Maglev: Safer Than Trains

Maglev transport’s non-contact suspension and propulsion technology is superior to any traditional steel-wheel-on-steel-track train technology. Why? Because maglev technology eliminates the need for friction that traditional rail requires for both acceleration and braking – and friction is the main cause for maintenance, which increases in both frequency and cost as speed increases. This “speed/maintenance penalty” is the Achilles Heal of all traditional rail systems and a major contributing factor in metal fatigue. In addition, as speed increases, safety margins for fast trains narrows. The several major advantages of maglev over traditional rail technology are as follows:

• Dramatically lower maintenance for both vehicles and guideways, which leads to higher system reliability and lower operating costs.
   
• Low noise and minimal vibration in vehicles and even less for those who live along the guideway ROW.
   
• The ability to operate in slick weather conditions with absolute safety and reliability.
   
• Higher acceleration and deceleration rates, and much higher cruising speeds with much less maintenance than required by traditional trains means not only greater passenger comfort, but also means much higher levels of passenger safety.

In one “Seconds From Disaster” documentary about the world’s worst high speed rail accident near Eschede, Germany on June 3, 1998, the filmmakers use animation to clearly show the stresses that are inflicted upon steel wheels and how they can suffer from metal fatigue. It is a clear and illustrative example of why maglev represents an important leap forward in safe high speed ground transportation and why train speeds in excess of 200 mph are ultimately not sustainable.

Starting about 3 minutes into this clip, #4 of the five segments that are posted on YouTube, you are shown what happens to “solid block” steel wheels when operating at speeds of around 155 mph. Then you are shown what happens to “double block steel wheels” when run repeatedly at high speeds. (To see the entire 5 segments of the program click on the links below.)

It is obvious that metal fatigue of wheels and other parts is a major maintenance issue for high speed rail systems – but not for maglev, because the stresses are spread out evenly along the entire length of the vehicles and over long sections of guideway as the vehicles pass.

In another “Seconds From Disaster” documentary about the tragic train crash in 1988 at the Gare de Leon station in Paris, you will begin to appreciate the inherent weaknesses of a highly complex mechanically-based transportation system, something that a brake-less and electronically powered and controlled maglev eliminates.

After you view the documentaries below (just click on the links), you will likely wonder why maglev is not being aggressively pursued as a transportation option in North America by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Two Must See Documentaries

Derailment At Eschede (Metal Fatigue)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Paris Train Crash (Brake Failure)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five