First suggested as a means of transport over a century ago, magnetic levitation (or maglev) is a transport innovation which uses powerful electromagnets instead of conventional rail and wheels to achieve motion. Maglev trains use electromagnets to lift the whole train into the air a short distance. These trains follow magnetic guiderails instead of conventional rails. The result is a transport system which can regularly attain much higher speeds than more conventional rail systems. For example the Shanghai Transrapid line travels at an average speed of 267mph (430kph), making a 19-mile journey in less than 10 minutes. For comparison, trains in the UK using conventional means to achieve motion travel at an average speed of around 65 mph, with maximum design speeds of around 125 mph.
There are currently two operating commercial maglev transport systems in Shanghai, China and in Japan. Plans are also in place in several countries around the world for Maglev links, for example a link between the major Japanese cities of Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027, with extensions to Osaka by 2045.
The future of maglev as a viable mass transportation system lies at the cutting edge of technology. Since air resistance (drag) is currently the major limiting factor in the speed of commercial travel, so-called “vac-train” technology has been proposed as a theoretical solution. By moving the maglev train through a vacuum tube around the track the train could move at speeds of up to 5000 miles per hour. For comparison, the most efficient speed for commercial air travel is around 550 mph- 10 times slower. At these speeds a journey from London to New York would take less than an hour! Vactrain technology would currently be prohibitively expensive to implement due to the enormous cost of maintaining a vacuum tube for the train to move through, but in the future trains could replace aeroplanes as the most popular method for long-distance international travel.
There are currently two operating commercial maglev transport systems in Shanghai, China and in Japan. Plans are also in place in several countries around the world for Maglev links, for example a link between the major Japanese cities of Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027, with extensions to Osaka by 2045.
The future of maglev as a viable mass transportation system lies at the cutting edge of technology. Since air resistance (drag) is currently the major limiting factor in the speed of commercial travel, so-called “vac-train” technology has been proposed as a theoretical solution. By moving the maglev train through a vacuum tube around the track the train could move at speeds of up to 5000 miles per hour. For comparison, the most efficient speed for commercial air travel is around 550 mph- 10 times slower. At these speeds a journey from London to New York would take less than an hour! Vactrain technology would currently be prohibitively expensive to implement due to the enormous cost of maintaining a vacuum tube for the train to move through, but in the future trains could replace aeroplanes as the most popular method for long-distance international travel.