Germany gearing up for maglev railway

While folks living near Shanghai are already enjoying the luxuries of a maglev (magnetic levitation) railway, Germany is getting set to build a similar line to shuttle citizens from Munich's city center to its airport. The €1.85 billion ($2.61 billion) project is finally on track to become a reality after securing the necessary funding, and it should be able to whisk travelers around at nearly 310 miles-per-hour when it's complete. Sadly, there's no word as to when the Munich service will launch, but at least we're moving in the right direction, eh?

[Via Slashdot]

[Scott @ Sep 27th 2007 4:57AM]

holy crap, 300+ miles per hour. seeing as how it can take almost an hour to get from munich flughafen to the hauptbahnhof, a faster train would be nice, but $2.61 billion for a maglev train seems like overkill.

[Andrew @ Sep 27th 2007 6:51PM]

Actually you should think in terms of €1.85 billion because the equivalent in dollars is only an estimate based on the current exchange rate (very unfavorable to the US). The local cost is and will be approx. €1.85 billion only. It makes no sense to use the dollar amount because the cost and financing is local to Germany.

[Rik @ Sep 27th 2007 4:59AM]

I traveled on the test track at I believe 380 km/h or so. It felt like we were going 100 km/h. It was SO comfortable...

[Nex @ Sep 27th 2007 5:12AM]

i rode a diesel electric amtrac once.. i went 300 miles and it took forever lol. eh better then a shitty ride in a military c17 with a bunch o people that havent showered in a week.. not to say wasnt the best ride of my life...

[Scott @ Sep 27th 2007 5:23AM]

i haven't ridden on an amtrak train in the states, but deutsche bahn trains are really nice. if you don't mind taking the longer, scenic route, i'd say they're easily more comfortable than an airplane.

[kadajawi @ Sep 27th 2007 6:32AM]

Hm. I don't find the Deutsche Bahn so nice. They are always too late, charge ridiculous fees that until not long ago were so complicated even those working for the DB had no clue, and are so slow that by going by car you are usually there at least twice as fast. The landscape is not bad, but if you travel the same route every day it gets boring. I'd rather take the Autobahn and drive as fast as I want (and the car/traffic allows).

They really should stop this project, where is the point? What a waste of money.

[Andrew Stone @ Sep 27th 2007 4:14PM]

They are threatening to cancel service on many routes for our incredibly slow, crowded, out of date "el" trains in Chicago and Germany is getting 310 mph magnetically levitated trains?

Good luck getting the olympics in 2016 or EVER chicago. It takes me over an hour to get to O'Hare from the Loop, and thats less than 15 miles.

[jatoac @ Sep 27th 2007 5:19AM]

5 years to late...

[Martin Trautmann @ Sep 27th 2007 7:57AM]

no - it's 35 years too late.

They did not change very much since they built first demonstration trails in 1972.

It's far too expensive - industry never built a trail on their own. They should have done so, if they believed that it could be profitable at all.

[andrew @ Sep 27th 2007 5:31AM]

hope the software is not from mocksoft, as american airlines' http://www.mocksoft.com/?Language=en&Strip=10

[WhiteStar @ Sep 27th 2007 5:35AM]

The project is under heavy fire from other government parties, so it's not so sure if it's gonna be built. The Shanghai Transrapid (that's what the train is called) is also german-built, by the way.

[shaun @ Sep 27th 2007 5:57AM]

I saw a documentary about these trains, they were pioneered in Germany. They're a really good technology with some bad press due to an accident in China that was due to human error

[Blackster @ Sep 27th 2007 6:07AM]

nope, that accident happened on the german testing stage and many people got killed by human error!

[shaun @ Sep 27th 2007 6:10AM]

My mistake...I guess I wasn't paying attention to the TV

[Toby Piller @ Sep 27th 2007 6:11AM]

I don't want to ride the maglev... there has been a terrible accident last year on a test track in Germany.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Lathen_maglev_train_accident

[Rik @ Sep 27th 2007 6:49AM]

There was a service cart on wheels on the track. Since this was a test track design had focused on the system itself it was probably figured that much more intense human control than in a normal sitaution would prevent problems. Sadly, human error still occured. In in normal production Maglev system a test cart would definitely be connected to a integral safety system.

I was in the controll center of the test track, every part of the track was monitored by cameras. On a longer commercial track this would not be the case, it would require too much human effort to justify the expense.

[Trauma XP @ Sep 27th 2007 11:36AM]

If a technical marvel for 2 billion can be derailed by a simple maintenance vehicle, I'd say it should be an easy and high profile target for terrorists attacks.

[3dots @ Sep 27th 2007 6:20AM]

I have travelled in one of those in Shanghai, its really nice experience. You will love it once you have traveled in it. Its better than flight as far I can compare.

[Gi @ Sep 27th 2007 6:45AM]

Toby, You are so right. Here is a heads up though. You should stay clear of planes, ships, "normal" trains, etc as well. I hear they have a tendency to be involved in accidents too....

You are probably safest on a bike, if you stay clear of all roads. Maybe skateboards can be an option if someone designs them with railings on the sides....

