the train. Observability is a very crucial factor in the weighing of the importance of an innovation. It encompasses the instances in which the innovation has been a success as well as those that the innovation failed.
The railway for cars, for instance, has been successful in Europe especially in the previous countries where the normal train has been operational (Divall 2016, P .45). On the other hand, there was the failure of the innovation in the Netherlands and Calais in France. The discontinuation of the innovation communicates great messages to the engineers especially young and upcoming to think of new strategies to improve the trains in such regions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the above discussions of the railway for cars indicate that the innovation was unique and original. Although it was an improvement of an existing idea and daily phenomenon, it is still essential in solving various problems in the transport sector. The innovation has been of help in nurturing the skills of young engineers because it behaves as a challenge that will then expound the thinking ability of the young people. It has also been of importance considering the solution it provides to the general problems facing the society now.
The railway for cars has proven to be adaptable by the potential users because it has passed a number of tests. It has the competitive advantage over any other means of transport since it can transport a number of motor vehicles at any given time without been on a risk of causing accidents. It is preferred to road transport because it will not cause damage to the road and subsequently increase expenses. It is , therefore, appropriate to adopt the railway for cars innovation because it actually helps in decongesting the roads. However, the introduction of some improvements will be necessary to assist in rising up the efficiency of the innovation.
The railway for cars is very efficient in promoting reliability from thebusiness sector because the schedule of the train is always fixed. Other importance of the railway for cars is its ability to save on fuel and petrol. It is able to save on fuel because of the reduction of the number of cars and big trailers that will be on the road. The railway for cars is an important innovation since it save the environment from the toxic gases release by the big trailers. Use of heavy trailers to transport cars from one region to the other was rampant before the most efficient trains replaced them. Such trucks are responsible for the release of toxic gases to the air and the environment in general.
References
Anderson, J.D., Peach, W.J. and Burke, M.K., Standard Car Truck Company, 2016. Auto-rack railroad car vehicle restraint apparatus. U.S. Patent 9,321,389.
Divall, C., 2016. From Rail to Road and Back Again?: A Century of Transport Competition and Interdependency. Routledge.
Frémont, A., 2016. The Transfer of Freight from Road to Rail Transport.Sustainable Railway Futures: Issues and Challenges, p.109.
Roth, R., 2016. Rails and Roads Between Competition and Interdependency: a Long and Winding Relationship with Many Innovations That Failed. From Rail to Road and Back Again?: A Century of Transport Competition and Interdependency, p.41.
Tovey, M., 2016.Conclusions: Transport Design in the Future. Design for Transport: A User-Centred Approach to Vehicle Design and Travel, p.353.
