Maglev Trains: Why This ALWAYS Falls Short

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The Japanese one mentioned last is different from all the others in a significant way. Not just that such a long line (compared to other maglevs) is already under construction. The main difference is technological: first time superconducting magnets are used for a maglev train. This further increases the upfront cost in the hopes of decreasing the later running costs. So kind of a maglev on steroids in this aspect. But I really like the way the guidance left/right/up/down is passive in this system and get stronger and stronger with speed increasing. And the superconducting magnets mean stay strong for a long time after external power to the system is lost. So for this to have a crash you have to physically destroy a long enough section of the track in front of it. For us technically minded this really seems like it is at least as safe at 500kph as a regular HST on wheels is at 250kph. I really hope they overcome the red tape and financing issues.

I rode the German Transrapid on the test loop back in the mid 2000 when I was a minor and even then it was a proven and ready to implement technology. It was a joy to ride, flying through the landscape at 400+kph effortlessly. It was quiet, fast and relatively versatile with higher possible ramp angles, higher throughput and a relatively simple carriage design. The problem was always cost of adoption and the difficulty of switching track economically and safely.

Maglevs can work but people have to stop treating them like trains and more like ground hugging point to point airplanes. Their best use, in my opinion, is as part of a hub and spoke network where you take a maglev between two major transit hubs, get off, then take more conventional transportation to your final destination.

I worked in Shanghai during the week and commuted home to Singapore on weekends for 18 mths in 2009/2010, and used the Maglev for the trip to/from Shanghai Airport into downtown Shanghai. Was an awesome period in my career

shanghai maglev no longer runs at 430km/hr, top speed was reduced to 300 early this year. Transrapid became defuct so no major maintenance can be done

One thing worth mentioning in the case of the vacuum tube version (like swiss-metro) cooling becomes a big issue, as your train is basically in giant thermos bottle. There might not be any engine on board, but you have all the passenger equipment, and all the passengers which are probably producing 50 Watt per person of heating.

The other issue with maglev is that the system has to be built entirely from scratch. A regular high speed train can operate on the new high speed tracks but also extend service onto older tracks and stop at existing stations.

I believe the Birmingham maglev wasn't just replaced with a bus. They now use a similar transportation system using the same track except its cable powered.

Whoever edited this video.. I LOVE YOU. The sponsor spot volume was reduced at least 30%, and as a thank you- I sat through the whole ad and let the video play 3 times through (was alt-tabbed doing other stuff) I wish more creators were thoughtful enough to do this.. such a small thing that makes a huge difference to we headphone users.

Turns out the best version of a train is a train.

I've ridden on the Transrapid twice: once at the test track in Lathen (late 80s, I think), and once in Shanghai in 2018. Both rides were amazingly quick and smooth! It's so sad that maglevs haven't seen more adoption, considering that they have some real benefits: they can climb hills 10 times as steep as a regular train, when the track is monorail style, they interfere much less with the surrounding environment (farming below), they're more energy efficient, lower maintenance, and on top of it all, faster than an airplane at medium distances (no cumbersome airport wait times)...

One aspect not mentioned is the network effect. Conventional high speed rail can tap into an existing network, and be it only for the ‘last mile’ into a city center. Sure, if you want to add capacity, you might also need new tracks into city centres or even new platforms. But HSR often might just replace older lower rail. And HSR can easily be built in stages, HS2 in the UK for example allows train to continue to run further north, even after only the first phase has become operational. You can’t do that a Maglev. And in the same way that HSR requires certain population densities and distances to work best (and thus be the most economical option), Maglev also has an optimal distance, which is longer than for conventional HSR. And given that a longer distance means a larger upfront investment, it is more difficult to finance it.

I remember taking the maglev in Shanghai in 2004, shortly after it had opened. At the time there was a lot of hype and the local English newspaper even said that a new line to Hangzhou would be available in time for the 2010 World Expo. That never happened. Plans to extend that line to downtown also didn't go anywhere. Many locals are actually wary of it going through their neighborhoods, as some think that the maglev is too noisy and some even told me that they thought the magnets could cause cancer. I am no position to say if they are right or not, but I do know that it has been nearly 20 years since the Pudong airport line opened and it remains unique and largely unprofitable.

As you said, if you can't built HSR properly (USA, UK etc.) don't even THINK about Maglev. Leave it to the Japanese and Chinese to develop the tech and prove it out while we try and just get some basic trains that work. Maybe in 100 years we can start thinking about Maglev. lol. But....even then I don't think it'll catch on big. It's quite a niche solution that only really works for linear corridors over long distances. It can't interface with existing tracks, so it'll always be it's own dedicated high speed thing, rather than a full network.

you have not mentioned the one in Changsha, China. It is has been running for a few years and quite successful commercially. total length 18.55km $749 million USD cost. Top speed at 140km/h 40million USD per km isn't that expensive compare to average cost of subway line in China which is between 82-121million USD per km.

I rode the Maglev a few days ago for the first time in Shanghai. What an experience. Watching the train lower before opening the doors was incredible. The track also tilts at points

Here in Australia, we can't even get high speed rail up and running, never mind Maglev.

Considering the new CR450 conventional high-speed train will have operating speeds of 400 kmh or 249 mph, it's is not far off the current Shanghai maglev.

Note the N700 shown at timestamp 20:15 is a Shinkansen running on wheels put into service in 2007. Looks good and similar but is not a maglev at all.