[Twitchy @ Sep 27th 2007 8:26AM]

Sound advice - I would add that whatever you do, don't go home. I hear that is where most accidents occur.

[rabatjoie @ Sep 27th 2007 7:02AM]

Ah, Transrapid, the wet dream of german engineers... There are reasons why the track from Hamburg to Berlin was canceled - It basically would have been an _insane_ investment (building all the concrete pillars etc.) for an incremental improvement in travel time.

It's not surprising that the only Transrapid running for now is in China - a country which has not abandoned yet a certain techno-optimism that was prevalent in Europe and the US in the 60's and 70's (see planes like the Concorde etc.). The Transrapid is already a Dinosaur, the only reason why we're still seeing it is that it's taken too long to develop (Check out this picture from 1979)

[rabatjoie @ Sep 27th 2007 7:04AM]

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Transrapid05.JPG (Transrapid in 1979)

[Balzac2m @ Sep 27th 2007 7:08AM]

MONORAIL, MONORAIL, MONOOORAAAAAAAAAIL.
Hi, I'm from Germany and I can tell you, it is absolutely unclear if this thing will ever be built. The mayor of munich wants to sue against it, so we will see what the result of this plan will be.
But Stuttgart is burying their main station for two billion Euro so I guess it could be.

kadajawi: You surely are german too, eh? Go travel by train in other countries and you'll see, the deutsche bahn isn't so bad afterall.

[Twitchy @ Sep 27th 2007 8:34AM]

I hear you on that - Deutsche bahn is a hell of a lot more reliable than Trenitalia. And the pries reflect the good trains and stations, as well as the cost of doing business in Germany.

I see the MagLev as an opportunity to establish a viable alternative to air-travel. It is not only environmentally friendlier (depending on the power source - but you can't run a commercial plane off solar), but the time difference between the two modes of transportation aren't that big once you factor in not having to check in up to 3 hours prior to departure.

[Ben Schiendelman @ Sep 27th 2007 3:45PM]

There's really no difference between maglev and conventional rail, though - maglev is slightly faster, but vastly more expensive. I just rode the TGV Est at 320kph, and that's conventional, and tested to 574kph. Build conventional at 500kph and save some money...

[Twitchy @ Sep 27th 2007 4:13PM]

"Build conventional at 500kph and save some money..."

Best of luck with that. At 500km/h I believe one might have trouble staying on the rails - rails also add considerable friction not only directly but by introducing side to side motion and vibrations. Hence the attraction of maglev.

[james @ Sep 27th 2007 8:49AM]

"folks living near Shanghai are already enjoying the luxuries"

That's funny. It's a very short track, about 19 miles or so, and only runs between the city and out to the airport. It's more of a test and bragging rights than actually useful - not many people use it. I rode it and the van that dropped us off at the station beat us to the airport with our luggage. BUT it IS freaking COOL! It's might fast.

[LJKelley @ Sep 27th 2007 9:36AM]

How did the van beat you to the Airport if this train is suppose to be traveling at 300+mph? Either there were way 2 many stops (I doubt, sounds pretty direct to me) or this train doesn't travel at high speeds and they might as well have shipped in a train from London's Circle Line.

I sincerely doubt that the van was traveling at 300mph.

[james @ Sep 27th 2007 10:07AM]

How did the van beat us? It's not rocket science: it's only 19 miles (by rail or by road). The van dropped us off and headed to the airport. We bought tickets, waited 10-15 minutes for the next train, the trip is 7 minutes and 20 seconds, there are no stops, and it takes time to unload and go to the right terminal - where our van was waiting with our luggage. It's just too short to be useful. (check youtube for some vids)

[LJKelley @ Sep 27th 2007 12:27PM]

Your logic is utterly flawed. Yes you will wait 10min for a train or taxi to the airport. Whats the point of taking the train if a van already picked you up? This train would obviously be faster for someone staying in the centre at a hotel and going str8 to the train for the airport. I'm assuming you waited at your hotel/residence for the van.

A better test would have been you going str8 to the train and a friend calling a taxi and seeing who was first in line at the checkin counter.

But also more importantly, I assume you were a tourist and thus the van/taxi driver would have known the airport and terminals better than someone wandering from the train.

[james @ Sep 27th 2007 1:30PM]

LJKelley, have you been on the train? Are you just trolling? What's with the defensive stance?

My point is that the 19 mile line is a waste of time and money. It's a great test project, but nothing more than that (besides bragging rights for China). It travels at top speed for mere seconds. It is absolutely faster to take a taxi from your hotel to the airport w/o stopping at the train station on the way past.

[Morrison @ Sep 27th 2007 8:50AM]

WOW, 500 km/h will get you across Germany in a flash!

[Bad Beaver @ Sep 27th 2007 11:04AM]

Aww. As cool as it is, it basically means ruining the scenery with the enormous, ridiculously expensive and very ugly concrete construction needed for the track, plus people just love the roaring thunder of the Transrapid passing at 300mph on a regular basis. It's a very quiet vehicle. When you're inside, that is.

