East-West Train

The train is a kind of vehicle recently build by the Arkadhian Institute of Technology. There is only one train in the Empire, connecting the Imperial capital Orkoza in the west with Hizivak on the east coast, running on tracks parallel to the river Duniej; it's a small vehicle mostly used for transporting goods back and forth. Though not fully automated, it represents the most advanced magitechnology known to general public. The first working prototype is now exposed as a museum piece in the Institute.

Propulsion

The train moves thanks to the magical energies forced to circulate into its systems by the pilots; on rotating sixty minutes shifts, two pilots enter the drive cabin and activate a complex magimechanism made of magical interfaces and mechanical gears: their energies ultimately put in motion the wheels on the tracks, making the train move forward. Once their shift is over, they exit the cabin (often exhausted), and let the following couple take the lead. During the change the train slows down significantly, but doesn't usually completely stop, since the lingering energies can make it go for a while unchecked.
Since operating the complex machinery is heavy work, there are stations along the road where, beyond loading and unloading goods according to the schedule, the train gets fresh pilots: average trained personnel can man the vehicle for a day or two at a sustained speed before being physically unable to proceed (barring health damage), whereas the whole journey from the moutains to the see lasts no less than two weeks even at maximum speed.
Since the first prototype could only go forward, there are exchanges at regular intervals along the track to allow u-turns; the newer models have a drive cabin on the other end of the train, thus allowing to move forward or backward, depending which one is used. As a safety precaution, the exchanges have not been removed.

Creation Date

2026

Rarity

One of a kind

Length

20 metres

Speed

40 km/h

Complement / Crew

Four pilots

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

About 1 ton at most