Some Western European countries are getting serious about transporting consumer goods through automated subterranean networks.

This rare combination of low-tech sense and high-tech knowledge could lead to a further economic growth without destroying the environment and the quality of life.

These concepts offer exciting possibilities. Goods can be transported from factories to stores, from factories to factories or even from stores to consumers — in the long run, the infrastructure could become so intricate that goods can be delivered to individual homes. You could order something on the internet and pick it up through a trapdoor in your cellar the next morning.