ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Aérotrain

Aérotrain is like a super-fast train that floats on a cushion of air instead of rolling on tracks like regular trains. You know how a hovercraft works, right? It's like that, but for trains. The aérotrain moves quickly because there is almost no friction between the train and the ground.

The aérotrain was invented a long time ago, in the 1960s, when people were excited about new ways to travel quickly. The aérotrain was designed to be a faster and cheaper way to travel between cities than planes or regular trains. It could go up to 400 miles per hour, which is really fast.

But, the aérotrain was never used very much for a few reasons. First, it was super loud and made a lot of noise. Second, it didn't have very good brakes, which made it dangerous. Finally, it was expensive to build and maintain the special tracks that the aérotrain needed to run on.

So, even though the aérotrain was a cool idea, it never really caught on and regular trains and planes continued to be the main ways that people travel between cities.