It is hoped ‘innovative’ 24-hour design will also cut carbon emissions, as demand for delivery services soars
Six decades after the bullet train first whisked passengers between Tokyo and Osaka, authorities in Japan are planning to do the same for cargo, with the construction of a “conveyor belt road”.
The automated cargo transport corridor, which will connect the capital with Osaka, 320 miles (515km) away, is seen as part of the solution to soaring demand for delivery services in the world’s fourth-biggest economy.
Planners also hope the road will ease pressure on delivery drivers amid a chronic labour shortage that is affecting everything from catering and retail to haulage and public transport.
The road will also help cut carbon emissions, according to Yuri Endo, a senior official at the transport ministry who is overseeing the project.
“We need to be innovative with the way we approach roads,” Endo told the Associated Press. “The key concept of the auto flow-road is to create dedicated spaces within the road network for logistics, utilising a 24-hour automated and unmanned transportation system.
