Maglev

[vsmith]

Seams for the cost of a small scall mag-lev you could get a large-scale grade seperated commuter rail system or even a moderate-scale grade seperated HST system for the same amount of effort.

IMHO Mag-lev is the Hydrogen Car of the rail transit world, looks great on paper, even works great on the perfectly maintained test tracks and PR promos, but in reality the shear number of practical problems of dialy use continue to plague the systems so much that they are functionally useless. I'll believe in the Mag Lev over good old fashion rails when I see Ahnoold the Governator filling his Hydrogen Hummer at the local ARCO!

[Anonymous]

Interesting that the article above states that the Chinese government plans to expand the maglev right-of-way.

Last I heard those plans were being abandoned for the time being because of cost issues.

[Paul Milenkovic]

The way I see it, the progression is 79 MPH conventional railroads, 110 MPH railroads with barrier grade crossings and positive-control signals, 150+ MPH TGV/Shinkansen/ICE super railroads and then maglev.

I don't see how you are going to fund maglev if you can't fund any of the cheaper (and less capable) alternatives.

Perhaps, and this is a big perhaps, maglev offers a maintenance advantage in that you don't have to dress rail and wheel profiles to suppress hunting. But the maglev guidway is still old-fashioned civil engineering and would need to be shorn up from subsidence, etc.

As a railfan, I don't have anything against doing maglev instead of a conventional train, but I see maglev as a super-high speed railroad, and there doesn't seem to be enough support for conventional-speed railroads (which cost less).

[Anonymous]

from the January 8, 2005 issue of NewScientist magazine:

For a vehicle that floats on air, the magnetic levitation passenger train has had a pretty bumpy ride in recent years. One-time supporters have turned their backs on it, grants have been cut, and planned lines cancelled. Yet maglev could still come good, and it all depends on what happens in 2005.

The brightest signs of hope are in the east. China has the world’s most ambitious maglev line, a system that zips passengers along 30 kilometers of track between Shanghai’s Pudong airport and the city’s financial district. Electromagnets in the underside of the train repel the steel-plated electromagnetic track, causing the vehicle to float about a centimeter above. By adjusting the strength and polarity of the electromagnets, the train is moved along at speeds up to 430 kilometers per hour. The Shanghai line began a limited service last year, and in 2005, it should become fully operational, day and night.

So far the technology has performed well, apart from the occasional overheated insulator and track subsidence. Despite low passenger numbers and a shortage of train drivers, this year the Chinese government looks set to approve a 170-kilometer extension or the line to the resort of Hangzhou. China is even considering a 1300-kilometer line linking Bejing and Shanghai. With Germany and Taiwan recently canceling maglev lines, such enthusiasm could provide the encouragement that other governments need.

The future or the technology is in the U.S., however, hangs in the balance. None of the country’s half-dozen proposed maglev systems are anywhere near being built. The cost of the track is seen as a key stumbling block. The Shanghai line, for example, topped US$1 billion. If the US Congress fails to allocate further funds in 2005, it could be the end of the line for maglev in America.

www.newscientist.com