What is the significance of TGV’s 357Mph record?

It demonstrates the potential and reliability of high-speed maglev systems over conventional rail technologies.

Why are maglev systems superior to traditional rail?

Maglev offers reduced maintenance, faster acceleration, and smoother operation due to non-contact magnetic levitation.

MAGLEV VS. TRAIN COMPARISONS – North American Maglev Transport Institute

The traditional passenger rail industry and the Federal Railroad Administration shamelessly claim that steel-wheel-on-steel-rail mechanical train technology is superior to, or at least as good as, electronic non-contact maglev transport technology. NAMTI categorically denounces such false and transparent public relations efforts.

Maglev can be best characterized as electronic flight. Maglevs are not trains. Trains are trains and are highly maintenance intensive, unlike non-contact maglevs.

The videos in this section provide visual and audio proof to back up our position. As you will see, some of these comparisons are amusing or laughable.

Building the best public transportation available is anything but funny because of its lasting impact on the nation’s economy. That is why NAMTI is so intent upon educating the North American public about how their kids’ future is being sold short by existing transportation policies and the efforts of passenger rail lobbyists.

We must tell our political representatives to upgrade or replace those federal and state agencies that doggedly hang onto old, maintenance intensive and subsidy-dependent mechanical transit systems that are clearly not economically sustainable.

Just click on the the thumbnail images below to see and hear the difference between these radically different technologies.

High-Speed Maglev	Low-Speed Maglev	Fast HMR	Slow HMR	Background For What The Videos Show
Transrapid TR-09 TVE Track, Lathen, Germany Transrapid @ 267 mph Pudong Airport Connector, Shanghai, China	HSST LInimo Nagoya Japan No Vibration – Minimal Noise	French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) German ICE (Intercity Express)	Sound Transit Seattle, Washington, USA Noticeable Noise & Vibration	NOISE ALONG THE ROW The HSM and Fast HMR videos show vehicles traveling at ~300 km/h (185mph) and are recorded from about the same distance.The Low-Speed maglev video is of the HSST “Linimo” in Nagoya, Japan, which has a top speed of 60 mph (km/h).The Slow HMR video is of the Sound Transit light rail line in Seattle, Washington, USA.The noise differences are startling and quite apparent regardless of speed. Logical, when you consider that the maglev systems are not touching their guideways, while the steel-wheel-on-steel-rail do. Non-contact vehicles have superior ride quality at all speed levels. The HSM is able to easily accelerate past the HMR train’s fastest speed. However, the faster speeds do introduce some vibration, but not so much that passengers cannot move around the carriages without hanging onto seats. No seat belts required, either.Judge for yourself what you see and hear.
TR-08 125 mph (201 km/h) Crash w/50 Ton Maintenance Cart Cause: Human Error	HSST LInimo Nagoya Japan Completely Grade Separated – No Shared ROW Or Shared Track Results in 99.97% On Time – To The Second – Schedule Availability	ICE Train Derailment @ 125 mph (201 km/h) Cause: Mechanical Failure/Metal Fatigue ICE Train Derailment In Tunnel @ 125 mph (201 km/h) Near Fulda, Germany 26-April-2008 Cause: Sheep	Houston Light Rail Line Video Show Why Grade Separation Should Be A Priority, Especially With Urban Systems. Besides Being Safer, Schedule Reliability Is Dramatically Improved, If Not Guaranteed With An Automated LSM System	SAFETY/ACCIDENTS, COLLATERAL DAMAGE, & GRADE SEPARATION The German TR-08 maglev crash at around 125 mph (201 km/h) with a 50 ton maintenance cart was the world’s deadliest, but first and only high-speed maglev accident.Date: September-2006Location: At the TVE maglev test facility near Lathen, in the Emsland region of Lower Saxony, Germany.Human Toll: 23 dead with 10 injuredDamage Report: Destroyed first carriage completely, with damage to last two carriages. Maintenance cart destroyed. However, there was no damage to the guideway, the maglev did not derail and there was no collateral damage.Cause: human error – controllers violated operational protocol.The German ICE train crash at around 125 mph (201 km/h) was the world’s deadliest fast train accident. Date: 3-June-1998Location: Near Eschede in the Celle district of Lower Saxony, Germany.Human toll: 101 dead with 88 injured.Damage Report: The entire train derailed, jack-knifed, tore up the tracks, and brought down a 300 ton road overpass.Cause: mechanical failure – a wheel rim separated from the wheel.The Low-Speed HMR video is from the cameras on-board Houston’s light rail system – the music is perfect for the drama that unfolds.And, with the low-speed maglev, there is no video of an accident because of the Nagoya system’s complete grade separation and station platform doors, resulting in 6 years of near flawless operation. What does it take for transit officials and politicians to see that maglev systems are proven technology with lower environmental impact? Hopefully, these videos will help them see the light.
Transrapid HSM Lathen, Germany All Maglevs Are Friction/Traction-Free & Run With Snow/Ice On Guideway – They Blast It Off As They Pass	Rotem HSST Maglev Incheon Airport, Korea All Maglevs Are Friction/Traction-Free & Run With Snow/Ice On Guideway	Fast HMR At Grade For Traction/Friction Based Propulsion To Work, Snow Must First Be Removed With Plows	HMR Traction/Friction-based Propulsion Must Remove Snow/Ice From Tracks	FOUL WEATHER OPERATIONS The maglev video is of the Rotem LSM in Daejeon, Korea. This system also has a top speed of 60 mph (km/h).The HMR video is of a freight line’s snow plow getting stuck in a snow drift. The fact that all maglev systems should be elevated, especially in places where it snows, there would be no issue with snow drifts
TR-08 High-Speed Maglev Longyang Road Station Shanghai, China 19-Mile 2 station SMT Airport Connector	Linimo, Nagoya, Japan Arriving Very Quietly At Above Ground Station	German Fast HMR ICE Trains Arriving & Leaving Frankfurt Station	Light Rail Line Station Houston, Texas	NOISE LEVEL ARRIVING AT STATIONS See and hear the high-speed Shanghai maglev arriving quietly at Longyang Rd. Station on 9-NOV-2010. BTW, the maglev video’s background noise of a horn is from cars and taxis outside the station, not the maglev. The second video is of the slow-speed light rail train arriving at its station, noisy with signal bells ringing.
Fast HSM German Designed Transrapid Vehicles Inspect Their Guideways With Each Passenger Trip So There Is No Need For A Separate Catenary & Track Inspection Geometry Vehicle	LSM In Beijing Is Under Construction – This Is A Video Of It In Action – We Are Waiting On Information Regarding Guideway Inspection Procedures	Fast HMR Dr. Yellow Track Inspection Train For Japanese Shinkansen System Checks Catenary & Track Geometry	Slow HMR FRA Track Inspection Train For U.S. System Checks Track Geometry Only – There Is No Provision For Checking Catenary Because The U.S. Has So Few Electric Powered Rail Lines	Track/Guideway Inspection Vehicles Each mode has its own method of inspecting the alignment/geometry of its tracks/guideways. Notably, the HSM Transrapid system needs no dedicated and costly inspection vehicle since every maglev trip automatically sends the track geometry information back to the central computer at the operations center – the need for a specially designed inspection vehicle is eliminated.