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I would like to address several items I have seen in this forum. I'll start by admitting that I am a maglev supporter. My reasoning lies in the inherent advantages maglev trains hold over conventional High Speed Rail technology. It is true that the French achieved a speed of 320 Miles per hour with a TGV Atlantique. That test had more than its fair share of caveats. The tests were conducted on an LGV line that had not yet opened for service. The tracks were brand new, the catenary was brand new, and the brand-new train was heavily modified in order to reach said speed. The catenary had to be modified to handle the extra speeds because the normal tension in the catenary wire was not sufficient for the wire to remain in contact with the pantograph at any speed in excess of 200 mph. The train was reduced to the power cars and one car in between, fitted with oversized wheels, and aerodynamic fairings were applied to the pantograph and the diaphragms. After the test run, the track had to be realigned, because the speed of the train knocked the rails out of alignment. Yes, it is true that conventional trains can exceed 200 miles per hour, but it comes at a cost of maintenance. American freight railroads hate maintaining their track to Amtrak standards for 79 MPH running. What makes you think they would want to upgrade their tracks to 300 mph capacity and maintain them at that level when their own freight trains would not be allowed to run any faster than 80? The main purpose of Maglev development was to achieve high speeds without destroying the tracks in the process. The end result is that Maglev's high initial cost (about the same cost per mile as interstate highway) will be offset in the future by the reduced maintenance bill. <br /> <br /> As for the maglev freight concept, it is a wonderful concept that American minds could bring to fruition quickly and put to good use. Coal is out of the question. Heavy freight like coal and other raw materials need not travel at such high speeds because their delivery schedules account for the transit time. A power plant only cares that the coal arrives on time, whether it departed its point of origin 3 days prior or 3 hours prior. The practical application of freight maglev technology is in less than carload lots and lots which take up 10 or fewer cars. Maglev would revolutionize the freight business because the higher traffic capacity of maglev infrastructure allows for an efficient means to operate many small trains from point instead of running a few long trains from point to hub, hub to point. Maglev cars could be quickly developed which would wrap an aerodynamic shroud around intermodal containers. The result would mean quick loading and dispatching time, short transit time, and less downtime for trainsets. Small intermodal facilities located in many small towns instead of large intermodal facilities in big cities would mean freight would move more efficiently, reducing traffic on any major mainline and allow more direct point to point service. If nothing else, maglev would allow perishables to spend less time in transit and therefore arrive on Supermarket shelves fresher. Heaven forbid a computer arrive on a CompUSA shelf before it becomes obsolete! <br /> <br /> Maglev and Steel rail can coexist well in this country. Transporting coal and other nonperishable, high volume/weight freight by maglev is a ridiculous concept. This is where the freighters and grangers will continue to hold the advantage. Competition from Maglev in the perishables market and the intermodal market will keep the railroads on their toes when it comes to customer service, maintenance, and public relations. Competition from Maglev will keep the airlines honest, and it will put the inefficient airlines out of business. I'm sure that maglev passenger lines will have plenty of openings for the people laid off, and they won't have to embarass themselves with the safety announcements before takeoff.
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