With airports and highways more congested than ever, new steel-wheel and maglev lines that move millions in Europe and Japan have the potential to resurrect the age of American railroads.
Nestled between the seaside bluffs of Southern California’s Torrey Pines and the concrete arteries of Interstate 5 is the low-profile campus of General Atomics, home to the only magnetic levitation, or maglev, train in the United States.
Around the world, scientists and engineers have been developing maglev trains – trains that levitate above a magnetic field. Although there are systems (such as Germany’s Transrapid system) that use electromagnets rather than superconducting magnets, we’ll limit our explanation here to the type of train that harnesses superconductor technology.
An electrodynamic suspension (EDS) system is based on the repelling force of magnets. The key difference between Japanese and German maglev trains is that the Japanese trains use super-cooled, superconducting electromagnets. This kind of electromagnet can conduct electricity even after the power supply has been shut off.
If the projects mapped above come on line, just how fast, efficient and enviro-friendly will next-gen rail be compared to other options? This article provides a number of facts to support the efficiency of maglev technology.
Japanese experiment in an expensive but successful fast train. The plan is to run a track from Osaka to Tokyo but at a cost of 100 billion dollars.
Video of a Shanghai maglev train from inside traveling up to 250 mph with narration from the author.