|
      Super High Speed Main TGV, Thalys and AGV Eurostars ICEs and Velaros AGV Shinkansen >> Maglev Sokol from Russia Pendolinos Swiss Cisalpino Pendol. Watching sf. Paris GNo SNCF TGV Roster North American S.F. Chinese Super Fast Russian Super Fast Super High S. Records Super High Speed News Super High Speed Lines         |
4rail.net - Super High Speed Trains - Maglev | |
 Welcome to the Magnetic Levitation Trains Special Page! While trains on conventional rails have so far been the ones that have been ordered, for economical and compatibility reasons, megnetic levitation on rails offers many significant advantages. Several projects have been studying the necessary technologies within last decades. Test tracks have been built in Japan and Germany.  The "German version", Transrapid Maglev, saw it's light in the 1970's as a West German state funded backed development project. Project evolved through numerous steps and a 31,5 km test track was built between Lathen and Dörpen in Germany for further development and testing. This test track is still in use, although there are doubts avout the financing fot the year 2009. With no extra money the track might be mothballed. The idea of magnetic levitation is to minimize the friction and mechanical support, thus allowing for more comfortable rides on greater speeds up to several hundred kilometers per hour. Use of this technology provides an almost noiseless train movement, unlike the current super high speed trains. The Maglevs have earlier not been very successfull because of the initial investment costs, low transportation capacity and incompatibility issues (since there is no compatible infrastructure available). There might also be issues on the high energy field's effects on human beings. First Maglev installation in Shanghai A breathrough for the transrapid Maglev was the year 2000. That year the City of Shanghai committed to connect it's city center with the Pudong airport. This track was taken into daily production use in 2004. The track is operated during the daytime with each train carrying maximum of 440 passengers. The maximum speed on the way is 430 kph, which the train can maintain only for a short period, because of the length of the track. The Maglev technology fits well into larger cities, becaus despite it's greta speed, the train with no moving parts and floating near the surface makes practically no soud at all, except for the sound of a wind! Major advantage for modern transportation!  A Shanghai Maglev pictured at the station. Really a "space age" vehicle! Published under GNU licence from a picture by Yosemite. Expansion of the existing track in Shanghai Well operating Shanghai Maglev track is going to have an added length between the cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou. The total length of the new project will be 170 km (105miles) enabling better usage of the Maglevs greater speeds in populated areas. The total travel time for this distance is expected to be just 27 minutes! 4 stations are planned: Expo 2010 site, south Shanghai, Jiaxing and Hangzhou tiself. The building will start in 2010 and should be finished by 2014. There was another project planned in Munich Germany as well to link the Munich Airport and the city center. Because of gross mistakes in calculating the costs this was cancelled before the building actually started. A lesson worth considering when building new infrastructure. Future visions for the Maglev technology With two tracks in Shanghai China the Transrapid Maglev is finally well on it's way forward as a silent, super fast and comfortable way to travel fort the future. Hopefully these installations will show the way to further use of the technology. |
Some of the newer additions:  Brand new TGV-POS's pose in Paris Gare du Nord for the camera. Almost brand new...the locomotives are new, while the coaches are from the TGV-Reséau sets. Single story trains of 320 km/h serve well the limited numbers of passengers between France and Germany. once the volumes pick up, it's guaranteed that the double decked coaches will be swapped to these units. Picture by Sanna Siissalo 2008.  A Thalys PBKA number 4243 boarding in Paris-GNO. As 40% more passengers are expected to travel the Thalyses within next 3 years, seventh daily return trip between Paris and Amsterdam will be added beginning March 2008. Picture by Sanna Siissalo 2008. |
|
Other interesting
pages in this category on 4rail.net  Super Fast Trains Main Page Updated
Super High Speed Trains News NEW!
Super High Speed Trains
records Page NEW!
TGV
& AGV page Recently Updated
Eurostars Updated
AGV Page NEW Intercity
Express - ICE and Velaro Page Updated
Shinkansen
picture & fact page NEW
Watching Super Fast Train at Paris Gare du
Nord NEW! The
SNCF TGV Roster Page NEW Pendolino
special page Updated
Cisalpino
(ETR470 Pendolino) story by Ilkka
Siissalo in the Swiss section! NEW
Sokol from
Russia Updated
High Speed in
Russia NEW!
Super High Speed Efforts in
the U.S. NEW!
Super High Speed in
China NEW!
Maglev
technology Page - levitation on the rail NEW Super High Speed Lines and Corridors... Updated
|
 |
        |