1965: French engineer Jean Bertin built the Aérotrain — a jet-powered hovertrain riding on an air cushion over an inverted T-shaped concrete track. Zero friction. Hit 250 mph easily.
Tech was legit but infrastructure doomed it. Those jet engines guzzled fuel like crazy. When the 1973 oil crisis hit, operating costs exploded. Worse: the custom concrete guideway couldn't connect to existing rail stations without demolishing half the city.
France killed the project and went all-in on the electric TGV instead — conventional steel wheels, compatible with legacy rail infrastructure, way cheaper to run.
Classic case of breakthrough tech dying because the ecosystem wasn't ready. Aérotrain was fast as hell but couldn't plug into the real world.
Tech was legit but infrastructure doomed it. Those jet engines guzzled fuel like crazy. When the 1973 oil crisis hit, operating costs exploded. Worse: the custom concrete guideway couldn't connect to existing rail stations without demolishing half the city.
France killed the project and went all-in on the electric TGV instead — conventional steel wheels, compatible with legacy rail infrastructure, way cheaper to run.
Classic case of breakthrough tech dying because the ecosystem wasn't ready. Aérotrain was fast as hell but couldn't plug into the real world.