[WorldCTZen @ Sep 27th 2007 12:58PM]

Um.. Maglevs are practically silent. The noise trains make is a combination of the engine (diesel/electric) and all those steel wheels vibrating on the rails.
Maglevs draw external electric current to generate their maglev field.. so they hum a bit.. and there's no steel wheels for rolling noise..
So about the only noise they make is from air displacement - kind of like a strong wind. There's online video with sound where you can hear this.

[Bad Beaver @ Sep 27th 2007 1:08PM]

No really, maglev propulsion is silent? Who would have thought! *g* In the end, it is rather irrelevant what is truly responsible for the noise generated though, and the Transrapid generates something in the area of 89dBA or more, like a regular high speed train. Only that you cannot really put it behind a wall. See here (German link)
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transrapid#Schall

[WorldCTZen @ Sep 27th 2007 2:59PM]

Badbeaver, the wikipedia entry you pointed to (or the English version anyway) makes no claim as to the actual operating dB level of the maglevs. The only noise pollution claim it DOES make is that maglevs are quieter than high-speed trains.
Further, while maglevs can operate at ground level, the fact that they operate better (and more safely) on raised tracks means a smaller right-of-way footprint (islands for the pillars), not cutting apart the landscape, fewer traffic intersections, fewer traffic accidents, and less need for noise barriers.

[Bad Beaver @ Sep 27th 2007 4:00PM]

WorldCTZen, do you make a living selling these, or why do you seem to have a problem with them being loud? It's a neat high-tech train. But the fact that you put something on raised tracks doesn't make it any more quiet. Quite the opposite indeed. And please don't blame me for the English Wiki-site not having dB levels when I link the German one. Also, when you look around you will find that the Transrapid has been measured up to 97dB. It is not very quiet. Period.

[WorldCTZen @ Sep 27th 2007 9:14PM]

Ahh. Yes, I do see the "98 dBa" on the German page. Silly me. Well, I guess since Wikipedia says thay make just as much noise as a steel wheel high speed train, despite this meaning they're not louder than existing trians, and all the other benefits, we should just scrap the idea. Progress is totally over-rated.

[Ryan @ Sep 27th 2007 1:23PM]

Oh why can't get these in the United States? We have the infrastructure don't we? I'd rather take extra time on a train than wait the additional 4 hours (2 hours prior each way) for the crappy stuffy plane. I bet you get a little more leg room and you can go to the bathroom when you want.

[Habema @ Sep 27th 2007 5:12PM]

Hy,I'm from germany and the start terminage for building the maglev is estimated for late 2008 and the beginning of transportation services is planned for 2012 (if I remember correctly, but could also be 2014)

nice day, greets Max

[Eric @ Sep 27th 2007 6:53PM]

Since I know a few people in the rail industry I think it is safe to say that MagLev is, more than anything, designed to sell proposals.

Sure you can travel at breakneck speed, but you can get pretty damn fast on steel wheels and steel rails. The real key to increasing ridership on trains and transit is Quality of Service and Ease of Use. Even a maglev train has to make stops and it's important that the system is designed to move people around optimally. That means lots of systems to plan and implement the logistics of these operations.

Plus theres some basic physics to think about. How much energy does it take to lift a GIANT FRICKIN' TRAIN a few inches off the ground? How much energy does it take to hold a wheeled train off the ground? Sure you kill a little friction, but anyone who's been on a road bike can fathom that air molecules are a much bigger enemy than your rolling stock when it comes to friction!

It's cool but impractical, let's get back on the ball with our existing rails and prove we have an alternative to auto;s rather than focusing on flash and dash

[Twitchy @ Sep 27th 2007 7:36PM]

The issues with steel wheels/tracks are, for example, wear and tear - moving parts have to be replaced as to the tracks. Furthermore, moving parts tend to fail. Eschede anyone? Sure a monoblock wheel may have reduced the likelyhood of the accident (which is what they run on now), but it was the presence of the rails which attributed. It is a rather good replacement for long distance trains (e.g. Hamburg-Munich-Paris with a couple of stops on the way). This could operate concurrently with state of the ark trains doing the local runs.

Furthermore, without the undercarriage, the train weighs considerably less - there is no need to levitate massive axels and solid metal wheels. Your friction argument is also a bit moot, as a cyclist is hardly aerodynamic, which the MagLev is.

The impracticality often associated with the MagLev is a result of a combination of short-term thinking and nostalgia - Train fanboys tend to oppose change similar to the uproar that 'horseless carriages' created. It shouldn't need to be reiterated, but this is only a part of an integrated public transport network, not an entire replacement.

[Eric @ Sep 27th 2007 10:41PM]

I find this very cool. Why? Hmmmm... maybe because I just like saying MagLev. LOL

[eric @ Sep 27th 2007 11:30PM]

@Twitchy,
Thanks for the counterpoint. I wholeheartedly agree that maglev has high potential for longer range and express routes! I just wanted to point out there is also a lot of unexploited potential left in the steel trains. I thikn we'll be seeing both technologies side-by-side for ages as long as we keep building trains.

[bifi @ Oct 1st 2007 2:41PM]

Don't say it will be build, until it IS finally build...

[sitruc @ Oct 1st 2007 11:32PM]

Remember when it looked like there would be a maglev train from Washington, DC to Baltimore...