Superconducting levitation Train

The superconducting magnetically-levitated transport system (Maglev) has come into the limelight as a next-generation ultra-high speed and environmentally-friendly transport system. German inventors patented the basic system way back before World War II.

IFW-Dresden Superconducting Maglev Train Models




Japan's Superconducting Maglev "Linear Motor Car" Train, 581km-h(The technical achievements such as the attainment of the world speed record of 581 km/h were made at JR Railway Technical Research Institute's Yamanashi Maglev Test Line.)


Passenger test ride in Japan Maglev 581 km/h train



Trains that levitate above a magnetic field could mean that you’ll be zipping across town or across country one day at hundreds of miles an hour on a train that flies through the air. Such electrodynamic (suspension) systems (EDS) are currently in experimental use or under development in Japan and Florida. Such superconducting magnetically-levitated transport system (Maglev) are less expensive to build than traditional railway cars and are relatively quiet. The tracks take up less land. These trains use far less energy than other types of transportation and don’t pollute. And they put today’s “express” trains to shame, rocketing by at an average 250 mph that can climb much higher. Proponents say an underground maglev could one day shuttle you from the Atlantic to the Pacific in just one hour!


The Shanghai Maglev Train was the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the world. Construction began in March 2001, and public service commenced on 1 January 2004.During a test run on 12 November 2006, a maglev vehicle achieved a Chinese record speed of 501 km/h (311 mph). The line runs from Longyang Road station in Pudong, on the Shanghai subway line 2 to Pudong International Airport. The journey takes 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the distance of 30 km. A train can reach 350 km/h (220 mph) in 2 minutes, with the maximum normal operation speed of 431 km/h (268 mph) reached thereafter. Following the opening, overall maglev train ridership levels were only at 20% of capacity. As on June 08, 2006, one way ticket costs 50 yuan or 80 yuan for executive class (the yellow leather seat as seen on the video). Transrapid, the German firm that developed the system, describes the Maglev as "the first fundamental innovation in the field of railway technology since the invention of the railway." Magnets are the attraction. First, powerful magnets lift the entire train about 10 millimeters above the special track, called a guideway, since it mainly directs the passage of the train. The Pudong line is unlikely to ever recoup its ¥10 billion ($1.33bn US dollars)billion investment. A test track in northern German was built nearly 20 years ago, but even the Germans have shied away from launching a commercial magnetic levitation line because of the cost. Other magnets provide propulsion, and braking, and the speeds - up to 500 kph in test runs; a good 60 percent faster than the renowned Bullet Trains - are attained largely due to the reduction of friction.


The French TGV is on rails, where the MagLev floats by superconducting magnetic levitation.
The double decker French TGV {specially modified 2 engine car trainset (coaches removed)} breaks own rail train speed record on april 3rd 2007, setting world record at 574.8 kph or 357.2 mph on a test run. TGV trainsets travel at up to 320 km/h (200 mph) in commercial use

Just as electrons move more efficiently through a superconducting wire because there is no resistance, so, too, does a maglev travel more efficiently than a regular train because there is no friction between the wheels and the track, thanks to the Meissner Effect. which is s the expulsion of a magnetic field from a superconductor.

The train itself is equipped with several superconductors, while a series of electromagnetic coils run along the length of the track. When the train approaches these coils, the superconductors induce a current in them that works to both levitate the train several centimeters above the track and to center it between the guide rails.

Once the train reaches a certain speed a second series of electromagnetic coils, which run alongside the levitation/guidance propulsion coils kick into gear, propel the train even more.

A maglev train is envisaged per passenger mile, to cost one third as much as plane travel.
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Maglev train proposals

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